Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. – James 1:27

If there was ever confusion about the meaning of religion, Apostle James’s definition in the above makes justice to it – religion that is faultless and pleasing to the Father is the one that prioritizes the welfare of the weak, orphans and widows, while keeping oneself from being polluted by the ways of the world.

Many times in the Bible God makes His stance known on the need for us to cater for orphans and widows. In Isaiah, He charges us to share our food with the hungry and to provide the poor with shelter. The Psalmist encourages us to defend the weak and the fatherless, and to uphold their cause. This is a call to prioritize the needs of others first, and then ours – Philippians 2:3

Although this cause has been championed by God and many of his servants in the past, only a few people have been known to have dedicated their lives to taking care of orphans, widows and the poor. The parable of the Good Samaritan may have been a reflection of the then society more than 2,000 years ago but the odds are still the same today. They could even be worse. We are experiencing an unprecedented hike in the number of homeless and poor people living on the streets, and very few people extend a hand to them.

The tale of Ruth and Naomi has lessons for all of us. Ruth, Naomi’s daughter-in-law, took it upon herself to support and care for her after she lost her husband and two sons in a foreign country. given that Naomi was elderly and alone. Ruth’s benevolence to Naomi was recognized by God and she was blessed greatly for this act.

God is counting on us to change this narrative, we may not be able to solve all the problems in the world but we can shine in the corner we are in. I pray that we can all be inspired to show more kindness to the poor, weak and widowed. After-all, that is the religion our God accepts as pure and faultless!

James 1:27
Ruth 1