There is no security.

Downtown Vancouver, from photo.pukeko.net.nz

I’m coming to this as a Catholic friend thinks about social justice and considers it in terms of security: a safe job, decent conditions, and retirement. The ability to raise a family. The social contract of the 1850s.

Francis, who has just been made Bishop of Rome, served in Argentina for most of his life. He would say — correctly — that unregulated capitalism and fascism (The Peronists are good fascists) may rpomise great social justice, but it does not deliver. His duty was to preach for justice to the poor. For fair dealing. ANd for mercy to those who cannot work, and need our support.

Ysterday in church we talked about Mary pouring nard on Jesus feet. And the comemnt is that the poor will always be with us. There will never be complete financial security.

And there will always be a job for the church. To heal, and to comfort.

John 9:1-17

1As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 8The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” 12They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

13They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” 16Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. 17So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.”

I want to take three things from this.

1. Jesus saw worth in the crippled and handicapped. These people allowed him to bear witness to who he was. They bought glory to God. The hard thing is that God uses the sufferings and imperfections of this world to witness for him. He chooses, so often, the least equipped to do his work. The great and good are let to one side, while he works with those, who like Pooh, are bears of little brain.
2. The Pharisees were too concerned about being correct to be righteous. We need to remind ourselves that we are here to do good and bring Glory to God.
3. We do not need the permission of the authorities to do good. We may not be able to provide medicines, but we should be able to pray (and we should provide health care and asylum if possible). If the poor are sheltering in the basements of the bulidings we own, if the chior’s singing is made dissonant by the crooning of someone trapped in psychosis or the sining of Sarah who has Downs, we are being a church. Let the dead places provide perfect concerts.
4. Finally, we should not expect justice from our rulers. Their justice is not justice, but a mask for power, We should make justice happen. With them or withouot them. For there is no law against doing good.