R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
He watches over all his bones;
not one of them shall be broken.
These are the words I will take away from the Readings of today. These words speak of the respect and deep love God has for the poor and down-trodden. There is almost a reverence for them in the line that "not one of 'their bones' shall be broken." The same was true of Christ when he was found to be dead on the cross. Not a one of his bones were broken.
This is the way we are called to treat the poor and it looks like our Pope Francis may have a very similar respect and reverence for them and be more pastoral and less theological and philosophical. The poor and oppressed are all around us; they may be sad and hurting, but financially well off. They may simply be oppressed and living in this country without the rights and gifts that we take for granted. How are we being called to be close to the brokenhearted?
Thanks for posting! I too liked the passage you pulled from these readings. I love this image of God as protector and gentle care giver. I also love your insight to poverty and the ability to move past the claim that poverty only exists in those without money. We as the kingdom need to be more sensitive to the broken pieces of the body and the Church and I do hold some hope for the theological visions of the new pope. I have to admit, this calling is not always an easy one to answer, sometimes it is down right exhausting! I found myself so tired at the end of yesterday and my patients so fried I was questioning whether or not I had it in me to continue to answer my current call. Sometimes I just want to curl up and take a nap and hide from all the responsibilities of the world, sleep without the consequence of falling behind. Happy Friday!
ReplyDeleteLaura