Poverty is shameful to our society. And it is not the poor who should be ashamed-- it's society. War is evil. Those who fight aren't necessarily evil, but the existence of war is evil incarnate. We tend to boast a bit when life is moving in our favor. We have money and power... we exert our will over others... and we think nothing of it. We pity and even fear the poor, wishing we didn't have to face that reality. But Jesus says they are blessed for they shall inherit the kingdom of earth. When we go to war, our nation often comes together (some wars not included), and we act as though we were at a giant pep rally for a football game. Fact is, we're scared that someone would hate us so much that they would want to kill us, and so the "just war theory" calls for us to defend ourselves. And when we see the rich and powerful fall... culturally speaking, we tend to glean some twisted pleasure from that. Whether it's Tiger Woods, Lindsey Lohan, or the Kardashians... why would we enjoy the stories of their fall? There is a line that we are not to cross: we are not to celebrate when other people's misfortunes becomes fodder for cultural entertainment. Terrible things happen to people. Maybe their situation is due to their own undoing. It's sad. Don't celebrate. Don't laugh. Don't participate in the circus that comes at the cost of other people's pain.
Readings: 1 Kings 11:1-12:19; Acts 9:1-25; Psalm 131:1-3; Proverbs 17:4-5
