The first reading, from Deuteronomy, needs a bit of explanation. Deuteronomy is known as the second law, not because the laws God gave Moses were expanded, but because it is a reaffirmation of the covenant between God and the Hebrews found in Exodus.

At the beginning of chapter fifteen, prior to this reading, the Hebrews are told that there will be a Sabbath year, just as there is a Sabbath at the end of the week. The Sabbath year was put in place for the poor, who would incur debts, through no fault of their own, and then grind away trying to pay them off and never really achieve freedom from them, possibly for the rest of their lives. Every seventh year, those debts were canceled. Of course, this remission of debts did not apply to foreigners. Nothing is said of what to do if the foreigner is a Hebrew who has settled somewhere else.

After this reading, the Hebrews are told that if they are sold a Hebrew slave, whether male or female, that slave will work for six years, and be set free in the seventh year. Not only that, but the slave is not to be let go empty-handed. The Hebrews are instructed to give the slave sweepings from the threshing-floor and part of the owner's flock to help the slave begin anew. The Hebrews are told to be generous in their gifts to slaves who are leaving their service.

It is rather surprising to hear of such generosity in the laws of Deuteronomy, especially alongside laws that tell the Hebrews to destroy all idols found in the land, and if any town turns to worshiping other gods, everyone in it is to be put to the sword, even the livestock. We tend to think of the Old Testament God as one of exacting sacrifice and being unforgiving, yet here is God telling the Israelites to take care of the poor, to give generously to them, and without grudging in their hearts, even though it is tempting, since the seventh year is coming up, to be harsh--to try to get your money before the turn of the year and you have to write it off as gone. Here God even cares about entertaining a mean thought toward someone else.

Moses says, "Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land." Who is your neighbor? Jesus used a parable to instruct the Israelites and widen the definition of neighbor to include even the hated Samaritans, but in this chapter, at this time, it meant those who were fellow Hebrews, living in the community. It is interesting that Jesus will reinterpret this caring for neighbors in a new light in the Gospels.

Jesus at one time said the poor would always be among us, echoing this reading. For years that bothered me. I know sometimes diseases, age, or other misfortunes occur, but I can't blame poverty on sin alone. I can't help thinking the poor and needy serve another purpose.

There was a man who asked God to show him heaven, perhaps not even expecting an answer. In a vision, a cab came and picked him up. The cab driver, who was an angel, quietly told him, "You should probably see hell, first, so you can make a comparison." The angel drove him around, then they stopped in front of the church he always attended. He said, "I didn't think my life was this bad. Maybe the sermons were a little dull, but I didn't think it was hell!"

The angel smiled at him and invited him inside. In the church was everyone he knew. He couldn't help remarking that even the priest had been consigned to hell, and he was shocked. He asked the angel, and the angel simply said, "Take a closer look."

In the church, everyone was walking around with their arms locked at the elbow so they couldn't bend them. The roof was open, and food was falling from the sky, but no one could eat, because they could not get the food to their mouths. They were all complaining bitterly that they were hungry, and yet they could not eat. The man was very frightened by this.

The angel nodded his head toward the door, and the man gladly left, feeling that heaven must be much better than this. He got back in the cab, and the angel drove him around, and there they were, back in front of the same church.

"Now wait a minute," he said. "You said you were going to take me to see heaven!" The angel simply smiled and got out of the cab.

He followed the angel, and upon opening the doors, the same exact scene played out in front of them. The same people were there. Food fell from an open sky, and people were unable to bend their elbows.

"This is heaven?" He was shocked. "We were just here! This is the same thing as hell!"

"Look closer," said the angel.

He was suddenly struck by a subtle difference. People were picking up the food that fell from the sky, and, since they were unable to reach their own mouths, they were feeding others around them. Everyone was happy and loving.

