One
Year Bible, 10/14-"This is what the Lord says: 'Do what is just and
right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been
robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the
widow, and do not shed innocent blood. . . . But if you do not, your
palace will become a ruin. . . Because you have forsaken the covenant of
the Lord and served other gods (Jeremiah 22:3-9)'."
Please note that God equates injustice against the poor, the needy, the
marginalized of society as "forsaking the covenant of YHWH/Adonai/the
Lord" and "serving other gods." Feeding the poor, housing the homeless,
throwing charity crumbs at and to those marginalized by our public and
private policies and practices is not sufficient. Such behavior is a
continuation of the idolatry, the abandonment of any meaningful
relationship with Love and Life that true spirituality demands. Only by
changing/repenting/turning away from the policies, practices and
behaviors that perpetuate poverty and suffering for those in the
margins, those we exploit to do our dirty work, and those we keep
unemployed to drive down wages and make mass profits. Only by working
to erase the margins entirely, can the worship of our idols be
abandoned, and our relationship with Life restored.
"We know
what the Lord requires: To do justice, love mercy, and to walk in
humility (Not as little gods ourselves but as gracious collaborators
with the Almighty One in whom we live, move and have our being) (Micah
6:8)."
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