Whenever a believer draws closer to the living God, that is, they live in a face-to-face relationship with God, they also draw closer to their fellow human being. What is happening here?
Now, much of all religions will be cultural. This means we do religious things because that is what we are supposed to do in this culture. There is a lot of going-through-the-motions in all of the world’s religions.
When a believer draws closer to the very life and heart of God they experience in their own lives a growing love and compassion for their fellow human being. The relationship with the outpouring God, i.e., the Trintiy, motivates them to be outgoing towards others. As God is Father and creator of all, so now others become our sisters and brothers. Authentic religion always expands our heart, our world view and our society.
This is where the hunger for justice for others grows and matures. It first arises from a heart that shares the compassion and goodness of the holy Trintiy. How we live in God and the Holy Spirit within us flows to service and care for others.
Focus on the hungers that emerge from your own heart when you reflect on what God is doing and moving within your life.
Pay attention to the concern you feel when you go grocery shopping. Prices have increased 26 percent in the last five years. But wages, especially the wages at the bottom, have not increased. What is it like to be a single parent , trying to provide proper nourishment for your children, when your budget gets tighter every year.? Now, what kind of hunger , i.e., compassion, do you feel in your heart when you consider the people who shop for groceries but are at the bottom end of the wage scale? How much of the concern for these parents comes from the Holy Spirit?
Canada has accepted many refugees (displaced people who had to flee from an unsafe country in which they were born) during the past twenty years. You reach out to help them get settled, learn Canadian business practices and get their kids into school. Where does this concern for displaced people come from?
Spend time listening to the hungers within your soul for others. These hungers are so often God-given. The Spirit of God can move within us – but sometimes it is painful when you see your fellow human being suffer.
What hungers for justice and compassion do you experience?
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