He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8
“Although we are not Christ, if we want to be Christians we must participate in Christ’s own magnanimous heart by engaging in responsible action that seizes the hour in complete freedom, facing the danger. And we should do so in genuine solidarity with suffering flowing forth, not from fear, but from the liberating and redeeming love of Christ toward all who suffer. Inactive “waiting-and-seeing” or impassive “standing by” are not Christian attitudes. Christians are prompted to action and suffering in solidarity not just by personal body experience, but by the experience incorrect by their fellows for whose sake Christ himself suffered.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) in “After Ten Years” Berlin, 1942 as recounted by Chris Pepple in Reflections on Suffering: Defining Our Crosses and Letting Go of Pain.
I shot this new header photo yesterday between snowstorms while walking Sammy’s dog, Hope St. Teresa, along the Bear Creek trail. Navigating the frozen and winding trail in single digit temperatures (in Fahrenheit) reminded me of the rigors ahead in the Lenten journey.
For our kindness and generosity to be magnanimous, we must not wait-and-see or stand-by but take action. Part of Lent, which begins Wednesday, is learning to move away from comfort and toward service to the hurting. Linked to generosity, we do this by giving alms, which is making gifts to the needy.
Part of the reason fasting and prayer are coupled with giving in Lent is that the disciplines are interconnected. To move toward the poor is to move away from our own desires or things that might benefit us. What direction should we go? Whom should we serve? That’s where prayer comes into play.
If you want to bear the name “Christian” then don’t let passivity characterize your living, giving, serving and loving. The journey to the cross is one that embraces (rather than runs from) suffering. It does hard things. It counts the cost and pays the price. Jesus moved toward us with kindness. Let us do likewise.