I have been thinking a lot about inflation lately. Every time I get gas or buy food I am aware that I am quietly worried about what we are headed for as a nation. Yet I must admit, my concerns are very different from those who are poor. For my family, it means eating out less and skipping the Starbucks. For other families, it is a deep and real fear. We often forget that inflation is the enemy of justice. If you are poor, you feel the realities of inflation in the most dramatic way. It means not paying the rent or skipping meals. It means staying at home because you cannot afford the gas to go anywhere.
I remember my first experience of truly being poor in my early twenties. I moved to south Florida, and I did not make enough money to live on. I would go to the grocery store and realize for the first time that poor people who need the most help cannot take advantage of all the financial deals in the grocery store. The group who needs the most help is too poor to even get it. I knew it was cheaper to buy the products in larger amounts, but I could never afford the larger container. That was a small revelation, but during that period in my life I recognized many other realities of those who are not economically secure.
As we struggle through the highest inflation in four decades we are going to feel it. It is just important to remember that we all feel it differently. It is in these times that we should remember the words of Jesus. “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40)
Any opportunity to bless someone, like donating a bag of groceries for the Food pantry or simply giving a financial gift to someone you believe is hurting from inflation, is the same as doing it for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So, tighten your belt and be open to blessing another.