My stomach is aware that I usually eat at this time. But today at this time I will not eat. I am spending this time praying, fasting and witnessing in solidarity with thousands of others who are united in support of the Millennium Development Goals.
As my stomach grumbles I am remembering the people of Finetown, near Johannesburg, South Africa, who I met this summer. In spite of extreme poverty, living in homes made of cardboard and sheets of tin with outhouses out back and a water faucet down the deeply rutted dirt road from which they carted large plastic containers of water in wheelbarrows (if they were lucky), these lovely people shared their warm hospitality and joy with this stranger. In spite of AIDS and hunger, poverty and violence, these individuals shared their lives with me. The least, the very least I can do is pray, fast and witness.
O God open our eyes to see those in need. Open our hands to give to those in need. Open our hearts to care for those who are poor and in need, and to care for Mother Earth. Open our ears to hear the cries of women and men who are victims of rape, mutilation and terror. Break open our lives to love our global neighbors as ourselves and to care for this earth, our island home. Amen.
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