Friday of the Second Week of Lent

Readings of the Day

We notice the flaw of human jealousy in both today’s first reading and the gospel.  Joseph’s brothers were so jealous of him that they sought to kill him, but settled on selling him into slavery. The chief priests and Pharisees were so jealous of Jesus that they attempted to arrest him after he said: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”

We can observe similar dynamics in our own ministries. Our teams are well-intentioned: feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and welcoming the newcomers to our communities. But they can face conflict, just as Joseph’s brothers sought to remove him their presence. I recall a local pastor who opened the gym of his vacant school to offer shelter to men and women who were not accepted by another shelter and ignored or condemned by local government. The pastor was condemned by some civil and religious leaders for being too headstrong.

In the last few weeks, just as Jesus was condemned by his adversaries, leaders in our own Catholic Charities network have been condemned by some political leaders and social media figures. But just as Jesus would not be deterred from speaking truth to power, our colleagues answered on February 13, 2022:

The Catholic Church has been ministering to the poor for 2,000 years and Catholic Charities, the U.S. humanitarian arm of the Church, has been caring for our vulnerable sisters and brothers since 1910. In collaboration with every administration since our founding a century ago, we are on the ground doing what they can’t — caring for those who are homeless, hungry, disaster-stricken, out-of-work and suffering. Our work is humanitarian, not political, and we proudly serve both citizens and migrants in our country.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Steve is a Norbertine brother from De Pere, Wisconsin. He has served in a number of Catholic social ministries for his religious order, diocese, and Catholic Charities. He is a trained spiritual director and enjoys blogging, reading, tennis, biking, and digging around in gardens and archives.

Sign up to receive the Daily Lent Reflection emails and other CCUSA messages here.