As a student of literature, I was
inspired most by a poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert
Frost. The last lines of the poem are:
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
In a situation like this, coming
to different paths and after choosing one, we would always fret wondering what
we might have missed by not taking the other path. A close reading of the poem proves otherwise.
It does not moralize about choice, but it simply says that choice is inevitable
but we never know what our choice will mean until we have lived it. Likewise, concern for justice, especially for
the poor and the marginalised, has always been part of the mission of the
church. But in Indian context I would say working for justice is a ‘road less
traveled by.’
When we read Micah 6:6-8 it is
clear from Scripture that justice matters, justice is defined in God's terms
and not those of the political and economic left or right. We are called not
only to feed the poor but also to ask why the poor have no food - and then to
redress the cause of their poverty. The call is for justice, not just charity.
To do justice is to know God (Jeremiah 22:16) and to reflect his holiness (Isaiah
5:16). As Christians we really have no option but to seek it, nor is the call
to live justly an adjunct to faith. And that means placing our social and
economic structures, our habits of being and patterns of consumption, our
expectations and construal of "the good life" under the judgment of
Scripture. But what is not as clear is what it means in concrete terms to live
justly in our world. “To apply the biblical injunctions in a one to one
correspondence to our social and economic structures and habits of being is to
ignore the vast differences between the world of the Bible and our own world.
It is also to fall prey to easy answers that only trivialize Scripture and
further complicate the problems we seek to redress. What is needed is a careful
listening to the intent and trajectories of the scriptural witness and a
willingness to engage in serious interdisciplinary dialogue and praxis. And
because the issues we face are so complex and spin such an elaborate web of
interconnections, we will also find ourselves thrust upon God and each other
for guidance, help and forgiveness.” (Rev. Gary Hauch)
When we explore the Bible's
teachings regarding the concern God has for the poor we discover that we all
belong to a compassionate Kingdom big enough to include all the lost,
oppressed, haggard, hungry, homeless, and dispossessed. As Christians we have
all the resources we will ever need to release the burden of the poor. The Bible gives us a snapshot of a God who is
deeply moved by the poor. The prophet Isaiah contrasts Israel
To bear faithful witness to God's
justice in serving the poor will not be easy, but it is something we are not
called to do alone, for He who calls also says, "Lo I am with you, even to
the end of the age" (Matt 28:20).
When succeeded we will learn to give more generously, share more readily
and live more simply. In this New Year
can we resolve to take this road less traveled by so that we can make a
difference?
Kasta Dip
