Ss Peter & Paul, Kettering
Oh Dear, Oh Dear
Mike and I have just returned from a lovely holiday in southern France where we were joined by our younger daughter, her husband and their little boy, Oliver, who will be two in about three weeks time. It was a wonderful time and a joy to be able to spend so much time with our grandson whose infectious giggle seemed to fill the house. We would hear on occasions a little voice saying “Oh dear, oh dear oh dear”. Those words usually indicated that Oliver thought he had committed a misdemeanour, and having done it, thought that, well, if I seem concerned, perhaps Mummy won’t be too cross!
In the face of our readings this morning, I find myself, like Oliver, saying, “O dear, oh dear oh dear”, for I know I too have met those like Lazarus in the underground tunnels of London, on street corners up and down the country in places I have had the good fortune to visit and in the beds of our local hospital. I know there have been times when I have averted my gaze or walked by on the other side of the road and for that I must at some time answer to those like Lazarus and to God.
For what all our readings are telling us this morning is that unless I change my response to Lazarus, I may well find myself changing places with him.
Sadly, hardly a week goes by when I or a member of my team does not meet someone in the hospital who is homeless, a situation brought about for a variety of reasons. What horrifies me is the lack of support available in Wellingborough, Kettering or Corby for those who find themselves without the warmth and shelter many of us take for granted. And that sadness is compounded by the judgements that are frequently made about the perceived morality or values of the homeless. A couple of years ago, David was admitted to hospital yet again. He was a drug addict and homeless, and his admissions to hospital were becoming more and more frequent. He desperately wanted to get off the drugs, but at that time, there was a six-month waiting list for any kind of rehabilitation programme. And because he was an addict, it was virtually impossible for him to find permanent accommodation. And so he would be discharged back onto the streets, only to be readmitted a few weeks later with a chest infection or phneumonia. While there were those in the hospital who really wanted to help David, there were an equal number who felt he was merely a ‘bed blocker’, a waste of space who only had himself to blame for his situation. Determined to help him break the cycle he was in, I persuaded those who managed Bed Capacity not to discharge him for a few days and give me a little time to find some one somewhere who might be able to help him. David was desperate to do anything to change his way of life and after a few days I with the support of my Salvation Army colleague, found him a place at a Salvation Army Hostel providing a rehabilitation programme – in Sheffield. David demonstrated incredible courage moving away from all that was familiar in an all out effort to change his life and together we travelled to Sheffield. Some in the hospital felt that I had lost my head and assured me that he would be back on the streets within weeks if not days. Last Christmas I had a card from David postmarked Sheffield. He is still living at the hostel, no longer takes drugs and is participating in a work programme. That news made my Christmas. Given opportunities, a sense of worth and value, people will grow to become that which God created them to be.
It was not riches per se that condemned the rich man, but his failure to use those riches for the wellbeing of people whose lives were blighted with poverty, homelessness, sickness, and disease. Worse still, his riches
blinded him completely to the needs and circumstances of the people literally living on his doorstep.
St. Teresa of Avilia wrote in The Interior Castle:
Our Lord asks but two things of us: love for him and for our neighbour…I think the most certain sign that we keep these two commandments is that we have a genuine love for others. We cannot know whether we love God although there may be strong reasons for thinking so, but there can be no doubt about whether we love our neighbour or no.
The gulf between those who have in this world and those who have not continues to grow and is something that we will all have to answer for. The wellbeing of our neighbour whether he or she lives on the streets of Kettering or Chile or in the lands blighted by flood and starvation in the Sudan and Uganda, is the mission that God has given us. “What you do for the least of my brothers and sisters you do also for me”.
That code to care for, provide for and protect those on the edges of society is a constant thread from the beginning to the end of the Bible, underpinning all the books of the law, the teaching of the prophets and finding its fulfilment in the life and example of Christ who reached out to all who were in need, irrespective of the individuals faith, beliefs or lifestyle.
The gospel story ends with a stark warning – if we do not listen and follow the teaching handed down to us, saying like Oliver ‘Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear’ will be little help.
Lesley McCormack, September 30th, 2007
Office Address:
The Rectory
Church Walk
Kettering
NN16 0DJ