The Rich and the Poor

Jesus, in line with the prophets within his Jewish religion, criticized the wealthy for their oppression of the poor. The beatitudes and many of his parables express his concern for the poor, his expectations of the rich, and his opinion of the powerful. His focus was on the life in God available to all, poor and rich, but perhaps more often accepted by the poor.

Yesterday's news included an Associated Press article on the widening income gap between the richest 10% of Americans and the poorest 10%. The opening paragraph of the article states: "The recession has hit middle-income and poor families hardest, widening the economic gap between the richest and poorest Americans as rippling job layoffs ravaged household budgets." Elsewhere I read that the gap is now wider than at any time since 1917! And still, some advocate cutting taxes for the wealthy!

The earliest Christians are said to have decided to pool their goods and allocate large sums of money for the care of widows, orphans, the sick and the imprisoned. They lived at a time when the oppressions of wealth and power were greater than we in this country experience now, but they found the will share, to care for those who relied on the mercy of others to survive.

May we find ways to use our democratic system to ensure that the poor, the sick and those without ways of earning what they need, get food, shelter, respect and health care. May we examine our own attitudes towards money and power and turn towards the God who creates, sustains and blesses all life.

Seniors 60+ Looking for Work

Today my prayer is for the well-being of all those who are 60 years old and older and looking for work. With the job market being what it is, many seniors are going on Social Security, perhaps before they had planned, because they have no other option for income. An Associated Press article yesterday noted that, "applications for retirement benefits are 23 percent higher than last year." That same article stated that the "share of U.S. residents in their 60s either working or looking for work has climbed steadily since the mid-1990's, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. ... This year, more than 55 percent of people age 60-64 are still in the labor force, compared with about 46 percent a decade ago."

May this very wealthy country find a way to pay senior citizens and others to do some of the necessary work of caring for people who need it, and who now receive less care than they need. For example, many schools could benefit from more teachers and teacher-aides. Hospitals and nursing homes already rely on senior volunteers to staff many services. Imagine if seniors could also provide services for pay in these settings. There are a multitude of services seniors can provide if they can have somewhat flexible hours and perhaps some physical accommodations. May the Holy One inspire creativity and compassion on the part of decision-makers so that the talents of seniors are used and compensated fairly.

Health Care Again

After returning from a training and retreat weekend, I arrived home and opened yesterday's paper. In Sunday's front page section was an ad authorized and paid for by JONAH, a local organization of many faiths, affiliated with other local organizations of faith. The ad stated:

We believe universal health care is fundamental to a just and productive society.

Millions of Americans suffer or die for lack of health care.
We believe in a religious imperative to heal the sick.
The American health care system must be transformed to be inclusive, accessible, affordable and accountable for all.

A civilized and just society protects the weak and powerless with compassion.
Join us. Speak out for a uniquely American plan.
Fixing health care is a moral issue, unworthy of political bickering.

I say AMEN! May it be so! May our elected leaders make health care financing decisions that are compassionate, just and fair, especially to people who are poor, middle-class, ill and/or elderly. May the Holy One give our elected leaders courage and wisdom to pass legislation that is "inclusive, accessible, affordable and accountable for all."

Health Care for Everyone

My prayer for today is for all the people in the United States who are uninsured for health care, or pay way too much for insurance, or who are at risk of losing their health insurance or who are fighting with insurance companies to get the care they need covered. I suspect this is a large number of people.

A blog I follow had a recent post consisting of several quotes from a writer named Holly Sklar. Here's a sample:

Lack of health insurance kills 45,000 American adults a year, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health. One out of three Americans under age 65 had no private or public health insurance for some or all of 2007-2008.

You can't go the emergency room for the screening that will catch cancer or heart disease early, or ongoing treatment to manage chronic kidney disease or asthma. And even emergency care is different for the insured and uninsured. Studies show uninsured car crash victims receive less care in the hospital, for example.

Even with health insurance, many Americans are a medical crisis away from bankruptcy. Research shows 62 percent of all bankruptcies in 2007 were medical, a share up 50 percent since 2001. Most of the medically bankrupt had health insurance - the kind insuring profits, not health care.

It's from an article called Medicare for All: Yes We Can by Holly Sklar.

I'm sad that people are so burdened, frightened, frustrated, and anxious about something that is a right, taken care of, in every other industrialized nation. I pray that the lawmakers in Congress will make wise and compassionate decisions about this issue.

Praying the News

A few days ago, a friend and I were having dinner together, sharing dreams, perceptions, intuitions about "these days." We have each had some sense of the need for God's grace to further penetrate the gloom of dismal days when hatred seems to lurk ready to pounce or seduce. We agreed that we would find some way or practice that we would undertake for a period of about a month, offering it as an opening for God to use in some way to further grace this world.

The day after our dinner, I left to attend a retreat devoted to group spiritual direction and a time of silence. The last talk before silence began was about practices we might consider during the time of silence. "Praying the news" was one of the suggestions. Immediately I recognized this as the practice I want to offer to God for use in somehow expanding the flow of grace at this time for the benefit of the world.

This is a very different thing for me, because I do not usually read the news or watch television news at all. My information comes from my husband, who is very well read, and from the occasional news report from NPR as I'm driving from one place to another. I have found listening to or watching news programs to be very painful. I am often filled with sadness, distress, disgust and anger, as I take in the tragic, nasty, mean-spirited, greedy or murderous actions of my brother and sister human beings. So, I am committed to keeping up with the news to some degree from now until around November 1st. And, I will be praying the news on this blog.

Today's prayer is for the people of Iran. The Minneapolis Star Tribune had a large article on the G20 meeting and the problems posed by discovery of another nuclear reactor almost completed by Iran. The fear among many nations is that such a reactor will be the source for nuclear weapons, which Iran is said to be determined to develop. I also pray that the leaders of all the countries involved will be filled with wisdom and truth as they sort out what to do about this situation. Further, I pray for our president, President Obama, who has declared that one of his goals is to reduce the world's nuclear arsenals, including that of the United States.