Lent 4, Thursday (Day 30)
Jeremiah 22:13-23
"Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice; who makes his neighbors work for nothing, and does not give them their wages; who says, 'I will build myself a spacious house with large upper rooms,'...Are you a king because you compete in cedar?"
The other day I posted a link to a petition asking President Obama to advocate for the leaders of the G20 Summit to work together to help counteract the effects that the global financial crisis is having on the world's poorest countries. I was surprised that people began commenting and then debating on it. One person said, "Should wealth be taken from every US citizen to help others around the world? Sounds like taxation without representation...didn't we fight a revolution over that?...I'm not saying we shouldn't help others....especially those less fortunate.... but it should not be required."
Here's what I wrote in resonse:
"the problem with our society is that we are too individualistic. we're taught that safety and security lie in the amount of possessions we own and we should do whatever it takes to ensure that we have enough for ourselves. i'm not saying that we shouldn't provide for our families, but does anyone (other than millionaires and those richer than them) really ever have 'enough' money to cover every little thing that could go wrong? if we were to rely on each other to help us when things get rough instead of struggling through on our own, just imagine what this world would look like!
we have a responsibility to help the less fortunate. there are people in the world living on less than a dollar a day, not knowing when or if their next meal is coming. we, on the other hand, sit here in our apartments or houses or mansions wondering which restaurant we should go to or which model car to buy. how can we let this happen? how can we ignore the fact that there is suffering in the world?
i know i'm guilty of the same. i spend too much money on 'stuff' that i don't need. i should volunteer at the food pantry or homeless shelter. i should donate more money to helping feed the hungry. but i can only do so much as an individual. it's going to take everyone working together, contributing as much as they can in whatever capacity they can, to end things like world hunger and preventable diseases. we have the ability to do it. the u.s. has the resources. we just need the will. as the world's leading superpower, we should set the example for the world.
i'm not saying that people should be required to help others. if their heart is not in it, it probably does more harm than help. i just have trouble believing that people don't WANT to help others. what kind of person are they? do they live in a bubble? are they that conceited? narcissistic? even scrooge had a heart after his wake-up call."
...ending with this:
This is a Christian perspective courtesy of a friend of mine: "Yesterday marked the Anniversary of the assassination of Bishop Oscar Romero. He was shot, by a right wing group, while celebrating Mass in a small church San Salvador. His crime was to say that God loved poor people. I offer the following quote of his as a testament that his witness continues. Know that I am convicted by his words, and that I hope you are too.
'These unjust inequalities, these masses living in misery who cry out to heaven are a sign of our anti-Christianity. They are declaring before God that we believe more in the things of the earth than in the covenant of love that we have signed with him, and that because of our covenant with God, all human beings should consider themselves brothers and sisters… Human beings are more children of God when they become more brotherly or sisterly to other human beings, and less children of God when they feel less kinship with their neighbors.' September 18, 1977"
Jesus taught us to take care of each other, because God resides in every one of us, whether or not we notice God's presence. This naturally leads me to believe that poverty is the real issue we should be focused on, not debates on homosexuality or liturgy.
Jeremiah's words speak to this matter:
"Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me? says the Lord."
Romans 8:12-27
"I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God...Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."
There's light at the end of the tunnel! We may be going through some rough times, have awful experiences, but this is NOTHING compared to what we have to look forward to. Jesus left the Holy Spirit with us to be a constant presence, a reminder of God's unconditional love for us [side note: I think out of the 3 I feel the most connected to the Spirit. There are some experiences I've had that cannot be explained by science, but I know I was being surrounded by the Spirit]. The Spirit can communicate what we have difficulty putting into words, providing us a 'place' to bring all of our burdens to God. This is another appropriate reminder during Lent that from something as horrible as a man's tortured body hung to die on a cross came the salvation of the entire world. The glory of Easter is approaching!
"Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice; who makes his neighbors work for nothing, and does not give them their wages; who says, 'I will build myself a spacious house with large upper rooms,'...Are you a king because you compete in cedar?"
The other day I posted a link to a petition asking President Obama to advocate for the leaders of the G20 Summit to work together to help counteract the effects that the global financial crisis is having on the world's poorest countries. I was surprised that people began commenting and then debating on it. One person said, "Should wealth be taken from every US citizen to help others around the world? Sounds like taxation without representation...didn't we fight a revolution over that?...I'm not saying we shouldn't help others....especially those less fortunate.... but it should not be required."
Here's what I wrote in resonse:
"the problem with our society is that we are too individualistic. we're taught that safety and security lie in the amount of possessions we own and we should do whatever it takes to ensure that we have enough for ourselves. i'm not saying that we shouldn't provide for our families, but does anyone (other than millionaires and those richer than them) really ever have 'enough' money to cover every little thing that could go wrong? if we were to rely on each other to help us when things get rough instead of struggling through on our own, just imagine what this world would look like!
we have a responsibility to help the less fortunate. there are people in the world living on less than a dollar a day, not knowing when or if their next meal is coming. we, on the other hand, sit here in our apartments or houses or mansions wondering which restaurant we should go to or which model car to buy. how can we let this happen? how can we ignore the fact that there is suffering in the world?
i know i'm guilty of the same. i spend too much money on 'stuff' that i don't need. i should volunteer at the food pantry or homeless shelter. i should donate more money to helping feed the hungry. but i can only do so much as an individual. it's going to take everyone working together, contributing as much as they can in whatever capacity they can, to end things like world hunger and preventable diseases. we have the ability to do it. the u.s. has the resources. we just need the will. as the world's leading superpower, we should set the example for the world.
i'm not saying that people should be required to help others. if their heart is not in it, it probably does more harm than help. i just have trouble believing that people don't WANT to help others. what kind of person are they? do they live in a bubble? are they that conceited? narcissistic? even scrooge had a heart after his wake-up call."
...ending with this:
This is a Christian perspective courtesy of a friend of mine: "Yesterday marked the Anniversary of the assassination of Bishop Oscar Romero. He was shot, by a right wing group, while celebrating Mass in a small church San Salvador. His crime was to say that God loved poor people. I offer the following quote of his as a testament that his witness continues. Know that I am convicted by his words, and that I hope you are too.
'These unjust inequalities, these masses living in misery who cry out to heaven are a sign of our anti-Christianity. They are declaring before God that we believe more in the things of the earth than in the covenant of love that we have signed with him, and that because of our covenant with God, all human beings should consider themselves brothers and sisters… Human beings are more children of God when they become more brotherly or sisterly to other human beings, and less children of God when they feel less kinship with their neighbors.' September 18, 1977"
Jesus taught us to take care of each other, because God resides in every one of us, whether or not we notice God's presence. This naturally leads me to believe that poverty is the real issue we should be focused on, not debates on homosexuality or liturgy.
Jeremiah's words speak to this matter:
"Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me? says the Lord."
Romans 8:12-27
"I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God...Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."
There's light at the end of the tunnel! We may be going through some rough times, have awful experiences, but this is NOTHING compared to what we have to look forward to. Jesus left the Holy Spirit with us to be a constant presence, a reminder of God's unconditional love for us [side note: I think out of the 3 I feel the most connected to the Spirit. There are some experiences I've had that cannot be explained by science, but I know I was being surrounded by the Spirit]. The Spirit can communicate what we have difficulty putting into words, providing us a 'place' to bring all of our burdens to God. This is another appropriate reminder during Lent that from something as horrible as a man's tortured body hung to die on a cross came the salvation of the entire world. The glory of Easter is approaching!