It is odd — or is it? — that Pope Leo begins his apostolic exhortation Dilexi Te with the story of the woman who poured costly oil on Jesus’ head (Matthew 26:8-9,11), only to be upbraided by one of the disciples who fretted, “Why this waste? For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor.”
Jesus’ reply is often seen as an excuse for indifference to the clamant needs of the poor: “You always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me,” before asserting that as long as the Gospel is proclaimed, this woman’s kindness to him will be told. Pope Leo draws an important conclusion: “No sign of affection, even the smallest, will ever be forgotten, especially if it is shown to those who are suffering, lonely or in need, as was the Lord at that time” (#4). Attending to the poor is not only about money. It is about affection. The Gospel call is no mere noblesse oblige; the call is to solidarity.
A theme that runs through the text is also articulated here, at the beginning: Leo points out that Jesus not only told the apostles that the poor would be with them always, but that he himself would always be with them (Matthew 28:20). “Love for the Lord, then, is one with love for the poor,” the pope writes (#5). A few paragraphs later, recalling God speaking to Moses in the burning bush, telling him that he has heard the cry of his people Israel, Leo continues the theme: “In hearing the cry of the poor, we are asked to enter into the heart of God, who is always concerned for the needs of his children, especially those in greatest need” (#8).
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With thanks to the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) and Michael Sean Winters, where this article originally appeared.
