Darfur: One day fast. What will Jesus say?

A post at Sojourners:
Rose Marie Berger: Doing the Right Thing in Darfur A one day fast from luxuries for Darfur Genoicide brings to my mind, Jesus enraged, flipping tables in the temple, trying to shock us out of our miserliness, stinginess, our blind selfishness. Jay McGinley

Dear sister Berger,

God bless your heart for the passion and truth captured in your last paragraph about the suffering of our family Darfur. This is rarely seen in the writings and activism associated with Darfur. And yet, does Jesus feel less agony than you presented? More. Much, much more. Infinitely more.

God bless you your focus late in your article about the responsibility to act. Again, you have come closer to capturing the position of conscience, the position and URGENCY of the one Father, than almost ever occurs for Darfur.

But even your article, and most of what is allowed to think of itself as an effort to Save Darfur, a one day Fast From Luxuries for instance, brings to my mind what took Jesus to the Temple, furious with his brothers and sisters, who he loved enough to pay the ultimate price. Furious, flipping their tables, not in an attempt to hurt his family. But in a desperate, last attempt to shock them awake, so that they might be Saved from the death they were living. (By the way, I see Darfur as one last offering to us to wake up. I think that how we respond to Darfur is of Biblical, global proportions. Never have so many been able to do so much at so little cost. And the best we offer after three years of hand wringing is a on day Fast for Luxuries. Sinful.)

Jesus would not be writing such a nice, even handed article as you did sister. I can feel his rage at our collective, western stinginess, the cowardice, the miserliness of a One Day Fast from LUXURIES in the face of GENOCIDE, FOR GOD'S SAKE.

Nothing less than a Global-Fast-Until-The-Genocide-Stops will be a big enough price to satisfy God, or to convince our Governmental Representatives to move beyond honest "attempts," to "failure is not an option."

Am I angry? Was Jesus Angry in the temple? If it is without Love, I am to be blamed. If I am with Love, let's hear the wakeup call. In time for Darfur. In time for ourselves. Bashir is NOT waiting. Neither is our Father. I feel quite sure.

In Truth and Love, your brother, jay

Home: DARFUR Dying for Heroes
DARFUR HEROES: WELCOME

Day 129 Darfur Vigil at White House; Day 65 Darfur Fast (since July 4, 2006)
www.DarfurDyingForHeroes.blogspot.com (you would find this a helpful resource)
www.StandWithDarfurWhiteHouseii.blogspot.com