04-17-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 17, 2024
In their book, Becoming The Answer To Our Prayers, Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove write,

Throughout the history of the church, Christians have recognized that we cannot pray “Our Father” together on Sunday and deny bread to our brothers and sisters on Monday. But we live in difficult days. The hungry are not just hungry. Often they are also our enemies. Drug addiction and mental illness make many who are hungry hard to deal with. They threaten us. Others have been hungry for so long that they are angry, even at those of us who want to help. We worry about how to protect ourselves from them while at the same time feeling guilty for our complicity in their poverty. So we give to charities. And charities become the brokers of our compassion toward the poor. The problem with this is that we never get to know the poor… we never hear their stories.

The authors are correct when they describe these as difficult days while putting forth some of the complexities we face in trying to see our compassion actually touch the lives of others. But when we are removed from any direct contact and relationship with those who are poor, we are quickly drawn into the demonization or scapegoating of those who yearn for their daily bread, housing, health care, or security for their children. What opportunities do most of us have when it comes to encountering and engaging those whose economic circumstances are very different from our own?

Merciful and Compassionate God, continue to open doors of understanding and then encourage me to walk through those doors, meet new people, and listen to their stories without judgement. There is some risk involved, so I pray for the courage to do so. Amen.