30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The readings today help us to become aware of our origins, stories and priorities. It is a great reminder to the people of Israel from the book of the Exodus that they should by default ‘love the stranger then, because you yourselves were a stranger in the land of Egypt’. Do not oppress the stranger, widows and orphans. In their defense, God stands up as the ‘father of orphans and the protector of widows’ (Ps. 68:6), who ‘protects the stranger’ (Ps 146:9). Where human beings fail God stands as the protector of the poor and oppressed. The true image of the compassion of God the Father seen in Jesus Christ who stood with the least, the last and the lost. ‘Whoever does not love brother and sister whom they see cannot love God whom they do not see?’