The prophet Micah poses and answers the question: What does God ask? Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God (6:1-8). Religious posturing, even fasting, will get you nowhere: the fast God wants, according to Isaiah is “to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free… to share your bread with hungry, to bring the homeless poor into your house.” (58:6-8)
In a political climate where budget proposals seek to shaft the vulnerable poor, while further stuffing the pockets of the rich, the question of what God wants becomes imperative.
God answers the same question, speaking through Moses to the people: “You shall be holy for I the Lord your God am Holy.” What does holiness look like? It’s right there in the next verse: “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God.” (Lev. 19) Holiness means caring for the alien and the stranger (which probably doesn’t include building walls or deporting them).
(Matthew 25: 31-40)
The call of God. How do we follow this here in Cook County?
Grace Bouchard of Cook County Public Health and Human Services presented their 2016 work to the Cook County commissioners recently. She reported that child maltreatment reports went from 28 in 2011 to 220 in 2016. The 132 children involved, she pointed out, are 25 percent of kids under 18 in Cook County. The biggest issue tends to be “neglect” which is when a child is left alone or there is drug or alcohol abuse or where living conditions are poor.
Poverty. CCHHS director Josh Beck said that 2,650 people in Cook County received SNAP— Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, often known as food stamps. The average SNAP payment was $76 a month for an individual and $116 for a family.
How do we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God here in Cook County?
Ruby’s Pantry is one way: at our last distribution, I thought how wonderful it is to be face to face with our neighbors. November’s election exposed how insulated we have become, grouping with those who have our own background and bent. Since Ruby’s Pantry is for those who eat—not for “them”—Ruby’s Pantry finds me working alongside (and getting my share in line with) people different from me: and our differences shrink
My friend Dorothy who handed out protein bars and banana chips alongside me said when she’s volunteered at a food shelf in Colorado, it felt so chaotic she was overwhelmed. No chaos here—through people’s fine efforts our distribution has become a well-oiled machine, but with a great big heart— stretching food dollars, reducing food waste and building community.
This is the work of God, but there’s always more we can do. I invite you to join me in thinking and praying about how we can act locally, and how we can remind our elected officials that living the Gospel means reaching out and serving the poor and needy, not vilifying them.
Each month a member of the Cook County Ministerium will offer Spiritual Reflections. This month’s contributor is Mary Ellen Ashcroft, Vicar of Spirit of the Wilderness Episcopal Church.
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