The Last Judgment Parable (Mt 25) was the last parable that Jesus shared before his arrest, eventual trial, and crucifixion. Before his ascension he promised that though he will be gone, still he will be present in their midst. Jesus continues to make his presence felt in many and various ways but he is really present in the poor and the marginalized.

 

In God’s option for the poor and reaching out to them, God does not act alone. God is a God of Incarnation. And God’s incarnation continues through all those who say yes to God. We become responsible to the “cry of the poor.” God, who created the world without us, will not save the world without our “yes.” God reaches out to the cry of the poor with our flesh. If we take the story of incarnation seriously then we have no other alternative than to act on behalf of the poor and the underprivileged. The God we worship is not only in the temples, churches, and mosques but God is everywhere, especially in the poor. Our greatest challenge is to behold the face of God in the poor and the suffering.

 

As a result of such a vison of Christian discipleship, as a community, we try to reach out to different groups that help the poor. One such group is Sadhana. It is a non-profit organization that works for the empowerment of the most oppressed and the poorest rural communities of the northern Tamilnadu, India. Sadhana strives to give the faceless Thurumbur Community an identity by uplifting them and freeing them from social discrimination, religious apathy, destructive superstitions, and restore to them their lost dignity. The mission of Sadhana focuses on empowering children through education, land for the landless, alternate livelihood, rehabilitation of affected families, and economic oportunity for widows.