Like the others in this series, the poor come to us through the attention of Jesus Christ. In the parable of the Sheep and the Goats, he identifies himself with the hungry, the slaves, the poor, and the refugees. “Like as you did it unto one of the least of these, you did it unto me.” He elevates them to his own family. I have gratuitously moved them to “God’s Other Children.”
When I consider the poor and their virtues, let me disclaim the notion of romanticizing them. Such would quickly appear as the foolishness that it is. There is little about their life that they wish for others. Likewise, ascribing guilt to all who have much is equally foolish.
Through their unrelenting poverty, God enshrines certain qualities upon them that have roots in his grace. These are what I present as their virtues. To be sure, few of the poor will embrace all of these qualities, but some will take most.
The guiding motif will be the Lord’s Prayer. Moving through each petition, I will show the virtues that God offers.
Our Father. This brings the assurance of a God who looks favorably upon them. God claims the role of their Father and Protector. They know that he cares for them and watches over every day and every event in their lives.
Upon arrival in heaven, while we may be utterly enthralled at the kindness of God, the poor will be less amazed, less surprised. They have lived with close awareness of this fatherly care for years.
Who art in heaven. The horrors and the evils that have scorched them have given birth to the vision of a better world. Again, their hope for heaven may be more vivid and highly anticipated than ours.
In heaven, the stereotypes will cease. There they will not be known as stupid or lazy. There they will find respect and dignity, so gleefully denied here. For those who follow Jesus to heaven, their beauty will be like him.
Thy kingdom come. What is the antidote to the fear they live with? The perfect love of the Savior. What will replace the violence that steals their peace? The security of righteousness and justice under the Prince of Peace.
Where they have been degraded and stepped on, there they will be lifted up into the presence of the apostles, the twenty-four elders, the angels and archangels, as well as Amos and Jeremiah and all who boldly stood for them in their prophesies.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Justice in this world has not been their companion. They have seen rapists taken into custody and released without arrest. They have known sheiks and village chiefs who have stolen their food and their children. They have believed promises that have later imprisoned them in slavery. No, they have not expected justice in their lifetime.
That will not be the way of life in heaven. The will of God is the way of justice, of vengeance on evildoers, of recompense and restoration of family. Tears and terror will be replaced by joy. Their voices can be heard praising God in the choirs of heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. That is all they have. In fact, they have become accustomed to living from his hand to their mouth. No long trip to the 2-acre grocery stores, no filled-up cart with the day’s food. For them, resilience and resourcefulness take the place of our plastic cards.
We open our refrigerators and see the week’s meals. The Lord opens his hand and daily fills the hungry with good things. Many of them know who brings their daily bread.
Forgive us as we forgive others. They have known the suffering from their predators, vile and debasing suffering. They are the world’s vulnerable, so they bear the world’s trampling. The charge to forgive may not sit easily, but some find forbearance in the path they take. A rocky path, littered with broken glass and errant turns. But as God has provided food, no doubt he has brought the Holy Spirit’s touch to many, making room in their hearts to forgive.
Lead us not into temptation. Their temptations? Anger—anger at God, at the systems that oppress them, at the powerful who do not see or care, at the ramshackle hut and empty shelves, at faces of skinny children. Temptations to steal; to curse God; to blast those who facilely offer hope; to just die and get shed of life’s misery. Those are temptations they do not wish to face.
Deliver us from evil. God promises to deliver, to save, to protect, to be their shield. He promises to restore, to deliver, to rescue, to reward. When these his children pray, the Lord bends down and listens.
Our recurring question is—what lessons can we take from God’s care of the poor?
To love mercy: letting our freezer and our savings be generous sources of assistance for others;
To do justice: doing for the poor as we expect others to do for us;
To walk humbly with our God: seeing our abundance as from him, with thanksgiving.
