Plain Jesus: the turnaround (II) We Are the Weak

Some jesus sayings Blessed are the poor (Woe to you who are rich) it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. If you were blind, you would not have sin. Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Relax – we are the weak (The poor, the needy, the broken, the lonely, the empty, the sinful, the tired….) And it’s ok – we’re loved as we are No need to pretend anything else We’re all in this together

Salvation/turnaround Knowing and accepting that we are the weak Increasingly meaningful and tangible solidarity with: the weak, the poor, the needy etc. (Goes hand in hand with the “death of the ego illusion” we talked about a couple of weeks ago)

Problem with being rich (or independent, strong, etc.) Anawim – the “bowed down” Love (and justice) does not grow in a soil of condescension, “charity,” duty, minimal self-justification; it grows out of solidarity. There is no formula for: “How much do I need to give?” or “How rich am I allowed to be?” – It’s about how I see myself in connection with the world around me.

solidarity The invitation then is not to improve ourselves, find personal salvation, “become a good person” But to enter into solidarity with the poor – to be in this together Out of solidarity (genuine connectedness) comes love and justice

Abundance True abundance is the weak (all of us poor) living generously in solidarity with each other. Empathy grows more in shared pain than joy (we’d have way shallower relationships if we had no hard times together) Feeding of the crowd

Holy Spirit and liberation Excerpt from Jose Comblin… It’s real abundance, not “only spiritual”