The Christian philosopher, Aristides, wrote to Emporere Hadrianus in 125 A.D.:
“They love one another. One gives without reserve to the one who has nothing. A stranger is taken up in their homes as a brother. When someone is in prison, they do everything possible to set him free. In case someone is really in need and very poor, and it happens that they have nothing that in any way would be superfluous, then they fast two or three days so that the very poor and needy person gets what he needs.”
Also, the apostate and Christian hater Emporer Justinianus wrote in 361-363:
“Those Galileans do not only feed their own poor, but even ours.”
How far we’ve digressed….Father, forgive us for our sins of neglect, selfishness, pride, materialism, and desire to be comfortable. Propel us from our warm houses and well-fed stomachs. Compel us to feel hunger, give up our many toys to help those in our community. Forgive us for not being a light to this world. Forgive us for loving ourselves more than we love others. Forgive us, your Bride, for not representing you accurately. If you were here, I think you’d act a lot differently than us. I don’t really imagine you with two houses or multiple SUVs or hanging out in your home or passing the homeless man on the street without a word, or maybe just giving him a dollar.
Forgive us for our many transgressions.
Change us.
Please.
December 4th, 2006 at 11:44 pm
This is so hard, so very unlike everything I know.