St Pauls

St Bede the Venerable.  Monday, 26th May, 2020

Another friend has died. Not Covid 19 but cancer. He was a sea faring man and looked the part perfectly, just like Captain Pugwash. He was a deeply pious man for whom the lock down was a torment as he was unable to attend daily Eucharist and unable to pop in to his church to pray. Another friend died, another loving and living example, another counsellor through his actions, another person with whom to speak of the things of the Spirit has gone. To him also I wish fervently that he rest in peace with his God. My instinct is that he will as his life was a goodly example of a kindly Christian. I posted a letter to him 20 minutes before I heard of his death. It had a few pages with questions and musings on suffering and what the phrase 'take up your cross' meant in reality.

I have a series of blogs and sites I go to each day to feed my spiritual quest and my Christian ideas of living. This morning came one reflection from an American site I was introduced to 4 years ago. It is overseen by a Franciscan Community of religious and lay people. I do not always take on board their viewpoint but it always stimulates me and makes me reflect and 'pray' (if I dare use that word). At the end of each piece is a recommendation that one concentrate on a word or sentence which has caught one's attention. Today I was hit hard by this: writing of underlying attitudes it stated " we ( of the first world affluent) are trained to blame people who are poor, immigrants and refugees, victims, gays, lesbians...We'd all be better off if 'those people' would simply work a little more, do things the right way, change their minds, stay hidden or just pray a little harder".

I have heard such sentiments expressed and expressed quite often and often by friends or supposedly educated and intelligent people as well as professed Christians. The sentiments have been against 'spongers' who ' come to this country simply to milk our resources'; against those 'who bring their own customs and beliefs and are not open to ours'; against those ' taking our jobs and undercutting our people and our culture'

; against 'the lazy and indolent who simply take, take, take and give nothing'; against those sent 'to subvert our very way of life and existence'.

So what of me? Publicly I claim to have no prejudice, no antipathy, no attitude of blame for poverty, those fleeing wars and persecutions, peoples' personal choices even if inimitable to my own moral position. But I ask myself: in a crisis would I blame others? If I was hungry, homeless or destitute would I blame 'them', would I seek a scapegoat? I do not know and I pray not to be put to the test. I have heard of, read of, and even met people who have forgiven others even the most barbaric acts against themselves or their families. I hope I would be able to do likewise.

However I do blame 'the system', 'them' for the fact that people have to flee their homelands, for the fact that there are hungry and homeless even when food and shelter are available. But the 'system', 'they' would justify the situation or blame yet others. Who will take responsibility for the pain and suffering we see which is solvable? My late friend often quoted St Paul's ' we are all responsible to all for all'.  He also was not sentimental but would simply say 'what can we do about it'? And 'do' he would: feed the 5,000, heal the sick, welcome the leper and maybe even show up the Pharisee and hypocrite.