First, let me sheepishly recall all the times I’ve thought, “Water is so boring,” as I reach for a more ‘interesting’ beverage.
Good. Now:
Pope Benedict XVI’s February intention is, “That all people may have access to water and other resources needed for daily life.” This is the world we live in. While some fret over the choice between Fiji and Dasani, others scrape for any access to (non-potent) potable water.
How do I react to the reality that, as I live in abundance, others do not have access to basic necessities? As a young, single person who is attempting to manage money and cultivate a lifestyle that reflects my faith, the answer to this question is important.
Today I came across a quote that sheds some light on Christian consumption.
“Our faith demands of us a certain sparingness in use…In societies enjoying a higher level of consumer spending, it must be asked whether our lifestyle exemplifies that sparingness with regard to consumption which we preach to others as necessary in order that so many millions of hungry people throughout the world may be fed” (Justice in the World, 1971).
So, today I’m thinking: Does my consumer spending reflect a consciousness of the Gospel and of the poor? What does ‘that sparingness’ look like?
