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A Mary T. Hoffman Commentary from All-Creatures.org

 

"Joyful Curmudgeon" An oxymoron?
No! I see all the beauty of God's creation and I'm joyful.  At the same time, I see all the suffering and corruption going on in the world, and feel called to help expose and end it so that we may have true peace and compassion.

 

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“Spiritual Plague” – 25 November 2006
By Mary T. Hoffman

Lately there has been a lot of speculation about pandemics. Journalists talk and speculate about the spreading potential of the avian influenza A (H5N1). They also mention the Black Death of the Middle Ages (1347-1351) that killed 25 million in Europe. If the Middle Eastern lands, India, and China are included, the death toll from the Black Death was 75 million people. Another pandemic mentioned is the 1918-1919 influenza that killed 20 million people.

It is understandable that people would be concerned about physical diseases. However, we should remember that spiritual health is more important than physical health. That is why in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus went so far as to say (Matthew 5:29-30):

29 "And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

30 "And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into hell. ~ New American Standard Bible

It is obvious that spiritual health is far more important to Jesus than physical well-being. Although He healed people’s physical infirmities, their spiritual well-being was what really concerned Him and was His reason for coming to the earth.

Here it is – the 21st century – and people worldwide are increasing their consumption of the body parts and secretions of horrifically abused animals, resulting in widespread pollution of the environment. At the same time there are people dying of starvation. Land that could be used to feed the world’s population is instead increasingly used to feed animals destined for slaughter.

Humans would be far better off healing themselves of their “spiritual plague” of corrupting and destroying our fellow creatures and God’s creation, and learning to be the loving, compassionate, and peace-making spiritual beings the Lord called us to be.

Go on to: Penguins – 26 November 2006
Return to: Thankfulness – 24 November 2006
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