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The Owl and the Beggar
| Posted on September 19, 2016 at 4:34 AM |
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 The owl: undeniably beautiful, but not humanWalking through the centre of Edinburgh last week I was
struck by a large crowd gathered on the pavement. As I approached I noticed that the crowd,
made up mostly of tourists, were gawping at a rather large, impressive owl that
was perched on its keeper’s arm. The crowd pointed, smiled, laughed and took a vast amount of
photographs with their mobile phones and state-of-the-art digital cameras. It was all very pleasing to the owl’s keeper
who must have been licking his lips at the prospect of a bumper pay day should
even a fraction of those gathered be brave enough to get up close and personal
with the beautiful feathered creature and let it sit on their arm. And as I got closer to the scene I noticed that there was
something else sitting in the corner, propped up against the wall of one of the
buildings. It sat just to the left of
the man holding the owl. It was nothing
remarkable; at least it was unremarkable in the sense that the crowd didn’t
seem particularly bothered by it. It
just sat there, motionless. That ‘it’
was a beggar. I was amazed at how helpless this man looked set against
this excited and comparatively wealthy crowd of people straining to catch a
glimpse of an owl. He sought and drew no
attention whatsoever and he may as well have been invisible for all the owl mob
cared. But for my own respect for the
gentleman beggar I would have been tempted to take a photograph of the scene to
highlight just how preposterous it all looked. It's a sad day when an owl is deemed more interesting, more
important and more deserving than a poor, helpless human being stuck in the
gutter. |
Dr Halliday Sutherland and the fight against eugenics
| Posted on June 30, 2016 at 9:42 AM |
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 If only there were more Dr Halliday Sutherlands today. Perhaps he would have the courage to stand up
for the rights of those who are under threat from the increasing prevalence of
assisted suicide in our world. Perhaps
he would have the courage to stand up for the rights of the preborn child under
threat of death by abortion. Dr Halliday Sutherland, born in Glasgow in 1882, was a man
who stood up for the people society felt unworthy of life. He lived in a time when the middle and upper
classes of Britain fought for the legal right to sterilise the poor and the
seemingly unworthy. The rich felt more
and more threatened by the higher birth rate among the poorer classes compared
to their deteriorating birth rate. They
also felt threatened by the seeming prevalence of tuberculosis among the poor. There was even talk of using a lethal chamber
at one stage. According to this article,
Sutherland was “appalled by the popularity of eugenics among Britain’s middle
and upper classes” and set about fighting for the rights of the vulnerable. He argued with the Professor of Eugenics at
London University who claimed that tuberculosis was primarily caused by
heredity and argued that the disease be cured by breeding out those considered
to be at risk (the poor). In a speech
made in 1917, Sutherland called Britain’s eugenists “race breeders with the
souls of cattle breeders” and argued that “in preventing disease you are not
preserving the weak but conserving the strong.”
Sutherland also decried the actions of a eugenist who, in
1921, began dispensing ‘pro-race’ contraceptives to women in poorer parts of
London. Sutherland described this as a
social “experiment” that would lead to a “servile state”. He also argued that ‘if ordinary Britons were
legally prevented from having children, they would have no societal role other
than to work.’ Marie Stopes was also criticised by Sutherland after she
revealed her eugenic vision for society in 1921. She revealed details of her “ardent dream” of
“human stock represented only by well-formed, desired and well-endowed
beautiful men and women.” The dangers of
this frightening and callous point of view are obvious. Halliday Sutherland would be appalled at the direction of travel
of western society today. Not only have
we cow-towed to the contraceptive mentality, completely ignoring any notion of
the true meaning of our sexuality, but we now routinely kill our own preborn
children through abortion and threaten the vulnerable with a premature death by
way of assisted suicide. We need more Halliday Sutherlands in our world today. We need more people to stand up for the poor,
the marginalised, and the vulnerable. Dr
Sutherland was a Catholic and it is important that we as a Church follow his
example and be absolutely clear on the wrongs of abortion and assisted
suicide. Not only that, but we must also
resist the assumption that contraception is a simple and harmless solution that
allows people to have sexual relations without the ‘threat’ of new life. As a Catholic people we value life from the
very moment it starts right up until its natural conclusion on death. Contraception interrupts the natural process
by killing off new life. It also
encourages people to use others as objects of desire, their sole purpose being
to satisfy their own selfish cravings devoid of the threat of responsibility for
a new life. We have lost the true meaning of the sexual encounter and we
have lost the meaning of the value of life.
