God Makes a Home for the Poor - Do You?

Today, Psalm 68 proclaims, “God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.” We are asked if we’ve done the same in the Gospel. 

Have we humbled ourselves and taken in the poor into our lives, our homes, and our precious time? Or have we exalted ourselves to the point where we have no room for the poor? 

Jesus tells us that if we make room for the poor at our tables, that we will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. Our reward will come in heaven.

Now I’ve been to many parties and homes of many fellow Christians and Catholics and in maybe only one case did I see a family who made room for the poor at their table. While many give generously to causes of the poor, fewer make room for them in their homes. That’s a much taller order.

For most of us, this is an uncomfortable ask of Jesus - one that most of us want to pretend didn’t get asked of us in the Gospel. You mean you want me to invite strangers to my dinner table and home, Lord? Yes, Jesus says. Make room for them in your home, around your table, and in your life, and if you do that, you will be rewarded someday in eternity.

You see, if we don’t do this, are we really ready for eternity? Eternity will be sharing love, life, and the eternal banquet with not just those in our social class, but also the poor, the lame, the disabled, and all those who didn’t make it big here on earth. 

What could that look like? Maybe taking in foster children or a refugee family. Maybe inviting over a friend or neighbor who is financially under water. Maybe serving a meal to a homeless person or a single mother and family you befriended at a service activity at your own table. Consider what God is asking of you in the call of this Gospel today.

Consider: Do you have room for the poor at your table, in your home, and in your life?