[xmca] Apropos of Current Events

[Valerie Anne Wilkinson <vwilk@inf.shizuoka.ac.jp>]

Things happen that join us: 9/11  Haiti earthquake  Australian floods horrendous landslides snow storms.  The people who most take the brunt of environmental/economic havoc are the poor, the marginalized, the disenfranchised.

Recently a certain political figure apologized for asking Do you know "so and so?"  "If you are his disciple, you are my brothers and sisters."  Actually, if you reference the person you are supposed to know for this friendly familial connection, he has quite different ideas about what it means to be his brothers and sisters:
34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. 

So, hopefully the outcry that greeted his statements and caused him to apologize urged a change of heart.  Because there are no stars, badges, promotions, grants,  etc. attached to feeding and clothing the least brethren, and you don't have to be some brand of spiritual in particular to get the hidden rewards, but it is pretty clear what the payoff for NOT doing it is ...  


Valerie A. Wilkinson
Shizuoka University
vwilk@inf.shizuoka.ac.jp

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