It’s been said there are three types of people in the world. The first type is people who make things happen. The second type is people who watch things happen. The third type is people who wonder, “What happened?” When Jesus identifies some people as goats in this Sunday’s Gospel, he might be explaining that third type; clueless people who are woefully unaware of what is happening. So unaware they are even unaware of people’s suffering. How can we help people who are so woefully unaware?
It seems easy enough to make clueless people more aware of suffering if only through conversation. Of late that strikes many people as a distressing idea. Surveys show a majority of people in the U.S. dread conversing with people unaware of such suffering, specifically during the Thanksgiving holiday. People fear conversations about the politics of suffering will reveal only intolerance and end only in argument. Discussions about our social circumstances need not be difficult. We are discussing thoughts and making decisions for our communal life and carrying them out. We do so in reference to giving food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, providing shelter for the homeless, caring for the sick, and visiting people in prison. Our discussions and actions for love will likely be done among persons more accustomed to discussions and actions for citizenship. Citizenship can diminish our awareness about the discussions and actions available to us. Citizens can be trained by empire to speak or act in its harmful manner (anti-immigrant/ Muslim/Mexicans/gay,…). Discussions and actions for love keep us aware of not being drawn into the agenda of empire and its supporters. When talk of division surfaces, we can speak of communion that leads to action. When hatred is expressed love is our verbal and active response. When the violence of guns and warfare is supported healing power becomes our presence and our practice.
We are one family of love and we are love’s energy around this world and around every table.
Prayer: Spirit, may we respect the dignity of each person.
Question: How can I become more aware, especially during conversations, of being pulled away from being loving?
November 26, 2017 Gospel Matthew 25:31-46 Feast of Christ the King