(I am writing a monthly column for my parish bulletin’s Social Justice Ministry, reflection on the Sunday Readings)

I Will Give You Rest

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,

and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” After living through a global pandemic and record-high inflation, people around the world know what it’s like to carry a heavy burden of uncertainty, fear, sickness, and doubt.

The reality is that in our world, people who are poor and/or oppressed often carry the heaviest burdens. The Catholic phrase “preferential option for the poor” was first used by bishops in Latin America in the late 1960s who taught that throughout biblical texts, there is a demonstrable preference given to powerless individuals who live on the margins of society. In 1991, Pope John Paul II used the term, “option for the poor” when he wrote about the concept in his encyclical Centesimus Annus. Pope Benedict XVI also agreed that the teaching on the option for the poor was a true Catholic obligation. For him, the poor included all those on the peripheries of society, including widows and orphans, people with disabilities, the sick, prisoners, and victims of oppression, among others.

But do we individually seek ways to alleviate the burden of “the poor” in our lives, or do we only expect the institutional church and charities to shoulder that duty. In our every day lives, Jesus helps us carry our burdens so they are not too heavy. But Luke 12:48 reminds us, “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.” Jesus helps and blesses us, so we in turn may bless others.

The 2023 Silicon Valley Pain Index was released last month, and as we acknowledge some of the harsh realities of our lowest-income brothers and sisters living among us and carrying burdensome loads, may we be stirred with compassion and find ways to help them.

• 9,903 Number of houseless people in Santa Clara County on a single night in January, 2023, a 1% drop from the year before; with about two-thirds living in encampments or other places not designed for habitation.
• 1,226 Number of houseless families (i.e., people with children) in Santa Clara County, up from 891 the previous year, with 20% unsheltered.
• 600 Number of families that become homeless each year in Santa Clara County.
• 246 Number of houseless people who died on the streets of Santa Clara County in 2022
• 460,000 Number of clients that Second Harvest of Silicon Valley provides groceries for each month on average, up 10,000 households from last year, and an increase of 80% since pre-pandemic.

(I am writing a monthly column for my parish bulletin’s Social Justice Ministry, reflecting on the Sunday Readings) Note: back after hiatus

Be Not Afraid

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In the Gospel today, Jesus tells the Twelve Disciples, “do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” These words brought to mind the fearless actions taken by African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement that lasted from 1954 until 1968. Led by Martin Luther King, Jr., the Civil Rights Movement was the twentieth century’s largest mass movement for racial reform and civil rights in the United States.

According to Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow, between autumn 1961 and 1963, twenty thousand men, women, and children had been arrested in nonviolent protests for Black rights. In 1963 alone, another fifteen thousand were imprisoned, and one thousand desegregation protests occurred in more than one hundred cities across the country.

Martin Luther King, Jr. rooted the moral justification for protests, boycotts, and sit-ins in the teachings of Catholic theologians like Saint Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. He taught that people should not follow unjust laws like racial segregation because they degrade human personality, distort the soul, and damage the personality. For the thousands of African Americans and non-Black allies who risked their personal freedom and knew they could be injured bodily or killed, they believed standing for truth and justice was worth it.

Today, there are still many injustices in the United States and around the world that cry out to God. Like the twelve disciples and those who participated in the Civil Rights Movement, we must put our faith in God and minister to those on the margins in our society in order to give them hope. By following our conscience and God’s law, we work to build God’s kingdom on Earth, which will have a lasting impact that will last to eternity.

(I am writing a monthly column for my parish bulletin’s Social Justice Ministry, reflecting on the Sunday Readings)

Relentless Prayer

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of a widow who finally receives a favorable decision from a judge because she would not give up. Even though “for a long time the judge was unwilling,” the widow’s persistence caused the judge to finally act. Jesus tells his disciples that so too God will answer people who call out to him and, he will see that justice is done.

When thinking about social issues like poverty, homelessness, unemployment, and incarceration, it can feel overwhelming. But for people who follow Jesus, we are taught not to see issues that need to be solved, but to see the humanity of each and every person experiencing those conditions. We see the person who does not have enough money to feed their children; the family living in their car because they cannot afford rent; the single mom who cannot find a job after being laid off; the person in jail who deserves to be treated humanely. Recognizing the human dignity of every person allows us to see the people who need our compassion, care, and assistance. We no longer want “those people” out of our sight and communities. Instead, we work for justice and like the widow, we do not give up. We continue to advocate for every person to have the necessities and opportunities to live abundant lives.

At the end of the Gospel reading, Jesus asks, “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Let all of us, through our love of God and our neighbor, be able to respond, Yes!

(I am writing a monthly column for my parish bulletin’s Social Justice Ministry, reflecting on the Sunday Readings)

The Narrow Gate

Today’s Gospel reading is a somber reminder that the Christian life is not easy. Jesus was making his way to Jerusalem and someone asked him if only a few people will be saved. Jesus answered by stating, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for may, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” Jesus goes on to give an example of even people in the company of the master of the house will be rejected when the time comes and “some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

Though Silicon Valley is known as the tech capitol of the world, it’s also home to shocking wealth disparity. According to Joint Venture, the top quarter of Silicon Valley earners hold 92% of the region’s wealth; the top 10% of earners hold 75% of the wealth. Though in 2021 the average annual income in Silicon Valley was $170,000, and the median income was $138,000, the average income for service workers in the region was $31,000. Nearly half of children in the Valley live in households struggling to get by. 10,028 people are homeless in Santa Clara County, including youth and families.