There is a subtle difference in perception here. It isn't just a matter of making lemonade when life gives you lemons. It's a matter of attitude. Having the poor and needy gives us all an opportunity to mature in our Christianity. We have the opportunity to learn to be generous to those who are unable to pay us back. Those who are poor have an opportunity to understand what is really important in life. Being poor and having needs increases our prayer life, if we let it. We make for ourselves a heaven or hell by our attitudes and our actions.

This little parable is a modern version of an old Jewish tale. This reading, and the little parable, lead right into Paul's second epistle to the Corinthians, which compares the generosity of the Macedonians, who have endured hardship and yet send whatever they can, to the Corinthians, who live in abundance, yet it seems they are not giving as whole-heartedly.

While the first two readings seem to deal mostly with poverty, it occurs to me that the one theme linking all three readings together is one single word: Compassion. God is compassionate in Deuternomy in canceling debts for the poor every seventh year. Paul points out the compassion the Macedonians have for others, so much that they really give beyond their means to help others. The third reading, the tale of Jairus and his twelve-year-old daughter, is another tale of compassion.

Jairus is a leader in the synagogue, and his twelve-year-old daughter is dying. Jairus is probably well-to-do, or he would probably not be a leader in the synagogue. Yet Jairus comes in humility to beg Jesus to come and heal his daughter. No amount of money could cure his daughter. Out of compassion, and possibly because Jairus asks him humbly for help, Jesus agrees to come and heal his daughter.

There is a section left out of today's reading about a woman who has been hemorrhaging for twelve years, who is healed simply by touching the cloak of Jesus. Jewish law strictly forbade her to touch anyone, as she was unclean. In Leviticus the law is quite strict, stating that during a woman's period, she is unclean for seven days, and everything she touches or sits upon is unclean. If she bleeds beyond that time, she remains unclean until the bleeding stops. Any person who touches her is unclean until nightfall, after bathing and washing his or her clothes. In this woman's particular case, she was unable to be with her family or anyone else for twelve years. She is poor, since she spent everything on doctors, and they only made her worse. Now she is not only unclean, but could be stoned because she touched another person, thus defiling him. When Jesus feels power go out of himself, and asks who touched him, she answers, fearfully, because by law he could have her killed. Jesus is gentle and compassionate toward her, even though now he would technically be considered unclean himself. Note the contrast between Jairus, who is a leader in his community, and this woman who has lost everything because of her illness.

Jesus and Jairus continue toward the house, and when the girl is reported dead, Jesus tells Jairus to have faith. Those who report the girl's death tell Jairus not to bother Jesus, because in entering the home of a dead person, Jesus would be defiled. Jesus tells them she is only sleeping, and is laughed at by the mourners. In those days mourners were hired to wail and cry for the dead, especially for important people. Jesus puts them out of the house and takes only the girl's parents and a few of his own apostles into the room where she is laid out. The Gospels say that Jesus actually takes her hand. This is quite shocking by the standards of the day. By touching a dead body, Jesus is considered to be ritually unclean. Time and again, though, Jesus touches the untouchable, from tax collectors, to lepers. "Talitha cum" is Aramaic, one of the few instances in the New Testament where Aramaic is actually quoted, rather than translated.

I cannot help thinking how very Jewish it is that Jesus tells them to give the girl something to eat once she is resurrected. Perhaps my background has influenced me, but it seems so wonderfully prosaic. This is one of the reasons I think the Gospels could not have been made up as simple stories. If they were not true, and were meant to impress people, the persons writing the fiction would never think of something as inconsequential as this scene. It is almost as homey as the scene with Jesus showing up on the beach cooking fish for them all to eat after his resurrection. Somehow it makes the story much more real than tales of wonders and miracles. I almost expect Jesus to say, "Look at her! No wonder she was dying! Eat! Eat!" It is always nice to think that after such a wonderful miracle, Jesus, a nice Jewish boy, would want her to have a little nosh.

From the glories of heavenly realms, to the comfort of a home cooked meal, God pours His love and compassion into our lives. Let us take Christ's compassion with us into the world, and share it with those around us.

Amen