34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me....Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' (Matthew 25:34-36, 40)
“Mother’s of the Disappeared” was originally release on U2’s The Joshua Tree album in 1987. U2’s song is about the Argentinean Mothers of the Disappeared—thousands of “disappeared” people of who opposed a 1976 coup d’état who were kidnapped and never seen again. Similar mothers exist in San Salvador and if you do deeper searches you can see that other countries in South America have “Mothers of the Disappeared,” too.
According to homelessyouthamongus.org, there are over 1 million homeless youth in America. How many “Mothers of the Disappeared” does that make in our own country? When we think of hungry children in developing countries, there are 25,000 children under the age of five who die each day from preventable diseases such as malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections. Malnutrition is associated with over half of those deaths.* Every day hunger creates 25,000 more “Mothers of the Disappeared.”
According to homelessyouthamongus.org, there are over 1 million homeless youth in America. How many “Mothers of the Disappeared” does that make in our own country? When we think of hungry children in developing countries, there are 25,000 children under the age of five who die each day from preventable diseases such as malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections. Malnutrition is associated with over half of those deaths.* Every day hunger creates 25,000 more “Mothers of the Disappeared.”
Some have said that the corruption that lead to the "Mothers of the Disappeared' in San Salvador should not be compared to deaths connected to hunger and hunger related diseases. But if we have the ability to change a situation, and stand by without doing anything, it's a form of corruption. And hunger, and the diseases related to hunger, can be prevented if we --as humans, as the Church--decided to do something about it. For the Church, we are called (commanded, even) to not let this continue. “Just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me,” says Jesus. “Hear their heartbeat," says Bono.
My most common prayer is a request for God to break my heart for a people. When our hearts are broken for people, for communities, we do something about it. We work for change because we love them. And when we do something out of love, we are committed in ways that know no bounds.
Let you heart be broken. Hear the heartbeat of children around the world; hear the heartbeat of children in your own community who do not have enough, and then let love help you answer their prayers.
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