At the time of this writing, our country is between the memory and honoring of those who passed on 9/11 and the potential devastation being caused byHurricane Florence. Both have and/or will remind us not only of loss, but of the best in us when we put economic, racial, political, social, and religious differences aside for the common assistance and good of humanity. We should indeed remember those who were lost, and be grateful for the agape-type love that such moments reveal to us.

As you read this, most have now returned to their routines, potentially including ways of not seeing life in such a precious way or needing the agape-type of love all deserve as children of God. How true the comment of Jesus in Matthew 26: 11 “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.” Perhaps Jesus was echoing his knowledge of Hebrew Scripture; Deuteronomy 15:11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open-handed toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.

Here I wish to challenge all of us not to be myopic thinking of just economic poverty. I can think of equally or more harmful poverties beyond economics. For instance, there are the poverties of hatred, jealousy, entitlement, abuse of power, racism (and a whole host of other –isms), pride, cynicism, and sarcasm. Indeed “poverty” of all types will be with us always, but we have the opportunity, the choice, to have Jesus’ agape-type love with us always through the Spirit of God.

The Spirit of God can guide us in one of the premiere challenges and mysteries within life; will we rise above our most base human instincts and reach deep within to the great “I am,” and thus allow the divine spark within us to shine. At any time, I wish and pray that a crisis or tragedy is not the only thing that seems to motivate us to realize and actualize the best that we have to offer each other.

In Jesus’ name…

For Christ, With Christ,
In Christ and Like Christ.

Dn Mick Humbert