I have always liked this prayer from Mother Teresa:
At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done.
We will be judged by 'I was hungry and you gave me to eat, I was naked and you clothed me, I was homeless and you took me in.'
Hungry not only for bread -- but hungry for love. Naked not only for clothing -- but naked for human dignity and respect. Homeless not only for want of a room of bricks -- but homeless because of rejection.
Every time I read this my mind goes to the people that are doing OK financially and have some level of power, but inside are actually feeling empty and are hungry for love. Those who work in corporations and get lost in the crowd, they are naked for human dignity and respect, and those that are professionals but for some reason face rejection. This may for example even happen to women in certain settings. I was wondering, what did Jesus say about this? What did he do?
Last night I was studying about Ministry in the New Testament. As I went through the Gospels I kept seeing so many references to Jesus and his community ministering to the anawim. Anawim is Hebrew which has been translated as meaning poor, afflicted, humble or meek. They are the “faithful remnants” who, even in the worst of times find their security in the Creator. Jesus kept reaching to those that were alienated from society, those who were marginalized like lepers, and sinners like tax collectors and prostitutes. Some of the anawim were the shepherds that were present at his birth, those physically poor, foreigners, the sick, even women as a whole who were overlooked in the society of that time. This is the basis for the Catholic Church's preferential treatment for the poor and the powerful tradition of Social Justice.
What I am wondering is if Jesus said anything or reached out to those that were wealthy or powerful, but were really poor spiritually. Obviously, the words about the good news of the Kingdom of God and about re-prioritizing our lives to seek the kingdom first applied to them, but was there any more? I would appreciate examples if anyone can share. I often think that it is important to have people that are very holy continue to work in corporations because there's a great need for ministering to those that are only anawim in the depths of their heart.
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