Wednesday of week 1 in Ordinary Time
Hebrews 2:14-18 | Psalm 104(105):1-4,6-9 | Mark 1:29-39
For it was not the angels that he took to himself; he took to himself descent from Abraham. It was essential that he should in this way become completely like his brothers so that he could be a compassionate and trustworthy high priest of God’s religion, able to atone for human sins. (Hebrews 2:16-17)
It’s a truism that “you can’t really understand what you haven’t experienced”.
The rich, having never experienced desperate hunger, will never really understand what it’s like to be poor.
A new CEO who’s “parachuted” from outside an organization often turns out to be a poor fit, knowing nothing about the corporate culture and thereby running roughshod over what actually worked from previous management.
Is it any wonder that God, in his infinite wisdom, didn’t just take human form, but started from scratch as an infant? Only through experiencing the down-and-dirty process of growing up, could our Saviour truly be “one of us”.
Only by knowing our joys and woes first-hand, could He give up His life freely in the end, fully cognizant of what us poor humans go through day by day.
Only by exposing Himself to the master tempter Satan, could He truly minister to His flock, imparting a faith that would survive through the millennia.
An omnipotent alien being might command great awe, but hardly any respect, and certainly not love.
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But we too maintain such a distance from our disadvantaged brothers and sisters. Perhaps they’re not as “alien” as true extraterrestrials, but do we truly understand their plight, or do we simply throw money into the collection box as a salve for our conscience?
Or consider our own acquaintances who are struggling with their finances, or their family life, or their faith. Do we reach out when they need us most, or do we make ourselves scarce, afraid of being dragged into their troubles?
How much more of an example do we need than Jesus Himself who, as we’re told in today’s Gospel, did not rest on the adulation of a single town, but pushed His all-too-human body to go far and wide, preaching to and healing as many people as He could?
Not with a Thanos-like snap of his fingers from on high, but step by tiring step, one person at a time.
So it should be with us privileged, not to throw money at the poor like they are problems to be solved, but go up close and personal, looking into their eyes and experiencing their desperate need for sustenance and someone who cares. As my favorite musical Les Misérables proclaims near its end:
And remember the truth that once was spoken…
to love another person is to see the face of God.
Lord, may we truly see You in the least of our brethren. Amen.