Our world needs to hear that there is an alternative to the throwaway
culture of death; an alternative that values all life and that gives the sexual
act the respect it truly deserves. Dr
Halliday Sutherland would be willing to speak up for these values. |
Catholic Love in the Community: Ambanja Girls Home, Madagascar
| Posted on May 23, 2016 at 10:47 AM |
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 Madagascar is a country riddled with debt, where the basic
right of a child to an education is far down the list of government priorities and
public expenditure on children is a paltry £31 per year, leaving very little
for a basic, let alone decent, education. The situation is especially grim for girls who are often
denied any form of education so as to allow male siblings to benefit from the
opportunity to learn. Boys, it seems,
are best placed to go to school to learn.
Girls, it seems, are better off at home. Thankfully, Missio Scotland, the official mission aid agency
of the Catholic Church, is doing what it can to help girls in Madagascar obtain
some form of education. Missio has
supported the Catholic Home for Girls in Ambanja, run by the Franciscan Sisters
of Mary, since 2004. The home
accommodates around 40 poor and orphaned girls at any given time and is a place
where the girls can be educated and allow their faith to flourish in a safe,
loving environment. Sister Suzanne Mahavita, who manages the home, says: “Our
girls are from poor families where there’s no money for school fees. Even if there was money, boys get educated at
the expense of their sisters. Girls
usually stay at home, caring for younger siblings and do household chores until
they are of an age when they can marry.
In this sense female illiteracy far exceeds that of males. But our local families do support the ideal
of education for girls. Our intention is
to bring education to as many of the disadvantaged as we can. We strongly believe it is every child’s right
to be literate and numerate.” Click this link to learn more about this project: http://missio.scot/cause/help-bring-the-miracle-of-education-to-madagascar/ |
Pope Francis: to ignore the poor is to despise God
| Posted on May 20, 2016 at 7:05 AM |
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 Pope Francis, during his weekly general audience, has slated
those who turn their backs on the poor, suggesting that their ignorance means
that they despise God.The pope stressed that in the poor “we find Jesus himself:
whatever you did to the least brothers of mine, you did to me”. The message is clear: we are called to wake up to the plight
of the poor and to make sure we never ignore them. I recall one of Pope Francis’ early comments
on the poor. He said that we must get
close to them as Jesus did, and touch their wounds. Touch their wounds! It sounds strange that we would put ourselves
in a position to touch the cuts or sores, or even the diseased body of a
stranger. We may wince at the idea of
shaking the hand of a homeless person, knowing full well that those hands could
be carrying all sorts of germs that could make us ill. But that is what we are called to do! We are called to get close, because by
getting close to the poor and the needy we are getting close to Jesus. And we all know that Jesus will not cause us
any harm or give us anything we cannot deal with by his grace. It is also worth remembering that when Pope Francis refers
to the poor he is not just talking about the homeless or the financially
impoverished. He is also talking about
the poor in spirit; those who have perhaps lost their way in faith or who fail
to recognise the Goodness of God. We are
also called to accompany these people, as well as those who suffer a more typical form of poverty. |
Pope Francis a world leader in love as he gives hope to twelve Muslim migrants
| Posted on April 18, 2016 at 7:25 AM |
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 Pope Francis welcomes some of the migrants to Rome Pope Francis has once again thrust the Catholic Church into
the spotlight; this time by bringing a group of twelve Syrian migrants from the
island of Lesbos to live in Rome. The
families travelled with the pope back to Italy after he made a visit to the
small Greek island last weekend. It is
understood the three families, all Muslim, were fully prepped for the move
ahead of the pope’s visit. The finer details of how all of this will pan out remain to
be seen, but the gesture itself is one of great love and generosity on the part
of Francis. It is dynamic, reactive, and
challenging. In many respects it bears
the hallmarks of Christ himself.  And while he had to leave huge numbers of migrants behind in
Lesbos, Francis left them in no doubt that he loves each and every one of them as
he told them: “you are not alone”. He later
followed this up with a call to Western leaders to do more to accommodate the
migrants. Yet the challenge set down by the pope is not just for
political leaders. Each one of us is
called to rise to his challenge and to show similar love and compassion to the
poor and needy in our communities. So
before we criticise others for their failure to act, we need to think about
what we ourselves are doing for the good of humanity. It might only be small gestures of love or
kindness, but remember, each little gesture creates another building block for
the Kingdom of God.
For all of the criticism Pope Francis attracts,
particularly from his own household, he has the knack of showing great love to
all people, especially to those in great need.
In all honesty, I wish I could have even a tiny percentage of the compassion,
mercy and humility that this man clearly has in abundance. He is, in many respects, a world leader in
love. Isn’t that precisely what God’s
representative on earth should be? |
Beggars targeted as Nottingham City Council discourages public generosity
| Posted on March 29, 2016 at 8:58 AM |
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 The posters erected around Nottingham City Centre urging
people not to give to beggars is quite concerning. Is poverty so abhorrent that it is to be
brushed out altogether from our streets?
