In the human mind, we find injustice on earth when few are very rich and many are very poor and thus have to suffer in their poverty. The Bible tells us that the poor will always be among us (John 12:8). That does not mean we become apathetic and ignore our brothers and sisters in need (Deut. 15:7-11). Charity to those in need is part and parcel of the fabric of the Christian way of life. We must do our part to make change where we can. Notice that in contemporary culture, the onus is on the person who has power to give, and is reminded that others suffer and that he or she must respond. However, there is another truth that is virtually ignored; that is the power the poor person has to exercise their will power in their relationship to God. No human being on earth has been robbed of willpower to choose their attitude, inner disposition toward life and their relationship to the Almighty God. In Luke 18:1-9, God instructs us the He will grant justice to those “who cry to him day and night” (verse 7). That is a fact. If we call upon God, he will help us. We just need to keep persisting and being determined to pray incessantly until that prayer is answered. This is why persistence pays off; yet Jesus asks, “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8) Faith is keeping on asking until it comes to fruition. I worked 9 years in the Downtown Eastside within the poorest postal code in Canada. In my countless experiences there, the real tragedy that was inflicted on the poor was not what someone else did to them, whether individuals or institutions; rather, it is what they did to themselves, in their inner decisions whether to accept the power of God to help them or assume a fatalistic tone and believe that they had no real power to exercise their will power to better their lives. Jesus tells us that we have that power and nobody can take that away from us. We just need to keep praying & believing.
The Real Tragedy According to Jesus