As Catholics, it’s not enough for us to attend church on Sunday then close our eyes to the inequality in our midst. In Populorum Progressio, Pope Paul VI said,

“He who has the goods of this world and sees his brother in need and closes his heart to him, how does the love of God abide in him?” Everyone knows that the Fathers of the Church laid down the duty of the rich toward the poor in no uncertain terms. As St. Ambrose put it: “You are not making a gift of what is yours to the poor man, but you are giving him back what is his. You have been appropriating things that are meant to be for the common use of everyone. The earth belongs to everyone, not to the rich.”

Therefore, let the Gospel today remind us that when everyone is focused on attaining more money, promotions at work, and social media acceptance; Jesus is asking us to enter through the narrow gate and set our eyes on walking with the “least of these” in our midst.

(I am writing a monthly column for my parish bulletin’s Social Justice Ministry, reflecting on the Sunday Readings)

Spending Time with Jesus

Today’s Gospel reading tells a familiar story in the Bible when Jesus visits the home of sisters, Mary and Martha. After Martha complains that her sister is not helping her around the house while they are entertaining company because she is sitting and listening to Jesus, Jesus sides with Mary and states she chose the “better part.”

We too who work for social justice need to make sure we are like Mary and spend time listening to Jesus. It’s easy to be busy with work like Martha, which is good and needed. However, we also need to make time to just be with God. One way we can do this is by spending time in Eucharistic Adoration. We believe that Jesus is truly present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Eucharist. So, when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed, we believe we are truly in the presence of Jesus.

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was a French nun who began receiving apparitions of Jesus crowned with thorns in 1673. Over eighteen months, Jesus explained his desire for his heart to be honored in the devotion and image that we now know as the Sacred Heart. Jesus also told the saint: “I have a burning thirst to be honored by men in the Blessed Sacrament.”

Queen of Apostles now has adoration on Saturdays from 3-5pm. It is an opportunity for us to spend time with Jesus, just like Mary had the chance. Whether we spend the time in silence, or reading spiritual books or scripture, adoration helps us grow closer to Jesus and strengthen our faith. Once we are spiritually filled, we are able to share that love with others and have a real zeal for social justice.

(I am writing a monthly column for my parish bulletin’s Social Justice Ministry, reflecting on the Sunday Readings)

Food for All

Today on The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, we reflect on Jesus feeding a crowd of 5000 as well as him providing everlasting supernatural food in the form of the Eucharist. The miracle of Jesus multiplying the loaves and fishes so much so that baskets were left over foreshadowed him giving us his Body and Blood, spiritual food that will never run out.

In the second reading, St. Paul remembers Jesus’s last supper when he instituted the Eucharist. The gospel reading gives the familiar account of the loaves and fishes. In this story, we see Jesus’ care and concern for the bodily needs of those who followed him and listened to his teachings. Sr. Helen Prejean, an internationally known advocate for the abolition of the death penalty, talked about a turning point in her life in her book Dead Man Walking that became a major motion picture in 1995 and subsequently landed on the New York Times Bestsellers list for eight months. In 1980 she attended a talk by Sister Marie Augusta Neal, who presented on the topic of social justice and the message of Jesus:

“The Gospels records that Jesus preached good news to the poor, and an essential part of that good news was that they were to be poor no longer. Which meant they were not to meekly accept their poverty and suffering as God’s will, but instead, struggle to obtain the necessities of life which were rightfully theirs. And Jesus’ challenge to the nonpoor was to relinquish their affluence and to share their resources with the dispossessed.”

This message caused a shift in Sr. Prejean’s heart that led her to dedicate her life to helping people who were poor and from marginalized communities, accompanying those on death row and imprisoned, and advocating for the abolition of the death penalty.

As disciples who follow in Jesus Christ’s footsteps, how can we also have a change of heart like Sr. Helen that stirs us to help “the least of these” and create change in our society? How can we be inspired by Jesus’s message in Luke 4:18 to preach the gospel to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, and liberty to those who are oppressed?

When we receive the Eucharist, we receive spiritual food that helps us become more like Jesus. With this sacrament, we are equipped to answer God’s call and carry out the mission He has for each of us in the world.

(I am writing a monthly column for my parish bulletin’s Social Justice Ministry, reflecting on the Sunday Readings)

Loving One Another

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus gives his followers a new commandment: love one another. “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

But what does it mean to love one another? Does it simply mean being kind and generous?

In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis teaches about love: one that proceeds directly from the virtue of charity and is directed to individuals and peoples, and one that that spurs people to create more sound institutions, more just regulations, and more supportive structures. Quoting the Pontifical Counsel for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Francis states “it is an equally indispensable act of love to strive to organize and structure society so that one’s neighbor will not find himself in poverty.”

In Economic Justice for All, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops affirmed this: “The obligation to provide justice for all means that the poor have the single most urgent economic claim on the conscience of the nation.”

Loving one another extends far beyond loving our family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors. It means acknowledging those who are poor in our communities and actively working to remedy the causes of their poverty. This means supporting programs that provide financial assistance to the needy, advocating for affordable homes, eliminating barriers for people who are discriminated against due to skin color or a previous criminal record, and ensuring living wages and access to work for all.

Christian love is a verb – not a feeling. As Christ’s disciples, let us go out and love one another.