Bring in the Poor, Maimed, Blind and Lame

Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame (Luke 14:21).

The title of this post is taken from a parable in the Gospel of Luke about a (presumably) wealthy man who invites a group to his feast that were not on anyone’s “A-List”. The new group would replace those who declined the invitation. The host, undoubtedly aware of the difference in status between those initially chosen and the “substitute” group, was intent on having his banquet hall filled by human beings. At the risk of being obvious, but worth pointing out, members of the animal kingdom were not a consideration. The parable underscores the dignity that is bestowed upon all humankind regardless of any superficial attributes that might divide us.

The status of being human is defined in the Bible at the outset in the following account from Genesis:

Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth. God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:26-27).

Human beings, male and female are unique among the whole of God’s creation. Made in the image and likeness of God indicates that every single human from the greatest to the least has the position of being the highest of all the creatures on Earth. Though we share a dignity that is equal in the eyes of God, our differences sometimes consign us to categorization and rank. A distortion of the phrase “like unto like” (designed to foster evangelization) manifests itself in the like-mindedness of discrimination against all who do not “fit in” with a particular group. The following quotes from the Catechism explain:

1936 On coming into the world, man is not equipped with everything he needs for developing his bodily and spiritual life. He needs others. Differences appear tied to age, physical abilities, intellectual or moral aptitudes, the benefits derived from social commerce, and the distribution of wealth. The “talents” are not distributed equally.

1937 These differences belong to God’s plan, who wills that each receive what he needs from others, and that those endowed with particular “talents” share the benefits with those who need them. These differences encourage and often oblige persons to practice generosity, kindness, and sharing of goods; they foster the mutual enrichment of cultures.

The Sunday Gathering, the “source and summit” of our faith is also referred to as The Liturgy of the Mass and is truly “the work of the people”. In any given Mass, people from all walks of life gather to praise God in community. Even though some have “speaking parts” and some serve with particular support, the majority of the congregation have the appearance of being in the “audience”. In actuality, everyone has a role that is as unique as their fingerprints. All are called to participate in the Paschal Mystery.

The gifts or talents that we receive from God are designed to be shared. St. Paul’s analogy of the body in 1 Corinthians explains:

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gift of healing by the one Spirit; to another mighty deed; to another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to another variety of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes. (1 Corinthians 12:4-1).

A modern-day parable, designed to punctuate the inherent human dignity of every person, might include the following “command”: “Bring in the addicted, the ignorant, the wounded, and the homeless. I want the parish hall to be filled”.