In today's first reading, Abraham persuades God to save the city of Sodom if He can find just 10 innocent people among them (spoiler alert: He doesn't). While the writers of the time treat this story like many other mythological tales where a wiley human outthinks a god, I feel that this event was not about Abraham convincing God, but God leading Abraham to the concept of mercy. Although the reading was chosen to demonstrate the importance of persistence in approaching God, I feel that it also speaks to us about the dangers of condemning the innocent with the guilty. Ironically, many people today seem to take the opposite approach of Abraham--they tend to condemn a large group of people due to the acts of a few.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches his disciples the Lord's Prayer and then talks about the importance of persistence. He tells of the man who goes to his neighbor after midnight, asking for bread due to unexpected visitors. The neighbor is comfortable where he is and wants to turn his friend away. Yet Jesus says that the request will be fulfilled. This leads to Jesus' famous commentary about seeking and finding, knocking and doors opening. Again, I feel that many people today are more about hoarding what they have and turning others away. They miss out on the idea that we are called to share, and in sharing we become more than we were.
There has been a great deal of ugly talk in our world lately. The focus has been on turning away the others, on how the others are trying to take what we have. I've even seen those who I know to be good people--albeit with some misguided beliefs--join in this hatred, malice, and spite. Jesus asks, "What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish? \ Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?" We have people coming here and asking for freedom and we put them in cages. They ask for a better life for their children, and we take their children away--and cage them too. America is supposed to be the beacon of light to the world, and there are those that want to shutter it behind a wall, all for the sake of a fear of the few.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches his disciples the Lord's Prayer and then talks about the importance of persistence. He tells of the man who goes to his neighbor after midnight, asking for bread due to unexpected visitors. The neighbor is comfortable where he is and wants to turn his friend away. Yet Jesus says that the request will be fulfilled. This leads to Jesus' famous commentary about seeking and finding, knocking and doors opening. Again, I feel that many people today are more about hoarding what they have and turning others away. They miss out on the idea that we are called to share, and in sharing we become more than we were.
There has been a great deal of ugly talk in our world lately. The focus has been on turning away the others, on how the others are trying to take what we have. I've even seen those who I know to be good people--albeit with some misguided beliefs--join in this hatred, malice, and spite. Jesus asks, "What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish? \ Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?" We have people coming here and asking for freedom and we put them in cages. They ask for a better life for their children, and we take their children away--and cage them too. America is supposed to be the beacon of light to the world, and there are those that want to shutter it behind a wall, all for the sake of a fear of the few.
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