c.f.
The Tax-collector
A
couple of weeks ago the tax-man swept through the eastern
Caribbean
, levelling a rate that was total. The cost of his visit to
Haiti
was measured in the loss of over nine hundred lives and the
devastation of living accommodation and support services that in some areas was
total. Hurricane Matthew, the strongest atmospheric event in the region in over
a decade, moved on to the
Eastern United States
after creating havoc in the islands. The states of
Florida
,
Georgia
and the
Carolinas
all felt the wrath of the wind, the excessive rainfall and
water surges along the coast. For one of the poorest countries in the world to
be subjected to the wrath of a hurricane named for an apostle who had been a tax
collector is ironic indeed.
Once again, the clear-up begins and from the broken
remains of their homes, people begin to hammer together protection from the
elements using the remains that litter the ground about them. It is only a
matter of a few years since a massive earthquake hit the country at huge cost in
life and limb. Now this.
It is hard to explain the human costs but it is a
constant reminder that the planet we inhabit is far from being an inert lump of
rock. Our home is a living structure where its very substance is never still and
sometimes the strain is too great and we see the consequences in varying
degrees. It is evolving with time, change is happening. Our atmosphere is
fragile and incredibly thin, we are careless at our peril. The phrase ‘global
warming’ was unheard until recent years. Now it is with us.
So we are learning to live with change, we can no
longer ignore where we are and the likely consequences of our misuse of the
planet’s resources.
Just as we must care for the fabric of our earthly
home, so too we must pay attention to the way we behave to each other in our
daily living. Selfishness and sharing within a community do not sit easily
together. The more we hear of poverty in the world, the more we are reminded of
the super-rich who appear to have a disproportionate share of the financial pot
and see no reason to do otherwise.
The simplicity of life adopted by Francis is not for
his convenience but as a reminder that we should test our own values against
needs, our own attitudes against a background of faith in the teaching of the
Gospels.
During his last talk, just a couple of hours before
his accidental death, Thomas Merton speaking to religious superiors in
Bangkok
, quoted the Dali Lama.
“from now on brother everyone stands on their own feet”. Our
reliance on structures can be at a cost. He went on to quote Marx
“each gives according to his capacity and each receives according to his
need”. Our 20th
century experience has shown us that the communist societies that have been
tried have ultimately proven to be failed dictatorships with terrible
consequences. Merton argues that it is only in a monastic community that this
principle works, where a community brought together by Christian faith can share
according to need and not seek personal gain at the expense of another.
Although the totalitarian model has been proven
inadequate and abusive of human values, it is still possible to follow that
dictum in a small way in our day to day lives. Very often our lives are
determined by someone else, by other structures and we have no say in the
matter. We must therefore be careful that our own pattern of living is not
imposing an undue pressure or threat on the lives of others. It can take
considerable thought and much care that we don’t cross that line.
For those people in Haiti, these weeks and the
coming months will be difficult indeed, coping not only with the material loss
of home and belongings but the much great loss of families broken by the great
storm.
The cost of Christian faith goes beyond the Sunday
Collection and gift aid forms for the benefit of the Parish. It determines our
contribution to the greater need of others, be it financial, material or just
the willingness to stand alongside in times of need, recognising that our very
presence is both comforting and supportive.
This Friday, October 21st is the 50th
anniversary of the tragic slurry slip in the Welsh valley town of
Aberfan
. After heavy rain the weakened spoil from the coal pit
collapsed and engulfed a primary school, with great loss of life. A telling
reminder that the way we behave affects others in unforeseen ways.
END
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