The hope of Easter
LET US turn our minds and hearts to the spiritual values of life. This is the sacred time of year when we recall the life and death and resurrection of Jesus, the man from Nazareth. His life commitment to goodness and self-sacrifice as a champion of the poor and the oppressed led to his arrest torture and execution at the hands of the unjust and cruel authorities. He and his mission did not die and disappear forever nailed to the cross of the Roman execution squad.
His person and his mission live downtrodden people. He challenged on in people of faith. He rose from them to share their wealth, help the dead and the life-giving values those striving to reform society, he gave the world; unselfish love, and make it into a “Kingdom”, not compassion, justice, mercy, human of selfish pleasure seeking people, rights and dignity have changed the but the Kingdom of people that love lives of millions. goodness, justice and the poor. He
By his example, his teaching, wanted a complete change of mind storytelling and wisdom he inspired and heart and equality for all. generations to be his followers. He When asked by those seeking his called everyone to repent, change favor and wanting to be named as the their lives and become people of most important, he shocked them God not people of the selfish greedy all when he selected a child from world. But the powers that ruled the fringes of the crowd. Children were hard of heart, they opposed were without status or position and him, they spied on him, they sought he selected a child and said “Truly ways to accuse him of heresy or an I tell you, unless you change and act of subversion so they could stop become like little children, you will his transforming and liberating work. never enter the kingdom of heaven.
He had no riches, exercised Therefore whoever takes the lowly no power, only that of love and position of this child is the greatest in friendship, he challenged the rich the kingdom of heaven. And whoever and the powerful, he called them to welcomes one such child in my repent, have compassion for the poor, name welcomes me.” (Matthew 18) the sick, hungry, dispossessed and The most forgotten and most vulnerable of all were the children and he established their inalienable rights and dignity above all else.
This great truth revealed by Jesus of Nazareth has been downplayed and forgotten throughout history and the rights of the child have been established only in our generation. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and many national and international laws are now protecting them. But not being well implemented. They are much too late for millions of abused and neglected and starving children throughout history and even until today. Not all people or societies respect and implement child protection laws and give them the respect and care they are due. (To be continued)/