Dear Friends,
As I read reports from friends in Gaza and from media reports, I’m often stunned by the little things (like these two reports):
1) “There is no one in Gaza now outside the scope of famine, not even myself,” said Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, who leads the pediatric ward at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza.
2) Family members of someone I know reported staying away from Gaza Humanitarian Foundation [a private security group backed by U.S. and Israeli forces] food distribution sites because of attacks from Israeli Defense Forces, “‘We don’t want to see our children killed while they try to get food,’ Aunt Iman told me.”
There are so many of these stories, too many of these stories. Wherever wars are fought civilians are killed; yet, there is no excuse for it, anywhere. We have to be better…wiser. We have seen starvation on mass scale, caused by natural disasters, on our screens, but to see it unfold because of human choices and behaviors is another thing altogether.
This is an op-ed by Jose Andres from last week. Jose is the founder of the World Central Kitchen which provides meals to people who are starving in natural disasters and in war zones. In an age where expertise is often disdained, I think listening to Mr. Andres is listening to someone who knows what they are talking about.
As we watch this unfold before our eyes as people of faith what do we do? I want to say this first…this is about communion. What does it mean for us to have communion (community?) with people on the other side of the world? It means we look for solutions. It means we don’t settle for easy answers.
What do we do? We don’t pretend this isn’t happening. We talk to each other about it. We share ideas and inspiration. We keep people’s names and stories before us as best we can.
At the center of our faith is the idea of “Immanuel – God With Us.” The sin sometimes spoken of as “against the holy spirit” in the Bible seems to me to be a sin of having people think and feel they are alone. Then we haven’t carried our part. People are not alone, and we can let people know that in all the ways we can.
Here is a good place to get information through the United Methodist Church.
It means something to be witness to suffering. And suffering wherever it happens connects us with suffering everywhere.
Isaiah 58.6-7 includes these words: “Is not this the fast that I choose…to share your bread with the hungry”
Keep tellin’ the Story,
Mike
This week, I hope this might serve as good contemplative music for living in this present moment – “Peace for Violin and Organ”
This week’s takeaway: The prophet Isaiah reminds us not to turn our eyes away from suffering and to act.