“...In those days, after that tribulation ...” Mark 13:24
These words begin today’s reading from Mark as we gather for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. Pope Francis has designated this Sunday of the Church’s year as World Day of the Poor. As we gather, we are invited by the Spirit to consider with ever deepening faith the reality of our own poverty, highlighted by whatever tribulation(s) we have known, and to consider the way in which the circumstances of “the Poor” highlight our mission as a People of Faith.
In every age, there has been tribulation to encounter, or from which God’s People have been recovering. There have been generations who knew only war, and not peace. There have been generations who have known famine and drought, plague and pestilence. There have been generations who lived under the heavy hand or boot of tyranny and generations who paid the price of rising up against such worldly powers.
The generations who gather to hear God’s Word and to be fed at the Table the Lord sets for us are no different. Certainly it is possible to feel the wear and tear of the Covid Pandemic, exacting its toll on young and old, on schools and business, on plans at home and plans to travel. As we find ourselves “coming out the other end,” life seems to find a more familiar foundation on which to stand. I salute the many volunteers and generous donors who helped us recover our beloved Parish Bazaar, and all who came to celebrate this moment of community life “in person.” I salute the organizers, volunteers and donors who are rallying the efforts that will restore our Parish Thanksgiving Dinner for those whose need of this wonderful meal and its human connection will be welcome relief. We seek to learn the lesson of poverty, not fear or reject it. We seek to learn the lesson of tribulation, not to fear or manipulate it.