Is it really appropriate to punish the poor and homeless even more by encouraging
the public to refrain from giving them a few pounds that we are able to spare? One
of the posters features a man smoking and urges people not to "watch your
money go up in smoke". It would be fair to say that there may be some beggars who
are not necessarily homeless or financially unsound. Indeed, many of them may have no need
whatsoever to beg on the streets. But is
it fair to encourage a blanket ban on giving to the poor in order to deprive
the fraudsters? The governors at Nottingham City Council clearly feel the need
to combat what they term “aggressive” begging in their city. True, it isn’t pleasant if a beggar harasses you
to hand over your hard earned cash. But
is this really our experience when we walk through our city streets? Are they really so aggressive that we feel
threatened? Or is it the case that we
simply cannot be bothered with the inconvenience as we go about our daily
business? Sure, maybe it is inconvenient
for some. But is it as inconvenient as
having to sit on a cold, hard concrete surface for hours at a time? Is it as inconvenient as having to beg other
human beings for assistance just so that you can buy some food to keep you
going? Is it as inconvenient as having
to find a suitable place beneath a motorway bridge or a quiet lane to rest up
for the night? Is it as inconvenient as
having to experience the stare of hate as people look down at you with
repulsion? The answer to all of these
questions is a resounding no. Sure, nobody should need to put up with aggression from
anyone as they go about their daily routine.
But we must be careful not to demonise those who really are in need of
our generosity. |
A Little Bit of Love for the Homeless this Lent
| Posted on February 12, 2016 at 7:22 AM |
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 A number of weeks ago I saw a great post on Facebook about
making up gift bags for the homeless. I
followed this up with my own post on the matter and it was warmly
welcomed. But as with a lot of these
things the impetus faded and I never really got things properly off the ground. But thank goodness for Lent!
The season for getting up off my backside and actually doing something
positive for those in need is here and I feel the need to respond. Our call to help the poor is, of course, a
year round one but Lent is a great time to really kick-start a new
initiative. So, I have set about making up a small, but hopefully
useful, gift bag for some of the homeless around where I work. And I wonder if you would like to do it
too? Now I appreciate we all have
various commitments and there are so many of you out there who will already be
giving so much of your time to the poor.
And I know that there are already countless wonderful people out in the
streets on a daily basis doing incredibly selfless work for those in most need. So this isn’t for everybody. But if you do feel the call to help, why not consider making
up some bags of kindness and distributing them to a homeless person this Lent,
and beyond? I have decided to make up at
least two each Friday during Lent and to take them out with me onto the
streets, where I will hand it over to a couple of people in need. All being well I will ask the person their
name and introduce myself to them, so that I am not just thrusting a bag into
their hand and saying ‘see ya later’.
That seems a bit impersonal and rude.
It’s nice to spend a bit of time with the homeless, even if it’s just a
minute or two. Maybe they have something
they would like to share with another person, or maybe they just need to feel
loved.  Suggested items for your gift bag Your gift bag will, of course, go a long way to making
someone feel loved. In terms of what to
put in it, I have opted for the following: Gloves, socks,
toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, Kleenex tissues, water, cereal bar,
chocolate, fruit, chewing gum, and a few pounds if you can spare it. It’s really up to you what you want to put in it. The main thing is that you have gone to the
effort of making it up and giving it to someone who needs it. And here’s a thought….why not get your kids to help
you? It could be great fun to get the
kids involved in making up the bags and perhaps they can assist you when you go
out onto the streets. It lets them see
you engaging with the poor and encourages them to do the same as they get older.
I fondly recall one of the first things Pope
Francis said as pontiff, he said that we need to get close to the poor and “touch
their wounds”. That has stuck with me
ever since. We need to “touch their
wounds”! That is an incredibly intimate
and personal thing to do. It’s also
frightening and distasteful for some.
