This time last year, independent think tank and justice advocacy group Social Justice Ireland (SJI) published a report providing information based on official statistics on specific groups in Ireland. Some of the details were shocking. According to the report, 671,183 people live in poverty in Ireland. Of these, approximately 188,600 were children under 18 and more than 143,600 were over 65. The report states: For households that are already experiencing hardship. ”
Anyone who shops for groceries on a regular basis is aware of price increases and the way products are advertised and sold – 20% off here, 3-for-2 promotions elsewhere. You probably recognize it. There are a lot of smooth words that can tempt and mislead customers. The British consumer magazine Which? recently argued that it is not the amount paid that is reduced, but the amount that is measured. Manufacturers defend the practice of reducing product sizes, saying they are trying to keep prices down even as their own costs are rising. And anyway, they say the information is printed on the package. The text is usually too small and difficult to read.
What does this have to do with religion? There are quite a lot of answers. Tomorrow’s Old Testament reading will list the Ten Commandments, the foundation of a just and orderly society. They are detailed in the book of Leviticus as follows:You have to have an accurate balance, an accurate weight, an accurate effer [dry goods measure] and accurate hints [liquid measure]”. In addition to tomorrow’s Gospel reading, we will discuss the cleansing of the temple, recorded in all four Gospels, and the conflict between Jesus and the religious and business interests of the time. , he found the dove sellers and the money changers sitting at table. He whipped them with cords and drove them all out of the temple, both sheep and cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers. I brought it out and overturned the table.”
He said to those who were selling pigeons, “Get these things out of here!” Please stop turning my father’s house into a market! ” Mark and Luke said he accused temple authorities of theft and named a poor widow as a victim. There is no sign of a “meek, gentle, gentle Jesus” here. Jesus was angry. Does the Church today have anything to say about commercial interests and highly paid executives who have become richer at the expense of the poorest people? Today’s cost of living crisis affects everyone, but not everyone experiences poverty or deprivation. In fact, for many people, it’s not a big problem, but for families with children who pay rent, or elderly people or disabled people who live on state benefits, it’s an entirely different matter, and it’s a very This poses serious problems for societies that define themselves as Christian.
[ Thinking Anew: We have forgotten how to walk lightly on the Earth ]
South African theologian John de Grouchy would argue that the issues raised in the SJI report are part of a long-standing struggle. “The dreams of the powerful seeking more power, and the dreams of the rich seeking more wealth, are the nightmares of the powerless and poor. But the dreams of liberation of the oppressed and poor [immigrants?] “It’s a nightmare for the powerful and wealthy,” he said. “That is always the case in a world that is unwilling to share its resources, unwilling to recognize them as gifts rather than possessions. The dream of the oppressed is utopia. It is a vision of a better world. It is the same vision that has animated prophets throughout the ages, a vision of the kingdom that began in Jesus Christ but has not yet reached its full potential. It threatens those who have everything. The powerful and privileged fear the dreams of the poor and the visions of the prophets because they represent the coming kingdom of God, God’s vision of God’s world. Because it comes from a purpose.”