Interesting that you began with Luke. Most often we go to Matthew for Jesus's beatitudes. Looking over Luke's first four, I see helplessness in every one. At a minimum, Jesus is encouraging us to stay in touch with our fundamental helplessness. More - to reside in it, and in him.
I like your opening acknowledgement of the responsibilities of Dads to provide and protect. It weighs on us at times. The burden can sometimes be good, in just the way Mary-Rita describes below being prompted into creativity. At other times, it is demoralizing.
Michael D. O'Brien is very good at telling the burdens of poverty on fathers. See, for example, his little book of stories and essays, "Father at Night," especially the title story. (Justin Press, 2011)
I've also liked very much Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis's reflections on the beatitudes in "Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word." The one parallel to Luke 6:20 is Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit." Leiva Merikakis takes the words down to their etymological bones: (Blessed) are those who must beg for their very life's breath!"
Ideologically, I am basically a capitalist, and I rejoice in the world's vast overcomings of disease and impoverishment in the short span of our own lifetimes. There are discussions to have there. But this post, Regina, reminds me of our basic roots in need, our spiritual and creative roots there, and our responsibilities deriving from them. And our "co-inherence," our radical interdependencies. Your turn to generosity - to giving ourselves away - was close to the heart of this post.
I don't want to intellectualize too much here. We have a child in daily need and a friend's child struggling in ICU. Our helplessness grieves us. It puts us on our knees.
And as you have noticed, we have a culture descending into greater and greater impoverishments. Helplessness at every turn. I appreciate the help of your posts here. This one touched me.
This was hard to read, in a good way. I think I’ll need to revisit it a couple times to really understand and internalize the points here.
Another thing I thought of: poverty can be an invitation to develop resourcefulness and creativity. This past weekend, we bought a bushel and a half of apples from a local orchard, and worked on making apple sauce, apple butter, and apple pie filling. I can safely say I would not have been as drawn to doing this if we had financial security. It’s because we’re living with so little money that we’re learning to make our own food and such.
I don’t know if that’s directly related to cultural recovery and poverty. But I thought it was worth sharing.
Mary Rita, you see what I'm getting at! It's one reason why poverty is so crucial - it is a good stimulus indeed! There are many stories embedded in it: it makes life an adventure, for sure!
Interesting that you began with Luke. Most often we go to Matthew for Jesus's beatitudes. Looking over Luke's first four, I see helplessness in every one. At a minimum, Jesus is encouraging us to stay in touch with our fundamental helplessness. More - to reside in it, and in him.
I like your opening acknowledgement of the responsibilities of Dads to provide and protect. It weighs on us at times. The burden can sometimes be good, in just the way Mary-Rita describes below being prompted into creativity. At other times, it is demoralizing.
Michael D. O'Brien is very good at telling the burdens of poverty on fathers. See, for example, his little book of stories and essays, "Father at Night," especially the title story. (Justin Press, 2011)
I've also liked very much Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis's reflections on the beatitudes in "Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word." The one parallel to Luke 6:20 is Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit." Leiva Merikakis takes the words down to their etymological bones: (Blessed) are those who must beg for their very life's breath!"
Ideologically, I am basically a capitalist, and I rejoice in the world's vast overcomings of disease and impoverishment in the short span of our own lifetimes. There are discussions to have there. But this post, Regina, reminds me of our basic roots in need, our spiritual and creative roots there, and our responsibilities deriving from them. And our "co-inherence," our radical interdependencies. Your turn to generosity - to giving ourselves away - was close to the heart of this post.
I don't want to intellectualize too much here. We have a child in daily need and a friend's child struggling in ICU. Our helplessness grieves us. It puts us on our knees.
And as you have noticed, we have a culture descending into greater and greater impoverishments. Helplessness at every turn. I appreciate the help of your posts here. This one touched me.
This was hard to read, in a good way. I think I’ll need to revisit it a couple times to really understand and internalize the points here.
Another thing I thought of: poverty can be an invitation to develop resourcefulness and creativity. This past weekend, we bought a bushel and a half of apples from a local orchard, and worked on making apple sauce, apple butter, and apple pie filling. I can safely say I would not have been as drawn to doing this if we had financial security. It’s because we’re living with so little money that we’re learning to make our own food and such.
I don’t know if that’s directly related to cultural recovery and poverty. But I thought it was worth sharing.
Mary Rita, you see what I'm getting at! It's one reason why poverty is so crucial - it is a good stimulus indeed! There are many stories embedded in it: it makes life an adventure, for sure!
Glad you got apples!!