Jesus longs for justice for the poor

Sometimes, I look at
the poverty in places like Swaziland,
and I despair of ever seeing hope reborn.

Children are abused, teenagers are promiscuous, and the poverty is
crushing for those who are weakest.

Orphans
have to walk miles just to get a plate of corn mush. It all seems so unfair.

At times like that, I like to remember Jesus’
heart for the poor.

I like what Henri
Nouwen said on the subject:

“Jesus, the Blessed Son of God, hungers and thirsts for
uprightness. He abhors injustice. He resists those who try to gather wealth and
influence by oppression and exploitation.

His whole being yearns for people to
treat one another as brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of the same God.”

With fervor he proclaims that the way to the Kingdom is not saying many prayers
or offering many sacrifices but in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and
visiting the sick and the prisoners (see Matthew 25:31-46).

He longs for a just
world. He wants us to live with the same hunger and thirst.