I have heard today’s Responsorial Psalm 34 for many years. Working in Los Angeles, poor has it’s own definition. You can drive on poor streets, you can see poor areas of housing, you run into poor people begging for money on the streets, have poor health and lots of other things one might consider poor.
When I think of what poor means in the context of “The Lord Hears The Cry Of The Poor”, I think a little bit about the Beatitudes that say “Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit.” The poor I believe are those who surrender their will to depend completely on God. It would be a lot like a little child who is dependent on their mom and dad. Without mom and dad, that child would not last for too long. Without God, how long will we last?
God tells us that we have to become like little children if we are going to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. No matter how smart or brilliant I think I am, I know nothing compared to God. I might try to survive in this world doing everything on my own but really, it would only be by the grace of God and His permitting will that would allow me to do anything. I know I have spent much of my life thinking I was pretty great and better than most at some things. Having a relationship with God has helped to humble me and to realize how important it is to be poor and dependent on God.
With the faith I have been given and a daily prayer for an increase in faith, I can confidently hope that when I pray, “The Lord Hears The Cry Of The Poor.”
Seeking To Reflect Jesus 