This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking every yoke;
Sharing your bread with the hungry,
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless....
As a chaplain in the VA I sometimes ponder our peculiar species. King Lear, discovering the naked and apparently mad Edgar, described us, "Unaccommodated man is no more but such a poor, bare, forked animal."
Indeed for many thousands of years -- most of our time as a distinct type of great ape -- our human ancestors lived in Africa with no clothing, subject to the heat of day and the chill of night. Subject also to whatever parasite, disease or injury might befall them. Had they not cared for one another with whatever medicines and succor they could offer, we would not be here today.
We were not created to make war with each other, nor to cheat, swindle, and steal from one another. We have managed to classify ourselves into ranks of royalty, aristocracy, and peasantry but these rankings are neither necessary nor natural. They are the unfortunate side effects of complexity and specialization; they inevitably cheapen the whole glorious experience of being created in God's image.
Our purpose is to care for one another. The American passion for competition makes no sense whatever if it overwhelms cooperation and mutual assistance. The CEOs who are afraid to lose, who manipulates the rules and lobby the legislators so that they never lose, are the real losers. And they sabotage our survival.
We must care for one another. Universal health care is not a socialist ideal; it's how we have always survived. It's also the nexus where the Gospel and Nature meet, where divine wisdom and common sense embrace and kiss.
Lent reminds us of what Natural Law has always told us, and of the insistent teaching of Revelation. Care for everyone, regardless!
If we are blinded by Original Sin and paralyzed by concupiscence, we shall have no excuse for our self-destruction when the Lord appears to judge the nations.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.