Freedom from want

Freedom from want is a theme for the Scriptures I reflected on today.  The Lord in Isaiah will provide us a rich feast (Isaiah 25:6-10); in the Psalms the Lord is a shepherd that shields us from want (Psalm 23:1- 6); Jesus both heals the hurting and feeds the hungry (Matthew 15:29-37).   And although the theme is expressed in terms of easing hunger, it also resonates with satisfying our spiritual needs – Isaiah says the Lord will destroy death forever, and the psalm indicates we’ll live in the house of the Lord all the days of our lives.  This promise of freedom from want is for a time yet to come, since we know that all of us are still in some need in our world, and that the gifts of freedom from physical and spiritual want fall unevenly, with many of us more fortunate in receiving material well-being far beyond our needs.

How ought we, the fortunate, respond to this largesse from the Lord?  We could simply take and enjoy our good fortune.  But another response is to model the actions of the Lord by giving to others. 

How do we model the Lord’s actions?  The Prayer of St. Francis is a great guide:

Where there’s hatred, we sow love.

Where there’s injury, we pardon.

Where there’s doubt, we deepen faith.

Where there’s despair, we offer hope.

Where there’s darkness, we offer light.

Where there’s sadness, we generate joy.

Where there’s hunger, we feed.

Where there’s sickness, we treat.

Where there is material want, we clothe and shelter.

We can easily be insensitive to the many opportunities to make these responses, paralyzed by the sheer magnitude of the want that exists in our world today.  A world free of Covid, starving people, poverty of spirit, racism, and other wants abound in our local and international communities.  But I think it is important to remember the words of Dr. Jonas Salk when he said, “The greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more.”  Positive responses result in more positive responses.  Saying yes makes it easier to say yes to the next request.  Taking satisfaction in doing rather than receiving keeps us focused on the other, not self.

As we deepen our awareness of our personal freedom from want that comes from God, our gratitude will grow.  The deeper our gratitude, the greater will be our joy of being one with the Lord.  And from this joy will spring a deep and abiding love for the God who frees us from all our wants.

And so my prayer today is for the strength to say yes more times than no and to be sensitive to where I can share God’s great gift of freedom from want with my sisters and brothers who are in need.