September 14

Today is the birthday of Lola Rodriguez del Tió, a poet from Puerto Rico who was also an outspoken abolitionist and women’s rights advocate. Her exile from her home only spread her voice for Puerto Rico’s independence. 

Today is also the birthday, in 1735, of Robert Raikes, an Anglican publisher and promoter of Sunday schools. In his day, Sunday schools were actually a social justice movement of the churches aimed at increasing literacy and educating child laborers (who could not attend school during the week).  

Today is also the Feast Day, in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church, of Aelia Flaccilla, Empress of Rome, who died in 386. In spite of her lofty status, she apparently felt it was her moral duty to personally serve the poor and disabled. Gregory of Nyssa delivered her funeral eulogy. 

Reflection: 

I grew up when “Sunday school” meant, essentially, extra Bible study before church. But from the late 1700’s until the early part of the 20th century, Sunday school was actually school. True, part of the goal of literacy was to enable people to read the Bible, but by doing so it also enabled them also to read the newspaper and be civically engaged. Before the advent of child labor laws and the availability of public school, Sunday school was where many people learned to read. 

This is an example of one of many areas, like health care, that was spearheaded by the church but eventually became a function of government. Only recently have oligarchs decided that these services, once offered for free, should be exploited for profit, or used as barriers to reinforce white supremacy. . 

The church pioneered education, health care, and social services because socially-aware Christians realized this was part of their mission. Christ was about the ministry of healing, teaching, and feeding people. In industrialized countries, many of these services began being absorbed by nation states—except in the United States, where helping the poor has always been a bone of contention.

If our country continues down this road of fascism, one way the church could rise to the occasion would be to directly challenge the fascist for-profit model of health care and education that has come to dominate our country. 

Prayer: Jesus Christ, you healed people, fed people, and taught people. Help us to see these activities, rather than profit-making, as the highest callings—and to put our money where our mouths are. Amen.