A priest showed one of his friends his newly remodeled offices. The friend looked around at the rich oak paneling, leather chairs, and well-stocked bookshelves, and exclaimed, “If this is the poverty, bring on the chastity!”

The injustice of the world is an inescapable reality. Inescapable, that is, if you are on the nasty side of the equation as one of the have-nots. Those who do not experience the downside of injustice are often not aware that there is a problem, because it’s not a problem for them.

“There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption. A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man’s table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores.

I would love you to meet Sherry. I see her often, sitting outside the Royal Bank at the corner of King and Jarvis. She sits there listening to her small red radio. Sometimes I give her change. Sometimes we just chat for a bit.

I was honored to be asked to be Kevin’s godfather. His parents are longtime friends of the sort that feel like family. And on the day of his Baptism, I listened carefully when the priest asked, “And what do you ask for this child?”

The boss strolled into his office and responded to a simple “How do you do?” from one of his employees with a moan and groan about how busy he was.

Our God is King of king and Lord of lords. We ask for God's mercy.

Don't forget the poor.