Getting into "Good Trouble"

Dolores: 00:00:00

Have you ever been in trouble?

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Or should I say "good trouble?"

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Jesus said something about this

in one of his beatitudes, the

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one about hunger and thirst.

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So let's join a conversation with

our Good News team Lynn Shematek,

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Lauren Welch and Jon Shematek.

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Lynn: blessed are they who hunger

and thirst for what is right.

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They shall be satisfied.

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I'm gonna start off with Lauren, they

hunger and thirst for what is right.

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Lauren: Hunger and thirst for what is

right is being driven, have a great desire

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to, make right what is wrong around us.

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That passion to do anything that

it takes to see something through.

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I think that's the hunger and thirst

that nothing will get in the way.

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there's no obstacles that can stop

someone who hungers and thirsts for

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change to make things more just, more

peaceful, more in harmony with what God

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created us to be as beloved community.

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Lynn: And what did you think, Jon?

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Jon: I'm astounded at Lauren's

answer because it's so perfect.

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when you think of hunger,

and being thirsty.

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this is one of those beatitudes

that people hear those first words

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of and think about people that are

actually physically hungry and thirsty

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that's not what this is really about.

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This is about people that have

this, passion, this drive, hunger

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and thirst are needs for survival.

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they have this need to help bring

the world back into the divine

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intention we all are, in union with

one another, in communion with one

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another, in relationship to one

another, and with the divinity.

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So I think that this is what it, the

hunger and thirst words Sound very much

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like what they sound like to Lauren's ear.

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This is an intense feeling to the point

of being not just a feeling, but a need.

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Lynn: You'd

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Jon: justice.

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I need truth.

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I need the world to be a different

kind of place than what it is.

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the people that are hungry and

thirsty, You might think are the

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ones that are social activists.

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Is that right or wrong?

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Lynn: they're zealot.

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Jon: They are zealots.

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Lauren: Yes.

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Lynn: That could be a problem.

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Jon: you're saying being a

zealot could be a problem?

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Lynn: Yes, you are in

great need to change.

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Sometimes, I would like to

have a little bit more balance.

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Someone that is hunger and

thirst, you're right, but they

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are really in need of change.

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And I wonder if they have the ability

to realize that the change they want

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may not be exactly, for everyone.

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Lauren: Blessed are those who

hunger and thirst for what is right.

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can that be overwhelming for some people?

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I think so.

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not all people are called to have that

same kind of passion and, drivenness to,

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Work for this kind of common good for all.

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the people that come to mind for me,

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are the Reverend Dr.

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Martin Luther King, who was willing

to non violently, start a movement

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that would bring, some very good

and great changes to our country.

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for people who had been, enslaved

and then not counted even after

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slavery was, abolished, we

found other ways to oppress.

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And he brought that to

everyone's attention.

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people like, Dorothy Day in

the Catholic Worker Movement.

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spent their lives trying to,

bring forth, the needs of

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people who were being oppressed.

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And I think that's what

Jesus was doing in his time.

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he lived in a time of a lot

of oppression from Rome.

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he was calling people to have that,

not a military, way of responding, but

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a non violent, just as passionate and

meaningful, to make the changes that

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were needed at the time and that we need

even to, it continues throughout history.

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Lynn: Something

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Jon: I would say, the second part of the

Beatitude, is another statement of hope.

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it's a statement of hope that, if

you are the people that are really,

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Hungry and thirsty for justice, for

societal change and individual change.

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to be kind to one another and so on.

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People that have that, feeling.

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of hunger and thirst.

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And who will do something to satisfy

that hunger and thirst will be satisfied.

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It takes us

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Not just to sympathize and empathize

and say, we're in solidarity with

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people suffering from some societal

ill, It takes more than that.

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if you're hungry, find a

way to satisfy that hunger.

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If you're hungry for righteousness or

doing the right thing, What Jesus said

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in that beatitude is if people have that

kind of hunger, they're going to bring

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about the creation that God intended to

me, it's a beautifully hopeful message.

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at times I've probably not

paid much attention to that.

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There've been times in my life where I

haven't had the appetite for change or

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for trying to be, an agent of change.

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that's, the message in this

particular, Beatitude be a change

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agent and you will see change.

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You will be blessed.

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You will be happy.

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You will be healthy.

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You will be whole.

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This is what God intends.

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Lynn: I loved, John Lewis's, he said

that, these people work for something

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that they may not see, you have to keep

on going out and doing it day after

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day, John Lewis said people will go out,

looking for righteousness or the right

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way Something you keep on doing even

if it doesn't happen in your lifetime.

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I thought, that's very interesting.

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I don't know

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if you can feel that need for

change, or for good, or for right,

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that may not even happen now.

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Lauren: Lynn, you're right.

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that's the example that Jesus gave us.

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he certainly didn't see the change

that he wanted to bring about.

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neither did John Lewis he, saw

changes, but he didn't see the

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change that he was, working, for.

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the other quote that I love from,

John Lewis, and you reminded me

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of it, Lynn, was, he called us

all to get into good trouble.

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to work every day and to do

good, to get into good trouble.

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I really like that.

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I think that's what satisfies us if we

don't see the result of what we want

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in our lifetime, we probably grieve.

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I suspect Jesus grieved that

what he wanted to bring forth

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did not happen in his time.

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I suspect John Lewis and Martin Luther

King and all the people before grieved,

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but at the same time Satisfied, and knew

that they had done what God had called

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them to do, with all their heart and soul.

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that's all we can do, is work with all of

our heart, all of our soul, to the best of

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our ability, every day, and, get into as

much good trouble as John called us to do,

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Lynn: forgotten if I'd liked that

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Jon: I'm really grateful that you

both brought up how it may not happen

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in our lifetime, If we see even

incremental movement, or have hope

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that we've planted some seeds that

eventually will take root and make

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change, that is satisfying in itself.

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Dr.

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King also used this whole idea,

when he's talking about, compared

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himself in a way to Moses.

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he saw the Promised Land, but

didn't enter it, he brought his

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people right to the brink of it.

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it wasn't meant for him

to enter, but, they did.

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and made progress.

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they're making the kingdom

more and more into a reality.

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That's helpful.

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So let's all get hungry and thirsty.

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Lynn: Yes.

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Lauren: and get into good trouble.

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Jon: And get into good trouble.

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Lynn: That's right.

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Jon: What are we going to invite

our viewers and listeners to do?

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Lynn: think we did.

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Jon: Okay.

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Great.

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Lynn: I think that there's examples in

the Bible of people that have done good

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things, and then examples of people

that we know in our own lives or in

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history that have done great things,

We should all try to emulate them.

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Jon: thanks very much to you two.

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Thanks to everybody who's with us.

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We appreciate it.

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See you next time.

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Lynn: bye.

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Lauren: Peace and blessings

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..............

Dolores: This episode of Bless-ed Are You has been brought to

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you by listening for clues.

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You can find us at our

website listeningforclues.com,

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about any audio podcast channel.

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hope to see you soon.