|
Let us learn to live without consuming so much
Merciful God,
During Lent, we Christians Try to see our sins clearly, to own their wrongness fully, And, finally, to shed those wrongs at the foot of Your cross. Let those of us who live in "First World" countries Own not only our personal wrongdoings But the sins we fail to see because they are Perpetrated against people we don't know And hidden In the conveniences of our "modern" lives. Let us see that our rich way of life is wholly dependent On the labor and poverty of workers In less developed countries. Let us see that we have no inherent right to Consume most of the world's natural resources, Just because it's cheap to gas up our cars, Easy to run our faucets and turn on our T.V.s. In the U.S., where we are but 5% of the world's people, We consume a third of its electricity and nearly half its gasoline. The Mexican woman who makes our jeans Gets a dollar to sew ten pairs and Can't afford enough food or medicine for her children. The people who pick our produce are the poorest In our hemisphere. To shoulder more than A thousand pounds of food every day, with an empty stomach, Is surely Hell. Forgive us, Loving God, Our sin of luxury. Let us redefine "fasting" to mean more than a Spiritual practice of temporary denial. Let us learn to live without Consuming so much and End our complicity with the Oppression of our brothers and sisters around the world, Who are equally beloved by God. Amen. --Susan
CNNMoney.com Comment Policy: CNNMoney.com encourages you to add a comment to this discussion. You may not post any unlawful, threatening, libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic or other material that would violate the law. Please note that CNNMoney.com makes reasonable efforts to review all comments prior to posting and CNNMoney.com may edit comments for clarity or to keep out questionable or off-topic material. All comments should be relevant to the post and remain respectful of other authors and commenters. By submitting your comment, you hereby give CNNMoney.com the right, but not the obligation, to post, air, edit, exhibit, telecast, cablecast, webcast, re-use, publish, reproduce, use, license, print, distribute or otherwise use your comment(s) and accompanying personal identifying information via all forms of media now known or hereafter devised, worldwide, in perpetuity. CNNMoney.com Privacy Statement.
|
|
| 