The first reading from this week’s Mass discusses God’s love for all of his followers. In the reading, God’s love for the oppressed is emphasized, He recognizes their prayers and that he will be there to help them. A part of the reading that really stands out to me is, “the prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds.” The first thing that comes to my mind when I associate the word pierce with a sound, is a fire alarm. As a community at Neumann University we can agree that it annoys us when the fire alarm goes off in the dorms or any building on campus. However, does it bother us when we hear the cries of the oppressed? Does it always make us want to jump up and go help them? This quote made me realize how important it is to listen to others and understand how they are feeling.

This reading can help us reflect on how we treat others in our own community. He is “a God of justice, who knows no favorites.” This is very important to how we should view others around us. In our society, people with the newest technology or clothes are viewed as best and it is easy to forget that we are all God’s children who he loves equally.

The reading is a reminder that there are people in our world that have less than us and we should be there to help them. Service is an important aspect of our Neumann Community because it is one of our RISES values and was a huge aspect of St. Francis’ life. At Neumann we have plenty of opportunities to participate in service for others and the only thing you have to do is get involved.

I think that this reading can help us remember that we are all brothers and sisters and that we should be there for each other. If God can hear the lowly prayers all the way in heaven, we should be able to act on them here on Earth. We should stop striving for the greatest luxuries. Instead, we should remember that there are people in our world that cannot have clean clothes, food or a house to live in. It is essential for us as a Franciscan University to hear them and to help them. Another quote that stands out to me is, “the Lord will not delay” because if God helps their prayers, why shouldn’t we?