Remember the poor

My generation took on political equality. I believe young people, who have graduated into a poor economy, have an incentive to take on much tougher issues of income equality. If they show the leadership they have demonstrated in the last few elections, they can bring changes even greater than my generation achieved. Eleanor Holmes Norton

At Morning Prayer I selected Galatians 2:1-9 as the reading—Peter an apostle to the circumcised, Paul to the Gentiles. My Bible ends the paragraph with verse 10.  So, I found myself reading one sentence beyond the appointed reading.

They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do. (Galatians 2:10)

It filled my mind. The reading was focused on a significant decision in the church’s life. We were going to be more diverse. The church was for everyone. They even shook on it. But it was verse ten that filled my mind.

There was another thing they wanted to remember as part of the mission—the poor; “They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor.”  Seems like a bit of an afterthought in the text. But maybe not. Then I found myself wondering why those who shaped the Daily Office Lectionary cut the reading off at verse nine. An anti-poor people conspiracy? Maybe just seemed like a way to stay focused on what struck them as the primary point of the feast day.

Still, it all does match in liturgy what we do in life. We forget the poor; it's often, at, best an afterthought.

As a side point, I’ll note that as I’ve aged, I’ve come to experience how this society forgets the elderly. Sorry, no whining. Just my way into some empathy. 

Progress and disparity

To be a poor man is hard, but to be a poor race in a land of dollars is the very bottom of hardships. W. E. B. Du Bois

Before saying my prayers, I had been drinking coffee and doing a little research on something Sister Michelle, OA and I talked about on yesterday’s walk. We were discussing both whether there had been economic progress since the 60s and the continuing issue of disparity. So, I read a few pieces. They all said much the same thing. Here’s a segment of a report from the Joint Economic Committee—“The Economic State of Black America in 2020.”

America made significant progress in reducing social and economic disparities in the latter half of the 20th century, as discriminatory policies like segregation, redlining, employment discrimination and restricted voting rights were outlawed. Black Americans have achieved success in many visible fields, from sports and entertainment to politics. That said, there are still deep inequities across social and economic indicators that will take awareness and concerted effort to address.

Black Americans have made more progress in the 21st century in reducing gaps in educational attainment than in other areas. At the secondary level, the shares of Black and White young adults who have dropped out are falling and converging, while the shares of Black and White adults with high school diplomas or GEDs are rising and converging. Black Americans have made progress in attaining postsecondary education as well, doubling the share of Black college graduates since 1990. However, very deep social and economic inequities persist

I find it helpful to call to mind that the nation has made progress in the past 50 years. It reminds us that it is possible to improve—if we remember the poor (at least some of the time!). So, maybe we can make progress around disparity—if we remember the poor.

Here's the connection with parish development -- 

       I firmly believe that our salvation depends on the poor.  Dorothy Day

Shape the parish so the prayerful center and the overall climate remembers the poor.

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