Isaiah 58:6-8 speaks clearly of the fast that God wants of the people: Heal the injustices in the world. Go out on a limb for others. Help those in need, related to you or not.
Even though this is a passage in the Bible, there is an overall goodness, righteousness in the words and sentiment.
Every faith tradition shares this stance, this ethic. So why is it that there remain poor, homeless, hungry people. I continue to marvel at the fact that this love, this ethic, this service is at their core yet they can find reasons to hate and destroy one another. Or to simply create an attitude of Other toward the stranger.
How do we do this? Create a 'god' that is not really about Love? Why would we do that? Before you snap, "I don't do that," think about the last time you were in a long check-out line, or in a restaurant with wailing child at the next table or waiting in a left-turn lane with someone who appears to want the entire street cleared before turning. Or any of a hundred other scenarios. We all fall short at times. Maybe we could learn to be more forgiving, compassionate, understanding.
How do you follow the edict set forth in the passage from Isaiah? How do you not follow it? What reminders can/do you set for yourself? What does compassion mean to you?
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