This morning’s post in the series Easter is Coming: What Do We Hunger and Thirst For? is by David Backes.
David Backes has written and spoken on various aspects of the environment and the spiritual journey for many years. He teaches courses on these themes at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and is also ordained as a Roman Catholic deacon. it was first posted on his blog New Wood.
The idea of placing Jesus into a modern setting and putting a classic parable into modern context has been in my head for a while, but this is the first time I’ve tried it. It’s also the first time I’m connecting a post to a wider group project, a series coordinated by Godspace called “Getting Ready for Lent—What Do We Hunger and Thirst For?” Here goes:
Jesus was in Washington, D.C., speaking at the annual National Prayer Breakfast. A politician well-known for strong religious views stood up to test him and said, “Jesus, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus responded, “What is written in God’s law? How do you understand it?”
The politician said, “You shall love God with all your heart, all your being, all your strength and all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus replied, “You said it well. Do this and you will live.”
Looking for a loophole, the politician pressed Jesus: “And how would you define ‘neighbor’?”
Jesus answered with a story. “A poor nation on a remote continent suffered a devastating drought; hundreds of thousands were dying of thirst and famine, and then disease broke out and the death toll continued to climb. The whole world watched with horror as newscasts showed the immensity of the suffering.
“Many of the people who watched lived in wealthy countries. Some of them saw the news, commented on how awful it was for those poor people, said a prayer or two, and then stopped thinking about it.
“Others who saw the news not only prayed, but donated money to one of the international relief organizations that were bringing aid to the people of that poor nation. Then they went back to their lives, happy to have done something good.
“There were a few who wondered about the drought and why it was so devastating. They went online to learn more about it, and discovered that it was linked to climate change and that intense droughts were going to be an even greater problem in the decades ahead, especially impacting the world’s poorest people. They learned about the causes of climate change, and came to realize that their own way of living was a major part of the problem. They hadn’t known! They had simply lived as others did around them. At first this made them feel terribly guilty, but then, after a period of much prayer and questioning, they discovered that they, too, suffered from drought—an inner drought. And they become aware of a deep thirst: they thirsted for connectedness, for meaning, for love, for justice.
“This thirst opened their hearts and prompted them to action. They decided to simplify their lives for the sake of those suffering halfway around the world, as well as for the sake of future generations. Over time they found all sorts of ways to cut their own energy use; they also rediscovered the joy of spending time outdoors, reading, playing instruments, growing things and visiting, and they got more involved in the community. Some of them also donated money to relief organizations, and some of them didn’t, but they all rediscovered the heart of their faith and their connectedness to the world around them. They were less distracted, less anxious, and more joyful. They were happy to live simply, so that others could simply live.”
Jesus turned to the politician, and asked, “What do you think? Which of these kinds of people have become neighbors to those who are suffering?”
The politician responded, “Those who discovered their own inner thirst, and changed their lives for the sake of people they couldn’t even see–those halfway around the world and those of the future.”
Jesus said, “Go and do the same, and you will find freedom, love and joy.”
[Click for the second in Backes' series -- Jesus responds to another questioner, a university professor, and suggests "a more perfect way."]
[Here's a resource if you would like to pray and/or meditate on five scripture passages that can help you examine your relationship to creation in comparison to the values of Christ. If you want to get right to the five passages and reflections, see the links at the bottom of that post.]
Filed under: Lent 2012, spiritual practices Tagged: | David Backes, Lent 2012, spiritual practices
