Injustice

Matthew 25:31-46
New International Version (NIV) 
³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

I now know that each word is chosen based on a Bible verse.  Today's is based on this verse from Isaiah although I decided to use the story from Matthew.
 
This is the kind of fast day I’m after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. -Isaiah 58:6 [The Message]

As I was driving home from work yesterday, I saw a man on the side of the road with his sign.  Honestly, I rarely give money to people with signs, but I do wave or smile.  If I have an orange or some food in my car, I will share it with the person.  At one time in my life I
 would give money each time that I passed.  I'm really conflicted about this because I always remember the above Bible verse.  IMHO most people who carry signs truly are homeless.  Most of the homeless are probably a result of mental illness, and I think a high number are veterans.  Our church has a community meal at least once a month where the homeless and those in need are fed a meal.  Servers deliver the meal instead of merely having them go through a line.  The focus is on the person, a conversation, a smile... When the people first come in for the meal they are given new underwear and socks.  They are also given a hand massage with lotion because most have rough and calloused hands.  Where am I going with this?  Yesterday when I saw the man and his sign, I pulled up and asked if I could take his picture.  He allowed me to take his picture without asking me for money.  Since I didn't have any ones, I grabbed into my change and gave him six or seven quarters.  As I placed them in his hand, I could feel his rough calloused hands.

I started to type more about healthcare and the 2%, but it became a rant.  My seventh grade students are researching children's rights (health, safety, home, education, voice).  Most of their research comes from a series of books put together by Save the Children.  The pictures are often of children in other countries, so I've discussed that many children in our country have some of the same issues.  It's a difficult discussion to remind our students that homeless children (or children without healthcare, etc.) are not merely in other countries.  They are sitting next to them in class.  One such homeless young man has worked well for me during this research unit while he does nothing in other classes.  Maybe it's his way of letting me know he appreciates my sharing his story without mentioning his name or the story itself.