“The Poor and the poor.”

D,

You always ask me about
the reported speech of Christ: “the poor you will have with you always.” You
seem to think it is an argument against my more leftist tendencies. You have a
couple of Uncles that will agree with you. They see it as a call to the material
nature of present earth. The poor will be poor, and the rich will be rich and
the Christian, poor is spirit but rich in means, should be generous. Poverty is
almost destiny or a mindset or an ability to tithe or a misunderstanding of
certain spiritual principles.

I see the statement as a
challenge. He knew what Judas meant. He knew the concern was not the poor. He
is realigning all who would hear not to ignore the problems of the world. No
act of worship will stop that duty of care. No disciple with loose pockets
takes always from our agenda to look to and for the good of every person we
encounter. We are called to the poor in spirit and the poor in pockets too. We
are both and are in both. We are called to each other.