Who will be excited by Good News today?
Society’s outcasts.
Felons. Rapists. Drug dealers.
Panhandlers. Prostitutes.
Law breakers in general.
Those who won’t/can’t work.
People of hated religions.
And others who have to stand “last.”
Atheists. Agnostics. And all of us
who mistakenly believe that God
backs up religious insiders,
government officials, hatred,
discrimination, and prejudice
from anyone who holds authority
in the world.
For some, to disobey or offend
the Big Judge, means I’ll
be locked up, no parole,
without any hope,
the key thrown away–
and nothing I could do would make a difference.
But reading with the “damned,”
as opposed to those who have
already been comforted,
may help us see the Spirit’s
mercy to each one on the page.
Inspired by, “I Need a Beating” – Reading for Good News among Mexican Immigrants and Inmates Submerged in the Bad News.