26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Daily Reflection

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Smell of the sheep

From today’s Scripture: “‘Remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here.’” —Lk 16:25

There are many places around the world where people of means are working “in the trenches” for the poor. They’re not Mother Teresa, they are just faithful followers of Jesus, leaving their day-to-day lives to be of service. Some of the hardest work is among people who are homeless. 

One person spoke of working in a place where people could come in from the streets to take a shower and get help laundering their clothes. Volunteers worked in the back, running laundry and folding clothes. One can only imagine the stench of these clothes before they were cleaned. That is the “smell of the sheep” that Pope Francis encourages everyone to embrace. 

That type of service, to enter into such a different and difficult experience from our everyday life, is a deeply challenging gospel call—providing comfort and dignity to people who are accustomed to rejection.

Let us pray: Jesus, open my heart today. Let me see you in the face of the poor. Empower me to step out of my everyday habits and truly be present to those in need.

 

 

Today’s author is John Feister, an award-winning journalist and member of Glenmary’s Communications Team. This week’s reflections are also in Spanish, available by email.

 

 

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