The Blessing of the Poor

Thursday, August 14, 2008 -- Week of Proper 14
Jonathan Myrick Daniels; Seminarian and Witness for Civil Rights, 1965

Today's Reading for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 979)
Psalms 105:1-22 (morning) 105:23-45 (evening)
Judges 14:1-19
Acts 6:16 - 7:16
John 4:27-42

Today we see how Jesus' visit with the outcast Samaritan woman expands into a mission among the Samaritans who respond to the good news with more enthusiasm than Jesus' own people.

Today is the day we remember Jonathan Myrick Daniels who responded to Martin Luther King's call in 1965 to come to Selma, Alabama to help outcast black Southerners claim the right to vote as American citizens. He joined a picket line and was arrested on this day, August 14, 1965. Authorities then released the group that had been detained. There was a sense of danger. As four of the group walked into a small store, a man with a gun appeared, cursing sixteen-year-old Ruby Sales who had reached the top step of the entrance. Jonathan pulled her to one side to shield her, and he was killed by a 12-gauge shotgun blast. Less than three years later, Dr. King would be killed as he brought the Poor Peoples' Campaign to the Memphis sanitation workers' strike.

The outcast and the poor. These are the special objects of God's care and concern, and when the church is healthy, they are our focus as well. It can be hard and discouraging work, advocating for and working with the poor. At Evening Prayer a few weeks ago, Bob McMath read this as part of our liturgy. It is from the late Henri Nouwen's little book "The Spiritual Life":

Jean Vanier, the Canadian who founded a worldwide network of communities for mentally disabled people, has remarked more than once that Jesus did not say: "Blessed are those who care for the poor," but "Blessed are the poor." Simple as this remark may seem, if offers the key to the kingdom.

I want to help. I want to do something for people in need. I want to offer consolation to those who are in grief and alleviate the suffering of those who are in pain. There is obviously nothing wrong with that desire. It is a noble and grace-filled desire. But unless I realize that God's blessing is coming to me from those I want to serve, my help will be short-lived, and soon I will be "burned out."

How is it possible to keep caring for the poor when the poor only get poorer? How is it possible to keep nursing the sick when they are not getting better? How can I keep consoling the dying when their deaths only bring me more grief? The answer is that they all hold a blessing for me, a blessing that I need to receive. Ministry is, first of all, receiving God's blessing from those to whom we minister. What is this blessing? It is a glimpse of the face of God. Seeing God is what heaven is all about! We can see God in the face of Jesus, and we can see the face of Jesus in all those who need our care.

Once I asked Jean Vanier: "How do you find the strength to see so many people each day and listen to their many problems and pains?" He gently smiled and said: "They show me Jesus and give me life." Here lies the great mystery of Christian service. Those who serve Jesus in the poor will be fed by him whom they serve: "He will put on an apron, set them down at table and wait on them" (Luke 12:37).

We so much need a blessing. The poor are waiting to bless us."

Lowell

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About Morning Reflections
Morning Reflections is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117

An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
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The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church
is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.

Visit our web site at www.stpaulsfay.org

Our Rule of Life

We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.

Lowell Grisham, Rector

St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, Arkansas