Do you have it all together?
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} catch(err) {}I am sure you have been asked for money from someone who is on the street. I often pride myself of being able to deal with any request which may come from a person in need. If the request is food, I take them to get whatever they would like. Gas? We go to a gas station and get enough to fill the tank. Bus pass? I can get you several.
But I got hit up with a request the other day and I had no clue what to do.
“Hey man, you got any weed?”
It really took me for a loop. I had no idea what to respond with. I had just purchased some milk and oatmeal for my son and my only response was, “I got oatmeal you can have.” To which he said, “Oatmeal! That won’t work!”
Won’t work?
I was confused, felt awkward and continued to walk home with my head down avoiding eye contact out with anyone out of shame.
Reflecting on this incident, I wanted to ask, “have you ever felt like you had all your stuff together only to be confronted with a situation which you never considered and it threw you for a loop?”
What would you have done?
Reflection on a Mother Theresa prayer
Mother Theresa of Calcutta:
Make us worthy, Lord, to serve your children throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them, through your hands, this day their daily bread, and by our understanding love, give peace and joy. Amen.
The opening words, “Make us worthy to serve” stick out to me.
It seems to that in order to be worthy to serve the poor I need to have a relationship with the poor. I think the voice of loved ones is more “worthy” than the voice of a stranger because I have a relationship with them. I understand that in order to be worthy to serve someone I must be in relationship with them.
But how do I get in relationship with someone? I spend time with them.
I spend time with them to become worthy and in becoming worthy I am able to serve others. And the more I serve the more time I send with others and the more time I spend with others the more the relationship becomes worthy.
It is a paradox.
I think it is a chicken and egg paradox, what comes first the relationship or worthiness?
Just because we have we think we have an obligation to serve others. This does not mean that we are worthy of service. Otherwise the prayer would say something like, “Allow us to serve your children” and not “Make us worthy”.
In America when you graduate you are not given a job as you walk across the stage.
A job is something you have to earn. You build a resume, gain experience, and solicit references all in an attempt to prove you are worth to gain employment.
Just because you and I have fish on our bumpers, crosses around our necks and give an hour of worship on Sunday doesn’t mean we are worthy to serve the poor.
Christianity is built on paradox. God said to Moses, I am what I am or I will be what I will be. Jesus said faith as a mustard seed can move mountains. Jesus also said, gain your life and loose it, loose you life and gain it. Paradox runs throughout our faith and it is dominate in this prayer.
How do you and I become worthy of serving the poor? The next line says it – we go and work with the poor.
Only in working with the poor do we become worthy enough to work with the poor.
It is a paradox. What comes first?
We do not sit and wait for a divine moment which confers on us the privilege to work with the poor. We are worthy only in serving, and we serve to gain worthiness.
Paradox.
The question that has stayed with me is, “Are we worthy to serve the poor?”
Thin Religion – From Croatian American theologian Miroslav Volf
Thin religion is not laking in zeal. It is religiosity reduced to a formula, and this can render the passion behind it very dangerous.
“It’s religiosity reduced to a single symbolic gesture. And once you reduced religion to that…you can then project everything that you want onto that. So you believe in one God who is one, who is powerful and who is also for you. And suddenly you’ve got this immense servant to do all the dirty work that you need done and for yourself to feel good as that has happened. [Thin religion] isn’t textured. It doesn’t have depth. It doesn’t have relief. It doesn’t rely on the long history of that religion with all the varieties of reflections that have gone on in the religion. It doesn’t even rely on a full understanding of the sacred writings of the scripture.”
-Taken from Krista Tippett’s book, Speaking of Faith.
Just to remind myself: Reflection
Here is a quick format to structure a reflection:
What happened?
What did it mean?
Now what?
