Although I wrote the reflection that follows before I left the U.S., it seems fitting as we move about Kenya, especially among its poorest people and places, that we think about bruised reeds everywhere. It is overwhelming to me that people who have lived their entire lives in huts with tin roofs, burlap walls, no running water, open sewage and violence, continue to seek peace and live in joy.
The faces of the people we have met from the slums of Kenya glow with a hope that can only come from faith. They may have little, but they know God loves them. It is humbling and challenging to those of us living in the first world who sometimes live entitled lives. I am grateful to be here and ask God to work in me and among us as we struggle to find ways to build a more just world.
“A bruised reed he will not
break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to
victory.” Mt 12:20
The wonderful Australian writer and vocalist, Monica Brown, has a
beautiful chant on her album, Holy Ground, called: In Jesus Name.
Reminding us over and over again that Jesus does not break the bruised reed nor
quench the wavering flame, she wonders: Cannot we do the same, in Jesus name?
Mary Magdalen is a powerful example of a suffering woman, a bruised reed, who Jesus heals. Mentioned
at least fourteen times in the gospels,
Mary (not the prostitute!) is the one from whom “seven devils went out.”
Grateful for her healing, Mary follows
the Lord doggedly, and is the one who rushes to the tomb on Easter morning and
hears Jesus say: “Go to my brothers and tell them that, ‘I am going to my
Father and your Father.’” Because of this great commission, St. Augustine calls
Mary Magdalen the Apostle to the Apostles.
Gratitude for the Lord’s mercy is an essential element in the Christian
life, and there are few better than Mary Magdalen in teaching to teach us this.
Today, do not despair in your brokenness, but remember the Lord’s
healing power.
Have
you known extraordinary healing in your life or in the lives of friends and
family?
Thanks, Jack, as always for your good words and works. It is humbling to think of the joy and hope of people whose lives have been so bruised when I who have everything whine and slog through disappointment and hurt, Mary M. has always been a favorite of mine- she mirrors the forgotten and ill used everywhere- yet her life's story is full of courage and joy and good news.
ReplyDeletethanks for your insights - i have been praying with you and for you on this trip...thanks for including us ...