But if we want to be like Jesus we need to get on our knees and we need
to get the dirt on our hands. We are the
hope for our poor people, and this small act of love and kindness is a real
opportunity to let Christ’s love shine through us and out into the world. |
Pope Francis Urges the World to Follow Christ’s Commandment to Love
| Posted on September 24, 2015 at 11:37 AM |
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 The pope received several standing ovations in Congress Pope Francis, in his historic address to US Congress, has urged the world to follow Christ’s Commandment of love. The pope used the opportunity to tackle critical issues such as the dignity of human life, the death penalty and the refugee crisis. He also addressed recent attacks on marriage and family life, and his concerns that the very basis of the family and marriage is being called into question. Here are the main quotes from the pope’s address to USC ongress this afternoon: Pope Francis on the golden rule: “Let us remember the golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” On the dignity of human life: We must “protect by means of the law, the image and likeness fashioned by God in every human life.” We must recognise the “transcendent dignity of the human being”. “The golden rule [to do unto others as you would have done unto you] also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.” On the family: “The family should be a recurrent theme….how essential the family has been to the building of this country. I cannot hide my concern for the family which is threatened, perhaps as never before from within and without. The very basis of the family and marriage is being called into question.” “I can only reiterate the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life.” “I would like to call attention to those family members who are most vulnerable, the young. Their problems are our problems. Our young people are precious.” “We live in a culture that threatens young people not to start a family.” On the death penalty: “Let’s abolish the death penalty here and everywhere. No punishment should exclude hope or the possibility of conversion.” On politics and society: “Preserve and defend the dignity of your fellow citizens in pursuit of the common good.” “We are all worried by the disturbing social and political situation of the world today.” “It can be no more us vs them. We must confront every kind of polarisation. Our response must be hope and healing, peace and justice.” “Safeguard religious freedom, intellectual freedom, and individual freedom. We must be specially attentive to every type of fundamentalism.” “Politics must be used to build the common good.” “It’s my duty to build bridges and help all men and women to do the same.” “We have to ask ourselves: why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society?” “It is our duty to confront the problem and stop the arms trade.” On the elderly: The elderly are the “storehouse of wisdom”. On the refugee crisis: “We must view them as persons, seeing their faces, listening to their stories, and try to respond as best we can.” On poverty: “The fight against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and on many fronts, especially in its causes.” On business: “Business is a noble vocation, especially in its creation of jobs to the common good.” On the environment: “I’m convinced that we can make a difference, I’m sure.” “We have an obligation to our future generations. The time is now.” |
Finding God in the Poorest of the Poor (Dwelling on the Word of God, Sunday 6th September 2015)
| Posted on September 4, 2015 at 7:24 AM |
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 Could this man help you find God? Sunday’s Second Reading (James 2:1-5): ‘My brothers, do not try to combine faith in Jesus Christ, our glorified Lord, with the making of distinctions between classes of people. Now suppose a man comes into your synagogue, beautifully dressed and with a gold ring on, and at the same time a poor man comes in, in shabby clothes, and you take notice of the well-dressed man, and say, ‘Come this way to the best seats’; then you tell the poor man, ‘Stand over there’ or ‘You can sit on the floor by my foot-rest.’ Can’t you see that you have used two different standards in your mind, and turned yourselves into judges, and corrupt judges at that? Listen, my dear brothers: it was those who are poor according to the world that God chose, to be rich in faith and to be the heirs to the kingdom which he promised to those who love him.’ It’s quite fitting that this scripture passage should come up following the events of the last week. The refugee crisis has now grabbed the attention of the world and many are doing remarkable things to help those in great need. It is a tale of sadness tinged with hope in the human race. But as we help those in need, be they refugees, the homeless or people simply living in poverty, are we missing something important with respect to our own salvation? St James gets at a very important point in today’s reading. He suggests we give everyone a place in our lives. It doesn’t matter who they are, what they’re worth, how they look, or what their social status or class happens to be. We are called to love all people. The most valuable thing anyone on earth can own is faith. Faith in God, granted with His grace, is the most beautiful, most perfect gift, yet it is not necessarily appreciated by everyone. So often people with wealth have so many material possessions and distractions that they forget about the real meaning of life and what really matters. But for those facing the torment of continuous poverty, day after day, it is often a different story. Having spoken with a number of homeless in my own city I am often astonished by the strength and depth of their faith. Belief and trust in God is almost a given, despite having to beg and forage for food on a daily basis and having to set up camp in underpasses and bin sheds in order to get a night’s sleep. Their faith is as strong as anything I have witnessed and it comes not from being blessed with good fortune and material riches, but rather from accepting the poverty and deprivation God has handed them and trusting in His mercy to give them something greater in return. We are called to do all we can to help the poorest in our world. We can give them comfort, food, and perhaps we can even give them a bed for the night. But maybe we need to stop for a minute and rather than focus on all the things we can do for them, think about what they can do for us. They are, in many respects, people of great faith. We can learn from them. We can learn how to love and trust God in even the most abject circumstances by speaking to those in poverty and affording them our ears for a few moments. Remember, they are the heirs to the kingdom of God, not us. So learn from them and don’t be afraid to let them take the lead in showing us the way to God. |
Refugee crisis: our own homeless are in need of love and attention too
| Posted on September 4, 2015 at 6:57 AM |
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 It’s a fabulous thing that a number of people have decided to commit to helping the thousands of refugees seeking safety and security in the UK. Some people have even agreed to house some of the refugees until they get themselves on their feet and secure their own accommodation. It is a truly remarkable gesture and together with David Cameron’s promise to bring thousands more refugees to the UK, heralds a shift in both the perception of refugees and the way we are willing to treat them. But I think it is also important not to lose sight of the impoverished of our own country as we seek to help those from overseas. As well as helping them we might also consider what more we can do for the countless homeless living on the dirty streets of our towns and cities. Can we make more space in both our hearts and homes for them? |