God and the Floods

From the Regional Director of Oceania

Fr Trevor Trotter Regional Director of Oceania

The recent floods on the east coast of Australia have given us many pictures of the terrible suffering of many families and the destruction of homes and infrastructure. We have often seen people on the rooves of their houses waiting to be air-lifted to safety. How many cars have we seen floating down rivers? 

Our reactions have been many, as have the opinions of commentators.

One image has remained with me. About four young Sikh men, all dressed in their bright saffron orange clothes, were in Brisbane with a van that had "Free Food" on its side. 

They had driven from Melbourne and up to Woolgoolga, where they had connected with the local Sikh community. Then they moved on to Lismore. The TV camera caught them handing out free food to people who had struggled to get a warm meal that day.

I want to reflect on all this says about God, about us? It reminded me of the time I was working in Manila in the Philippines, and people from the poorer area of the parish had to leave their tiny houses behind and seek shelter in the parish school, which had four floors. I spent a lot of time driving back and forth to bring the people's rice cooked by local hotels. Floods and disasters of all kinds afflict the poorer people first. The people with money build their houses on higher ground where the water will not reach them. 

Closer to home, I also thought of the cyclones that have impacted Fiji and other Pacific islands this year. 

Naturally, we remember that climate change is happening across the globe. No wonder Pope Francis in his encyclical, talks about "Our Common Home". 

We are all in this together. Our home is being flooded!

The compassion of the Sikhs struck me, along with their bright turbans. Here are young men wanting to do something to help, so they drove all that way. I am sure many other people felt the same compassion. Compassion comes from God. God also feels for the victims of the flood. Our feeling for the people in Brisbane, Lismore and outer Sydney is a sharing in the love of God for the same people.

So often, we say that we should love our neighbours because this is the Christian thing to do. The Sikhs are not Christians, but they are showing their love for their neighbours. One does not have to be a Christian to be a good person. That great image in the gospel of Matthew about the final judgement does not ask what religion we are. It is simple really. Jesus says when you fed me, clothed me or visited me in prison, you did it to me. I don't know what the Sikhs of Lismore were thinking of when they handed out the food, but I suspect they were not thinking of Jesus.

Sikh volunteers distribute food at an evacuation centre in Lismore. Photo: Sikh Volunteers Australia Inc

Sikh volunteers distribute food at an evacuation centre in Lismore. Photo: Sikh Volunteers Australia Inc

I have no doubt that God was using the Sikhs to feed the hungry people of Lismore. They were not the only ones who were helping the community. I reflect that God was using a lot of people to help out. Compassion and charity can be seen in the hearts of many. 

Often in these circumstances, the community comes together. The community pitches in and all sorts of people, even some whom one may not have expected to help is also there. Disasters can bring out the best in people. Yes, some try to take advantage of others in difficult times. When floods and fires test us, our true character is revealed.

A question that comes to me is how generous was I towards the flood victims? I could not go to Lismore. I felt very much for those caught in the floods. What could I do? I could pray. 

One part of me says, "Prayer is not going to do much good for the hungry, cold and shivering people in western Sydney." On the other hand, the gospel says, "Ask, and you shall receive. Knock, and the door will be opened to you." Do I believe this?

I believe that we live in God, and God lives in us. 

I believe in the old Catechism. Where is God? God is everywhere. Our God is a God of love. I trust that my prayers are heard and that I do not understand. I believe that my prayers help suffering people because they come from the same compassion that I share with God.

Thank God for the Sikhs.

Fr Trevor Trotter signature

Fr Trevor Trotter
Regional Director of Oceania
rdoceania@columban.org.au

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