From the Director - Finding the human face

Columban Fr Gary WalkerLast week I bought a copy of The Big Issue from a vendor on a street corner in the city. The Big Issue is an independent and excellent magazine sold on the streets by homeless or marginalised people. For every magazine sold, the vendor gets half. It has helped many people get back on their feet.

He was a young man in his 20s and he carried his experience of the world on his young face. It didn't look like he was winning the battles.

As I stood at an intersection waiting to cross, a woman's raised voice said, "Get a job!" She came and stood beside me, her face tight and her body tense, an ordinary woman being rude to the vendor of The Big Issue. It is easily done.

Somehow this confrontation reminded me of another incident that took place in Jamaica over 20 years ago. A young French family invited me to their hotel to share lunch after the Sunday Eucharist. The husband was an economist and during the meal made the comment that the austerity measures put in place  by the International Monetary Fund would bring Jamaica out of crippling debt.

I mentioned that it was good to be out of debt but it also meant that fewer children would go to school, that fewer children would start school, the health clinics would have less medicine and fewer services because these were the areas where the cuts would be made. People who once bought chicken flesh, would now buy 'chicken back' - the bony part of the chicken you boil to get all the sustenance you can since now the price of chicken would be beyond their means.

The Frenchman, who was an intelligent good man looked at me with a lack of comprehension on his face. My perspective on the crippling debt issue had left him silent. He did not agree or disagree. He seemed to be thinking about what I said. People are not units of data and once we dehumanise them, we can do anything to them.

St Matthew's gospel has the famous Last Judgement scene in Chapter 25:31-46. The criterion for getting into the Kingdom is given twice.

"In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers (and sisters) of mine, you did it to me," (verse 40).
 
"In truth I tell you, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me," (verse 45). 

Jesus identifies the least of people with himself and we, followers of Christ, will be judged by our actions in regard to the least of our brothers and sisters. This is the game plan for us, not to lose 'the human face' of our brothers and sisters.

Fr Gary Walker
director@columban.org.au

 

LISTEN TO: From the Director - Finding the human face
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