A Reflection for Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
“Do not forget the poor, O Lord!” (Psalm 10:12b)
I love the honesty and unfiltered emotion of the Psalms. They have a timeless quality about them that still resonates in our 21st-century hearts.
The Psalms also teach us a particular way of speaking with God that’s extremely direct, and today’s Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 10) is a wonderful example. “Do not forget the poor, O Lord!” It is a simple, honest prayer.
Psalm 10 tells of the “wicked” people of the world whose deeds seem to go unpunished. They harass the poor, they’re greedy, and they manipulate and deceive for their own gain. We can think of countless examples of this in our world today. To name a few: the war in Ukraine, justified by insane political reasoning, that has needlessly claimed thousands of lives and shattered the livelihood of millions; the scandal of human trafficking, which targets most of all women and children and serves the perverse interest of a few who benefit; the political gridlock in the United States which always ultimately harms the poor who are seeking opportunities and a better life.
Allow me to suggest, in the spirit of today’s Psalm, that simple, honest prayer on behalf of the poor is a good place to start.
As Christians, we ask ourselves how to respond to these many challenges and many evils. They seem overwhelmingly complex, and yet we know that we cannot remain idle.
Allow me to suggest, in the spirit of today’s Psalm, that simple, honest prayer on behalf of the poor is a good place to start. We can all pray these words: “Do not forget the poor, O Lord!” No matter how old or young, sick or healthy, busy or available we are, everyone can take the time to pray for another person.
Actions are essential, and Jesus invites each of us to show mercy and work for justice. But prayer, as Pope Francis writes in “Gaudete et Exsultate,” reminds us that the church is not just another N.G.O. We believe that asking God for help does make a difference. In our complex times, let us rediscover the simple power of praying for the poor and placing our trust in God’s mercy.
