I like Sister Joan Chittister. She’s a prophet. She’s got many fine books and has a weekly column in entitled “From Where I Stand” in the National Catholic Reporter. I read her posts frequently and this week she writes about some differences between Ireland and the United States. In short Irish citizenry are better cared for by their government because their government isn’t obsessed with the machinery of death. Tuesday night our president will give his annual “State of the Union” address and it’ll be full of baloney about all the threats we face and why it’s necessary to continue to build weapons and weapons systems while our millions of our citizens do without health care and other basic necessities. In Ireland young men and women don’t leave college thousands of dollars in debt because in Ireland education is essentially free. It’s paid for by taxes. Ireland spends 3 percent of their national outlays on defense while in this coutry we spend 54 percent.
It’s interesting that terrorists aren’t threatening Ireland. No one is attacking Ireland and the Irish are as free as we are. In fact they might even have more liberty than we do. Their senior citizens can have free transportation and free medicine. There is no worry of a prescription drug benefit because their national priorities are about taking care of people. They are closer to living the Gospel than we are here.
One of my favorite scripture quotes comes from the profit Michah. “You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.”–Micah 6:8.
There will be little doubt that our leader will invoke God’s name often. That’s popular with his political base. The truth however is, “These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.–Matthew 15:8. Let us pray that our leaders will do right, love goodness and walk humbly with their God.
Peace.