PART XI– A DAY FOR SHARING
Ever since apostolic times, the Sunday gathering has in fact been for Christians a moment of fraternal sharing with the very poor. “On the first day of the week, each of you is to put aside and share whatever extra you earn” (1 Corinthians 16:2), says St. Paul referring to the collection organized for the poor Churches of Judea. (Pope John Paul II, Dies Domini, 70).

WORDS TO LIVE BY
In the Sunday Eucharistic liturgy, those who believe open their hearts to embrace all aspects of the Church. In his writing, Saint Paul called for a culture of sharing; this was a radical concept for his day. And the Letter of James was downright blunt: For if a person with gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Have a seat here, please,’ while to the one who is poor you say, ‘Stand there,’ or ‘Sit at my feet,’ have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” (James 2:2-4) If you wish to honor Christ, Saint John Chrysostom said in essence, then do not ignore him when he’s hungry, naked, and poor. The one who said, “This is my body,” is the same one who said, “You saw me hungry and gave me no food.” What good is it, John said, if the Eucharistic table is filled with gold chalices when Christ himself, our sister and brother, is dying of hunger?

FOR REFLECTION
Who are the ones in your community who are most in need of care? What can you do to help?

YOUR COMMITMENT
This week, extend your celebration of the Eucharist to caring for the poor. Find one concrete way to do this. + Blessings!