By Ann Marie Eckert

Have you ever had a really bad toothache—one that set your nerve endings soaring and caused you to cry out in pain? I just had one and it was terrible. My teeth are bad so I have gotten used to little pains — cavities just starting, sensitive teeth, etc. I usually ignore the pain and hope it goes away. But one of those little problems turned into a big one while I was trying to ignore it and caused me to sit up and take notice.

I liken it to what we have all experienced watching the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The three days of TV coverage—people starving, dehydrated, panicking, desperate for help—were impossible to ignore. We all know that people live in poverty or are in poor health and that many families live paycheck-to-paycheck. But until that hurricane, it was too easy to ignore the pain of others. Like a bad toothache that must be attended to, Hurricane Katrina exposed a deep and persistent problem in our society that needs our attention.

One of the things that makes more sense to me now is what Saint Paul was trying to tell us: "We are one body." A tooth may be a small part of the whole, but when it hurts, it causes the whole body to suffer. The people of the Gulf Coast are in so much pain from the aftermath of the hurricanes that we cannot help but suffer with them. This is the easy truth. Perhaps the much harder truth is that the pain of the people before the hurricane — those who were poor, and lonely, and just getting by — was as real before the hurricane as it is after. We sit up and take notice because the pain, corporately, is overwhelming. But people suffer from those same problems each and every day in every part of our country, and for many of them, there is no massive relief effort.

My toothache reminded me to stop ignoring the little pains. The hurricane has done the same. How easy it would be to fall back into old, bad habits and go on with life as usual. After the hurricane I had the chance to sing Open My Eyes and I found myself realizing again that the face of Jesus is in everyone, most especially the poor and suffering. I had never experienced the song in that way before. "Open My Eyes" is my reminder to not forget about the pain and suffering of the poor, even though it is no longer the top news story. What will help you to keep your eyes open?

Jesus, you don't need reminders to stand with the poor and suffering.
     Help me to see with your eyes,
     hear with your ears,
     and open my heart wider
     so that I can be your loving presence in the lives of others.
Amen.

More ways to put faith in action:

• Cards of Care Campaign (DisciplesNow.com and Saint Mary's Press)
• Youth Update: Putting a Face on Poverty
• Poverty USA

Spirit Compass reflections are developed in partnership
with the Center for Ministry Development.