Written by Bishop Andrew Gentry   

Beloved Friends,

What in the name of glory is "the anawim" you rightly may ask!? Well it is one of those words in Hebrew and Aramaic probably with a little Syriac thrown in for good measure that speaks volumes about how the writers of the Old and New Testament understood God and ultimately themselves. It is a favourite word in Liberation theological circles and oddly, ever so oddly enough, in ultraconservative ones as well but has almost diametrically opposite meanings! According to most scholars both Rabbinical and otherwise the word means "the poor" however and most importantly it does not end there in its connotation or usage. Now lets get the meat of the matter, why is it important?!

As you all have often heard me repeat in the words of one of the characters in the films "To Kill a Mockingbird" the "Bible in the hands of some people is far more dangerous than a loaded shotgun in the hands of a drunk!" and this is one of those times that you have to be very careful in understanding the use and context both historically and semantically of a Scripture word or verse. You see our deluded brother the Bishop of Rome otherwise known as the pope use the word "anawim" to "prove" that his stances on everything from birth control to women's ordination, let alone his view of gay folke, is what the God of the Anawim wants and commands his stances to be! He even goes one step forward with this rather convenient "justification" and insists that he along with those who agree are in fact the Anawim because one of the translations of the word means "the elect" or so he and his boys in red dresses declare. Therefore if you want to be one of "the elect" you better climb on board the conservative bandwagon of the Roman pontiff and do a little jig as he instructs you do!

So does the word mean "the elect" or the "preordained chosen ones" of Calvin's machinations? No it does not, what it does mean, and again the overwhelming majority of scholars agree on this, is a concept that those who are" poor in spirit" are the faithful ones of God and for Christians this means the faithful ones of God in Christ Jesus. So then what does the "poor in spirit" reference mean both in Scripture (Old and New) and in today's parlance?

What does it say about our concept of God? Does it contradict the traditional Biblical concept? The answers are very sweetly interwoven in a quilt of understanding that those not wise in the way "the world" understand very well. "The poor in spirit" are those who see with a balanced humility in every person a reflection of the equality of human worth and the the diversity of the creation of the Wondrous Artist and Lover that calls us into his presence, his life and his Love. It says with a song of the lute how beautiful is the reality of Father of Lights who gathers us like a Mother Hen under her wings. It dances with the symphony of Holy Scriptures and Tradition the Dance of Welcome and Inclusion.

If we hear, see, play and dance the Song of the Anawim with the Lyrics of the Psalms and The Gospel we Are the anawim just as we are!

Peace
Bishop Andrew Gentry