THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
The financial and political systems of our world are said to be structured for the common good, but there is a lot of evidence that suggests that these systems are strongly biased toward those who are wealthy, connected, and powerful. Those who have learned to use the “rules of the game” to their advantage are able to manipulate our systems to their own gain, while those who are outside the networks of power suffer and are often disadvantaged. This reality was no different in any of the eras in which the Bible was written.
However, throughout history there have been groups of people who have challenged the bias and inequality in the world’s systems. There have been those who have exposed the “gatekeepers” who regulate who gets ‘in’ and who is left ‘out, and they have sought to live by different values and priorities. Of course, Jesus was the most significant of these prophets, and he called his followers to embrace his alternative way of living, in which the only law was the law of love, and in which everyone belongs. Now as we seek to follow Jesus both personally and together, we are called to bear the fruit of God’s Reign in our own lives – the fruit of compassion, simplicity, inclusivity, grace, generosity, and justice.
This week we meditate on the contrast between Jesus’ way and the ways of our human systems, and we seek to live according to the values of God’s Reign even as we participate in the systems of our society. This is challenging, but it is definitely worth the effort!
To download this week’s reflections in PDF format, click here.
