Solar engineer at the Barefoot College For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me. Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you? And the King will answer, I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me. MT 25
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Recognise to whom you owe the fact that you exist, that you breathe, that you understand, that you are wise, and, above all, that you know God and hope for the kingdom of heaven and the vision of glory, now darkly as in a mirror but then with greater fullness and purity. You have been made a child of God, co-heir with Christ. Where did you get all this, and from whom?
Let me turn to what is of less importance: the visible world around us. What benefactor has enabled you to look out upon the beauty of the sky, the sun in its course, the circle of the moon, the countless number of stars, with the harmony and order that are theirs, like the music of a harp? Who has blessed you with rain, with the art of husbandry, with different kinds of food, with the arts, with houses, with laws, with states, with a life of humanity and culture, with friendship and the easy familiarity of kinship?…Brethren and friends, let us never allow ourselves to misuse what has been given us by Gods gift. If we do, we shall hear Saint Peter say: Be ashamed of yourselves for holding on to what belongs to someone else. Resolve to imitate Gods justice, and no one will be poor. Let us not labour to heap up and hoard riches while others remain in need. If we do, the prophet Amos will speak out against us with sharp and threatening words: Come now, you that say: When will the new moon be over, so that we may start selling? When will the sabbath be over, so that we may start opening our treasures?
Let us put into practice the supreme and primary law of God. He sends down rain on just and sinful alike, and causes the sun to rise on all without distinction. To all earths creatures he has given the broad earth, the springs, the rivers and the forests. He has given the air to the birds, and the waters to those who live in the water. He has given abundantly to all the basic needs of life, not as a private possession, not restricted by law, not divided by boundaries, but as common to all, amply and in rich measure. His gifts are not deficient in any way, because he wanted to give equality of blessing to equality of worth, and to show the abundance of his generosity. Saint Gregory Nazianzen
My daughter introduced me to the Barefoot College, an amazing place and concept. No MA’s or PhD’s here. No diploma’s. People teaching people skills to share with their community, and not simple skills. Barefoot College “graduates” are solar engineers, architects, and dentists, to name but a few. I encourage you to click on the link and learn more about it.
Today’s gospel and the reading from Morning Prayer remind us of the necessity of living not for ourselves but for others; of not hoarding wealth, but being generous as God has been generous with us.In serving the least among us, we serve God. In seeing our gifts, the earth, and all we have been afforded by accident of birth (education, privilege, sustance etc) as given to be offered to others. We help bring peace to the world, as one of my daughters reminded me this morning, by first being at peace with oneself. That enables us to be at peace with others, to respond to others with compassion and openness. Step at a time, the circle of peace extends further and further out into the world.
That is what Barefoot College does. The founder, Bunker Roy, was the recipient of a prestigious education in India, poised for high ranking jobs in government or industry. Instead, changed by time spent working digging wells in a poor village, he put his education and expertise to work creating educational opportunities for the poorest of the world. He was at peace with himself, able to withstand objections from family and friends. He knew who he was. He knew what he had been given. And he gave it back.
St. Gregory says there are no natural boundaries on this earth. What we have are not private possessions to be protected, but the property of all.
Something to consider when we choose almsgiving as a Lenten discipline. How much more we can give than money. How are we called to stay with the poor, to give away our gifts in the pursuit of peace? Are we at peace with ourselves? Time resting in God, time in prayer, will help us discover both.
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