Zola, Swift and Jesus

 I read yesterday from the book I found in my possession, of which I cannot remember its origin, but that is beside the point, called Living Biographies, about a man by the name of Zola. He was a Frenchman. 

Before reading Zola, I had unearthed the great English/Irish literary genius Jonathan Swift who like Zola had something to say about the foibles of his time. In short, men just don't listen.

What's sad is that, in addition to ignoring the honest calls to decency that are made by great minds and souls, they keep their plans when they do hear, either of a greedy heart or from some personal vendetta held against the entire human race. We ask neither that you be a saint or a sinner to hear the following.

Zola and Swift lived in the same time. A hundred years apart. The times in which they lived were shorn and the poor were starving. Even Zola had cooked a bird he caught that he burned over the fire of a candle. They saw the kinds of burdens the human race at large cries out about in what we call "third world countries," and we are often pointing to men with amassed wealth to unburden the lot who still are in need. 

What I saw of both men was that in their time neither goodness of heart or pleading and pointing fingers made, to pun, a swift recovery. Zola, whose works are mostly unknown to most people, worked to free a man of injustice in he name of France,  a jew labeled a spy. His time was very eye opening because the man in question was labeled a Jewish spy from Germany and by the time years had turned over the ground which he planted seeds out cropped out the lesser crop. 

Swift, who was an English man, would try to be loyal to his country while looking miserably at the poor of Ireland. His greatest accomplishment, as with Zola, was his inability to rise above the tide of the year's standard, which left him "bitter". Both men did more for God than for himself. 

I read that Zola lost everything to save an innocent jew. He lost his money, his fame and reputation. He was even convicted of libel against the men who had first accused the innocent man, Alfred Dreyfus, of being a spy.

Of course I see daily the faces of countless jews on my Facebook page. They died in gas chambers mostly. This happened at the turn of the 20th century.

What I wanted to do here today was look at the message that we get from Jesus Christ about listening. Those who have ears let them hear. Jesus knows most men don't listen. And I saw in the men Zola and Swift tree disciples of our Lord. Espescially, before the Pentecost. 

Remember when Jesus was in danger and the men who had followed him were still reluctant witnesses, not knowing if he was truly the man they had believed in, or of fear, they let him down numerous times. Peter, with his cocks crowing, must have felt deep shame and yet later he was very brave. And of course we cannot forget him falling into the water and even sleeping when all Jesus needed was an hour to watch and pray. 

Zola, who was not a perfect man, had a wife and a mistress. He still showed an incredible spirit of love and virtue when called upon by God, it must have been, to risk everything he had on a stranger he crossed paths with writing a news story. And Swift, always trying to remain the reposed Englishman, was said to begrudgingly give handouts to the poor.  But he did, and continued to do that until his last days.

Finally, when we see the spirit of God come upon those who work for God, those very special people who were called to deliver the message to treat our fellow man with justice and mercy, we see that some become through the spirit and dedication to his holiness, greater still. They listen to the message, "repent, for the kingdom of God isnat hand!" And they deliver the standard by which that message is meant to bear fruit. 

We all have a life here on earth. Best to do our best with it.