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2009
335. "I'm Hungry, God
says"
During the Christmas Season
(2008) I relaxed for a couple of weeks, that is, I did not write any
reflections for the most part. Now that the "New Year" has begun, I
thought about what we can use as a theme for at least the next
months or so. I do want to continue bringing you fresh material,
even though this is becoming more difficult after having written so
much.
Many people, worldwide, are
feeling the effects of a global depression, and the people who feel
it most of all are the poor, the underprivileged, and particularly
in third world countries. In November 2008, I attended the XIIth
General Chapter of the Secular Franciscan Order (in Hungary), and
spoke with a number of people from African nations. They told me,
first hand, of the awful human neglect people in those countries
live with. So it seems to me, we should, as a theme, deal with the
subject of "Justice and Peace." (See other writing at:
http://www.franciscan-sfo.org/jp/jpmain.htm )
After I prayed the Liturgy
of the Hours, Morning prayer, this morning, I picked up an old book
published by Sheed and Ward in 1963, "Prayers" by Michel Quoist,
first published in France in 1954. It is often from old texts like
that one, where I find inspirations and ideas to write about. Also
these old texts are more likely to have expired copyrights, this
allows me to use more quotations from them. It was a popular book,
and probably still is as it seems to have been republished since.
"I am cold, God
says, I am hungry, I am naked. I am imprisoned, laughed
at, humiliated. But this is a minor passion, for men
have invented more terrible ordeals. Armed with their
liberty, formidably armed with their liberty, They have
invented....
"Father forgive
them; they know not what they do." They have invented
war, actual war. And they have invented the Passion, a
worse one."
Michel Quoist,
1954
Is God cold, hungry and
naked? No, but WE are, people in this world, people he has created,
people who are like Him in all things except sin. God does not sin;
people do. We are created in His image. He grieves at our sins. God
feels our hurt in our shortcomings...
God has created us. He
wishes for us to be with Him in eternity. In the first time after
all this creation took place, Adam and Eve sinned, and the rest of
us, bear the brunt of their disobedience. It is called "Original
Sin." And so, even today, we see the ravages of this Original Sin in
how we treat one another.
In the "Our Father," a
prayer devised by the Holy Spirit, by Jesus Himself, to the Father,
we are instructed to pray:
Our Father, Who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name;
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our
trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.
"You shall love the Lord,
your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your
mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is
like it: You shall love your
neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend
on these two commandments." (Mat. 22:37-40)
Using highlighting, it is
easy to see that if you love God and love your neighbor as yourself,
you will be able to forgive and forget his trespasses!
There are many, a great many
people who neither love God, nor their neighbor, and won't forgive.
People like that have a general apathy for other people. That's how
wars begin, often. And, from war comes destruction, loss of life,
property, and what follows is bitterness and pain. God feels our
pain, and this is why he is cold, hungry or naked - He feels the
same sentiments we felt in the present age.
If you ever read "Night" by
Elie Wiesel, a concentration camp survivor, you will have read about
the Nazi apathy and complete disdain for inmates in those camps,
mostly Jewish men, women and children. They beat them mercilessly,
starved them to death, or quite simply gassed them or shot them. How
mean can people get? To murder 6,000,000 Jews in cold blood... And
now the perpetrators are individuals who slap God's face by
committing abortion (about 3 babies every second in USA). God weeps!
He died for us on the Cross, died and arose from the dead ... and
still it goes on... and the sin becomes worse and worse.
Let's face it, we live in an
awful world. Let us, this year, pray deeply, for a lessening of
evil around us. As Franciscans, let us sow love, feed the hungry,
dress the naked, encourage our neighbors. Then, in time, God will
feel only love, our love.
There is hope. There is
always hope for a better world. This past two weeks, we celebrated
the Solemnity of Christmas, followed by the Solemnities of Mary,
Mother of God, and yesterday, it was Epiphany. The beauty of these
celebrations, as we recognize Our Lord in our daily meditations,
prayer life and with us all the time in our souls - we thank Him for
all the good he has done for us. And we go out of our way to be kind
to other people. When we feel good inside, that goodness comes
through, because our faces are mirrors of our heart. Let us continue
to encourage other people, to bring hope, love, and charity into
this world. As followers of St. Francis let us begin now, right
now, because God is still hungry and cold.
Fred Schaeffer, SFO
1/5/2009
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