I am becoming so tired of the gridlock in Washington. At least as recounted in the media, there is a decided absence of the art of statesmanship, compromise being an invaluable tool by which to serve the common good as legislators. Now ideology has taken on godlike stature rendering compromise, finding a middle way, next to impossible. And the stakes couldn’t be higher. Raising the debt ceiling until recently was a perfunctory, necessary, bi-partisan issue; now it has become a ruthless bargaining chip. The Affordable Care Act finally passed, making us the very last post industrialized nation to offer the possibility of universal access to affordable medical insurance. Our healthcare costs are the highest in the world. And now the Affordable Care Act has become a malicious bargaining chip as well. The Food Stamp program is being eviscerated, even while the national deficit is continuing to shrink. The Kuots, the Sudanese family, who attend All Saints, are now receiving one hundred dollars less in food stamps per month. In October another One hundred dollars per month will be cut. They cannot live on that. Our legislators need to get out of their offices and see for themselves the growing poverty and erosion of well being in this country.
Corporations, aiming for greater profits, now exert so much control over our government that whatever legislation gets enacted, or not, will be first felt by the least of us, our shrinking middle class and the growing poor, while the powerful become more powerful. The disparity of wealth in this country is greater now than it has ever been before. Ayn Rand’s philosophy notwithstanding, capitalism and greed make a toxic combination. What is happening with our government? Where is the government, which through enlightened debate and compromise, created the social security system, medicare and medicaid. Where is the government that instituted the Marshall plan. Where is the government that approved the Voting Rights Act. It seems that we have turned a blind eye to compassion and have focused on self interest and intractable ideology. And again, the consequences of such dysfunction will be laid on the backs of the “least of these.”
I am reminded of Jesus’ teaching, the so-called sermon on the mount, in the twenty fifth chapter of Matthew wherein he sums up what it means to serve Christ, to be a follower of the Way. He says unequivocably that to serve the least of these, our poor and dispossessed, is to serve him. Do our legislators go to church? What are they hearing preached. Do they not read scripture? Our deficit is shrinking; we are scaling back the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, which would surely save us countless billions…and yet we are making, or threatening to make draconian cuts in programs which directly affect the poor while Wall St. prospers in this so-called economic recovery. Recovery for whom? Certainly not for the poor and the shrinking middle class. “Truly I tell you, just as you have not served the least of these, you did not serve me.” Service of the good and right is what we must demand of our elected officials, and the time is nigh.
Well said Jim! I. Reposted it on my Facebook page. Miss you guys! We should Finally be in town for a bit- see you Sunday!
Hear, hear!
Thanks Fr Jim for being a live voice in a land of many echos.
As a fellow disciple of Jesus, I agree that we should everything in our power to care for “the least of these”. However, politicizing Jesus is not a good thing. He is not a pawn to be used to further our political leanings and scripture has very little to say about political issues. Jesus and the apostles continually made caring for the poor the responsibility of his disciples and later the church. Nowhere does Jesus make it a job of the government, and neither do the apostles. In His time on earth, tax collectors were reviled by the Jews. Jesus of course accepted them and even used them mightily when they showed faith, as he did those from all walks of life. Also, Jesus was one time questioned by Pharisees who made grumbled that an expensive ointment was wasted and it could have been used to feed the poor. Jesus told them we would always have the poor. Surely there is a failure on our part as Christians in the world to take care of the poor and needy, but the idea that government is not always the solution is not an anti-Christian view.
Something occurred to me last week as we substituted “our” for “hIm” as in, “It is right to time our thanks and praise.”. I know. I know, it’s a proper, approved, legitimate, etc,, etc, substitution, but still doesn’t sound quite right. To me, it would be as if we made the following substitution in the Lord’s Prayer, “Our BFF who art in in heaven…” because after all, God/Jesus is the best, right? Friend – who could ask for a better one? And “forever” – you can’t beat eternity in that regard….
Of course, the quote (or at least one of the possibilities) from our liturgy should have read, “It is right to give him thanks and praise.” Substituting ‘BFF’ for ‘him’ was merely a suggestion.