The Good Samaritan

One of our basic human needs is a need for shelter. But for too many people, a comfortable house and stable home are beyond our reach. As I travel throughout Moldova and Romania the reality of homelessness, poverty and desertion is acute.

Some of the village ‘homes’ are nothing more than bark from trees. There is no running water, no electricity and the heating of the ‘home’ comes from a bucket in the centre of the room with a single coal rock. When the winter ice melts, the water and mud move as rivers around the homes, adding further misery for its inhabitants, especially the children who have no shoes.

In the village of Budesti the local mayor has worked admirably to create awareness of the residents’ plight. The vulnerable in outlying villages are bombarded daily by child-traffickers attempting to groom them into leaving. The poverty creates strong stories across the faces of the people. But the mayor has found help through the refurbishment of a small community centre.

As of now there are no books, no toys for the children, no equipment for sports, etc. However, what there is plenty of is hope. And hope breeds eternal. Recently, a Good Samaritan went with me to Budesti. He represented no one. He had no agenda. He was simply touched by the images on our website.

He flew from the Middle East, where he had been working in the midst of Iraq. He had simply come across this small blog by chance.

On his own, he did what he could to help. He purchased a computer server. He couldn’t afford to buy more, but he felt that if he bought the most important one, others might follow to help buy the computers that link to the server. The gentleman bought two sewing machines. And he bought a small CD player. He asked for nothing in return and in fact, he asked me specifically not to take him to any of the homes, because he couldn’t emotionally cope with the sights. But he did what he could.

As we gathered in the small community centre, there was a festive atmosphere. No one had ever come before to help in such a powerful way. Ever. And the people recognised how humble this simple man was.


A simple act of kindness. The planting of a seed of hope. Helping others create an environment where love and security can flourish and lives can find fulfilment. This is truly the Good Samaritan.

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Gracious and Loving Lord, we give thanks for those who sacrifice themselves that they can help change the lives of those less fortunate. Bless them and nurture the seeds they have planted, that they may be rewarded. We pray this in Christ’s name. Amen.

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The Face Of A Child

If you want to understand the mystery of creation, just look into the face of a child.

Around the world over Fifty-Thousand children die every day from abandonment, starvation, cruelty, and preventable diseases. In over 80 countries, children are deprived of any education at all.
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Newspapers abound with horror stories of kidnapped, tortured, and exploited children, parental abuse, neglect, rape and abandonment. Throughout the Middle East children have been turned into single–minded, rock–throwing victims and suicide bombers. Truly our children are the fatalities of the 21st Century.
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Television entices young children into modelling themselves as sexual beings and then society cries out when the child becomes a victim of promiscuity. The internet, whilst extolling its benefits, robs them of human interactive and communication skills, denies them the ability to dream, and creates yet another subculture where the family structure has again suffered. Our society encourages and rewards them for creating fantasy alter–egos, under the guise of ‘security.’
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Wherever our western media spreads we turn children into powerful consumers, consuming adults without the maturity to cope with the responsibilities. They strive to emulate the fantasy images of television stars and uninhibitedly mime the most provocative songs and movements.
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What have we done? We have cunningly manufactured the death of innocence and encouraged disenchantment with the innocence of childhood.
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And who is protesting? Sure, when a tragedy occurs, or the newspapers and media choke on the sensationalism and exploitation of yet another tragedy involving a child, what do we do? We forget about it. Yes we do. We do so because we’re too caught up in the next sensational media clip. Their suffering becomes media entertainment designed to sell papers and increase ratings.
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Politicians are quick to jump on the bandwagon when it comes to eradicating the offending event. But how many are capable of repairing the root cause? It’s no different than a single hand trying to hold back an ocean wave. Forget all the scandals we read about. This is the scandal of a millennium and our children’s children will suffer greatly for our complacency.
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One bomb–one single bomb, one political fund-raising event, one lobbyist’s contribution to a political party, or one military aircraft, could provide schools, food, transportation, and medical care for an entire city for ten years in Eastern Europe. But even then the success is so small because as a society we are taught to distrust cultural differences rather than learn about them. We are encouraged to brand cultures as fanatics, nuts, and zealots, rather than build communities of understanding.
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And if I’m heaving salvos all around, I can heave plenty towards ‘religion.’ If one word, one single word comes from a pulpit that glorifies, endorses, promotes, or highlights one culture as superior to another, then we have failed there too.
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So what does religion do? It provides three important things: Community–the chance for people to gather together and share positive values and build the important foundations of a healthy society. Feeding–it provides nourishment in the form of nurturing and encouragement and helps us to learn to deal with the disappointments that bombard us so often. And Celebration–it brings us together to celebrate Christ in our lives, to share in His Body and Blood and to find salvation.
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What will the future say about us? Did we make a difference for our children? Did we envelop them in love? Did we nurture them and demonstrate powerful images of what is right and good?

Right now the answer is: Not yet.

'And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by Him. And said unto them, whosoever shall receive this child in My name receiveth me; and whosoever shall receive Me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.' Luke 9:47.48

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The Death of Sarah

Alone Time

For many years I have made transitions between 'our' world where life is easy – electricity, heat, water, medical treatment and food are all readily available and another world, where the people are constantly struggling; electricity is a luxury, running water is unheard of, medical treatment is unknown, and food comes from what you can raise yourself.

And between those transitions I have found that I desperately need at least a day alone so that I can reflect, regroup, and energise myself for the world I’m about to face. I've even found comfort by participating in a cookery club where we share recipes. It's a simple temporary diversion from the raging waters outside.

When I don’t have that break I find that I remain out of sync for many days and eventually slump from exhaustion as a result. It leaves me feeling as if I'm not functioning on all my cylinders.

There are times when the world can close in upon us, and we can feel as if we may suffocate from the sheer numbers of voices competing for our attention and demanding our help. It happens to all of us at times, not just to priests, the mothers of pre-school children, or busy executives.

We need to be alone, to regroup, to remember who we are and where we’re going and why. If we are not to lose our way and fritter away our lives, we need time out regularly. We need to be quiet and alone, just as Jesus made certain that He was at regular intervals.

But in Genesis, God makes it clear that ‘it is not good for man to be alone.’ Isn’t there something of a contradiction there? Only an apparent one, for our times out, our alone times, are in fact directed toward communion, at oneness with God and God’s greater family, which is the whole point and purpose of our lives, our very reason for being.

If we want true communion, either with God or with His family, we simply must invest in time alone, away from the maddening crowd. Time alone is part of the price we pay for bringing our best selves to God’s whole family. It’s not selfishness; it’s just necessary. So take that time out, whether you think you need it or not!

And when you do, learn to listen through the silence. God has some important things to say to you. And your big family needs for you to hear them.

Almighty God, to whom this world with all its goodness and beauty belongs, give us the grace to joyfully to begin this day in your name, and to fill it with an active love for all whom I touch today. Renew my spirit that I may feel peace in the midst of turmoil and refreshment when I am tired. Amen

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Not That Old Chestnut Again!

Having a Good Death

When We Need a Little Help

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