Wretched Bigotry – Principles Day 8

The pitiful excuses that we make

for all our wretched, squalid prejudice:

‘They’re scroungers. Probably terrorists. They’ll take 

our jobs, destroy our precious heritage.’

‘They’re deviants. The Bible says they’ll burn.’

‘The Bible says you women should submit,

and men should lead.’ O God, when will we learn –

belittling others cannot make us great. 

To Jesus on the mount, the Tempter said,

‘All power is yours, if you just bow to me,’

but Jesus turned away and bowed his head

to God. Not clinging to authority,

the servant king poured out himself to seek

the lost: man, woman, slave, free, Jew or Greek. 

Day Eight — The Second Aim (continued) 

Members of The Third Order fight against all injustice in the name of Christ, in whom there can be neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female; for in him all are one. Our chief object is to reflect that openness to all which was characteristic of Jesus. This can only be achieved in a spirit of chastity, which sees others as belonging to God and not as a means of self-fulfilment.