“I
asked, ‘What shall I do, sir?’ The Lord answered me, ‘Get up and go into
Damascus, and there you will be told about everything appointed for you to
do.’ Since I could see nothing because of the brightness of that light, I
was led by hand by my companions and entered Damascus.” Acts 22:10-11
“Go
into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15
Piety
We cannot merely pray to God to root out
prejudice;
For we already have eyes
With which to see the good in all people
If we would only use them rightly.
For we already have eyes
With which to see the good in all people
If we would only use them rightly.
We cannot merely pray to God to end
starvation;
For we already have the resources
With which to feed the entire world
If we would only use them wisely.
For we already have the resources
With which to feed the entire world
If we would only use them wisely.
Excerpts from “A Prayer for Social Action” by Jack
Reimer
(For the complete Prayer for Social Action, look here.)
Study
The disciples are commanded to proclaim the Gospel “to
every creature.”
Building off of
yesterday’s message about ministering even to one’s enemy, we see in our first
reading for today the story of the conversion of Saul. Jesus speaks to BOTH Saul (an enemy and
persecutor) and Anais (a disciple).
Jesus once again shows by example that the Lord is not asking us to do
anything the he would not do himself. He
reveals truth to both his enemy and his friend.
Both are challenged to all themselves to be led by the Word into action. Both obey.
Action
Just think of the implications of this. Ever fight with your siblings? Have a disagreement with your neighbor over a
fence line or their trash? Ever disagree
with the government or politicians. The
challenge of the Gospel of Love is to overcome or get past these kinds of
disagreements and always side with Him.
In a society that wants to put everyone and everything
into a box, the Good News defies boxes.
Jesus defies Blue states and Red states.
Think of the story of two nuns in the news these days. Mother Patricia Mary, l.S.P. runs the Mullen
Home for the Aged in Denver. Her order,
the Little Sisters of the Poor have been in the news fighting an unjust
law. The news cycle for the last three
weeks have pitted the order of nuns against the Obama Administration. The have allies from Fox News to the Becket Fund
to Catholic University. Yesterday, they
prevailed in an intermediate victory not to comply with the unjust law.
Now consider Sister Megan
Rice, a nun with the Society of the Holy Child Jesus. She too is fighting an unjust law but it is a
much more lonely fight. On July 28,
2012, Rice, at 82 years old, and two fellow activists (Michael R. Walli and
Gregory I. Boertje-Obed) broke into the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak
Ridge, Tennessee, spray-painted antiwar slogans, and splashed blood on
the outside of the heavily guarded Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility. Then they waited for officials to arrest
them. A jury found them guilty and they face
sentencing next week which could land them in jail for up to 30 years.
Both Mother Patricia and
Sister Megan are challenged to be led by the hand in following the Gospel of
Life. Both obey. Are you read to walk with both of
them and support them in their nonviolent fights?
They are proclaiming the Good
News to every creature – be they instruments of the culture supporting abortion
or a culture support construction of nuclear weapons. Our challenge is to embrace a consistent
ethic of life on all issues, not just the ones we or the media think are
popular.
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