"Th' newspaper does ivrything f'r us. It runs th' polis foorce an' th' banks, commands th' milishy, controls th' ligislachure, baptizes th' young, marries th' foolish, comforts th' afflicted, afflicts th' comfortable, buries th' dead an' roasts thim aftherward."
Observations by Mr. Dooley
The oft-quoted passage from Observations of Mr. Dooley has since been summarized that the duty of the newspapers is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.
Many other groups as well have adopted this catchy phrase. And no shortage of Christian leaders in the 20th century have embraced this as a call as well – to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.
"Comfort the afflicted" is very easy to understand in a church context. Most of what we do is an attempt to comfort people who have one affliction or another: visiting people in the hospital, feeding the hungry, studying the Bible together, even sitting beside someone who is going through a hard time.
"Afflict the comfortable" is a little more difficult to point to. We do not have affliction ministries. Instead we incorporate this principle into all aspects of what we do. God doesn’t go easy on us whether that is in worship or in tough decisions about the budget.
If I wasn't a pastor I wouldn't have to come to church. I could stay at home with my Bible, read my favorite passages, sing my favorite hymns and not have to be bothered by other people and what they think is important.
If I didn’t worship in church, odds are my affliction would be comforted. But my comfort would not be afflicted. We gather together as the people of God to be with one another but also to be for one another, to be connected to the wider world and to all those other people who are just so different from us.
Let us welcome discomfort and hardship in our walk as Christians, following the one who embraced the cross.