Friday, November 07, 2014
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My
better half works for World Relief, helping refugees find work. I like to say
that my job is about telling people how to love their neighbor. My wife's job
is about loving the neighbor. At any rate, she pointed me to an interesting
piece on "The Immigrant
Advantage." The intriguing second paragraph reads:
Statistics
show that if you are born elsewhere and later acquire American citizenship,
you will, on average, earn more than us native-borns, study further, marry at
higher rates and divorce at lower rates, fall out of the work force less
frequently and more easily dodge poverty.
In terms of their work
ethic and family values, it sounds like they are more American than
Americans. And the reason for this has something to do with the power of
community.
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There are many virtues to which our age
aspires, but meekness doesn't seem to be one of them. It's not, well, cool.
And yet right toward the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus praises
the meek, saying they are especially blessed. Maybe this book excerpt will
encourage us to want to be so blessed.
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You don't have to agree with the Catholic
practice of refusing Communion to divorced people, and you don't have to
agree with this writer about
her allegiance to Catholicism. But I have to say I was impressed with her
courage. If you're going to be a Catholic, she says, you need to shape your
life and practice according to the church, no matter how uncomfortable it is.
As a committed Protestant, I have to admit, sadly, that we too often turn
those priorities around, shaping our faith to fit our lifestyle.
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When it comes to women of historical
importance, the name "Hannah More" does not ring a bell for most
Christians. It's nothing on the order of Teresa of Avila or even Florence
Nightingale. But she was one of the most extraordinary figures of
19th-century England. More should know about More, and this interview with Karen Swallow
Prior, the author of a new biography on this "poet, reformer,
and abolitionist," should help. You can look forward to a review of
Prior's book in a forthcoming issue of Christianity Today as well (I
just assume you are a subscriber, of course).
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Grace
and peace,
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