A reflection on Psalm 113 for Monday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time.
I belong to a parish that knows how to feed people. Casseroles, bags of groceries, meal trains.These are lovely ways to care for our neighbors. There’s a lot to be said for a well made casserole dish.
But Psalm 113 makes me think. Today’s responsorial psalm ends with verse 7: “He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor.” Yes! That is what we do at our parish.
But the next verse is a real eye opener.
“To seat them with princes, with the princes of his people.” I find myself rereading that line. Someone who was overlooked now has a place among people whose voices are heard.
That verse is not included in the readings for the day, and it also is probably not in our hearts. I wonder how often we make that kind of room for the people we are helping.
At our parish, we usually know who is good at organizing a dinner, chairing a committee, or explaining how things have always been done. We call on the usual suspects. I get why. When an event is three weeks away and nobody has ordered the coffee, we want someone we know is dependable at the helm.
A person can receive our help for years without ever being asked for an opinion. We may know what their family needs from the food pantry. But do we learn what they could teach us? Someone who works two jobs might have useful ideas about serving working families, but they are never invited.
I have to consider my own attitude. Do I listen differently to someone who seems successful? Am I more patient with a person whose clothes, education, and way of speaking feel familiar? These are uncomfortable questions. But I am the one praying the psalm.
Absolutely, people should receive help without being required to prove they have something to offer. They are God’s beloved children. But if we assume that a person can only receive, we can miss all they have to offer: experience, knowledge, humor, faith.
At the next parish gathering I could spend less time talking with people I already know. I could ask someone what they think, then really consider the answer. When we need a new member on a committee, I could look beyond the names we always suggest.
God, help me notice whom we leave waiting at the edges of parish life. Teach me to listen, share responsibility, and make room for people I have overlooked. Amen.
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