Thus says the LORD: "You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry. If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people, you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him. If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate." (Ex 22:20-26)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102923.cfm
Aliens, widows and orphans, the poor. Why is it we never pay attention to these passages? Some folks choose to ignore Catholic Social Teaching (CST) as if it were some modern heresy invented by Vatican II. But in fact, CST is quite ancient . . . as old as the Book of Exodus. If God listens to aliens, widows and orphans and the poor . . . we just might all be in serious trouble.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Sunday, Week XXX, Ordinary Time
