Tobit 4:5-11, Proverbs 31:8-9, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Give from what you have received and do not turn away from the poor. (Reflection from Tobit 4:5-11)
Open your mouth to speak on behalf of those in need. (Reflection from Proverbs 31:8-9)
Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. (Reflection from Isaiah 1:16-17)
We are all created in the image and likeness of God and have the right to life, not just in a spiritual sense, but also on earth. Growing up, I always heard the saying live a life full of JOY; Jesus, Others, You. It is our duty to respect the rights of others and to respect the care that they are being given as long as it is aligned with God’s commandments and His example he laid out for us. Our rights, are to those things that preserve our dignity and the quality of our lives; food, shelter, health care, education and employment.
As christians, though we are called to find the joy in our everyday life and truly live out the commitment of Jesus coming first, so that we can serve and help others, in order to help ourselves. It is our right and it is our duty to recognize these rights and respond to the duty that we have to be able to adhere to these rights.
God’s gifts are given to be shared. (Reflection from 2 Corinthians 9:6-15)
Faith without works is dead. (Reflection from James 2:14-18)
But you see when we do not answer to our rights and responsibilities, we are only hurting ourselves, its counter productive. How can we be seeing our faith when we aren’t putting the work into it?
"Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed." -Proverbs 19:17
You see the Lord tells us that if we obey our rights and responsibilities as Catholics, then we will be repaid by the Lord. If we respect our right to life, to healthcare, to employment, to an education and to food and shelter then we will be repaid ten-fold. If we use our rights and responsibilities as God intended them to be used then we are living our lives in the way God intended them to be lived, not just through or words and the ways that we talk but in our actions. This can be as little as putting a smile on your face to helping the lady that just spilled all of her change on the floor. Or holding the door open for the women toting two kids to bringing flowers or food to a friend that is sick.
“But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”- 1 John 3: 17-18
How is God speaking to you in this post or today's reading? Enter a comment below or click HERE if you are reading from your phone. (Commenting is optional, but always grace-filled.) Thank you for letting us into your life and for being a part of ours!
