And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself. Matthew 22:39
Today is the anniversary
of Hurricane Katrina. My city took in about 3,000 of the refugees, so the local
newspaper did a feature about where they are now. They were poor, taken from
their homes having lost everything they had. Placed in the southwest desert and
expected to make a new life. Some rose to the occasion and are doing well. Many
of them were not doing so well. Suffering from many trauma, health issues,
running out of assistance, living on the streets etc.
The website for the
newspaper allows people to post comments about the stories. There were about a
dozen comments. Most of them were heartless. Comments like “These people are
using this tragic event as an excuse to continue doing nothing. I feel no
pity.” Another wrote “I feel nothing for these lazy sponges that complain they
can’t get their lives in order. They were losers before the storm, they are
losers after the storm and unfortunately, in life some people are incapable of
being better then losers.” And still another “Is there anyway we can deport
these Katrina parasites?”
Perhaps I’m not much better.
I haven’t contributed to them. I haven’t lifted a finger to help them out. I
remember seeing them after the storm, at the local sports arena where they were
housed for a couple of weeks. The poor we will always have with us He said. We
are to help those in need. To love our neighbor as ourselves. In what way have
I done that? In what way have any of us done that?
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