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Rev. Joey N. Welsh: Who is my neighbor Another Angle. Who is my neighbor?was first published 16 January 2005 in the Hart County News-Herald. Editor Robert Stone notes, "This is the very first of Rob's columns. It's subject matter is not five years old, it is right in line with the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile." To see other articles by this author, enter "Rev. Joey N. Welsh," or "Another Angle," in the searchbox. The next earlier essay posted on ColumbiaMagazine.com is Essay on Earth Day By The Rev. Joey N. Welsh Who is my neighbor? In chapter 10 of the Gospel of Luke a lawyer steeped in the Hebrew Scriptures asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus responded by telling the parable of the Good Samaritan, ending by asking the lawyer who in the parable had been a neighbor to the main beset by thieves and left bleeding on the road. "The lawyer replied, 'The one who had mercy on him.'" Jesus then responded, "Go, and do likewise." The disastrous earthquake and Indian Ocean tsunamis dominated the images in the news as 2004 ended and the new year began. The greatest immediate impact of the videos, the physical carnage, the unbelievable death toll, and the misery of the survivors was to remind us afresh that all of us in this world are neighbors. The response of the public at large through religious and charitable relief organizations shows us that people truly are willing to be good neighbors and to open new frontiers of compassion. The widespread use of the internet for sending immediate donations to organizations like Church World Service, the Red Cross, and Doctors Without Borders has changed the dynamics of disaster response forever. Instead of waiting to be invited to share, people started their generous response spontaneously. They did not wait to be asked to give from pulpits a week after the disaster; they had already responded in record numbers within days of the tragedy. They did not wait to follow the example of our governmental leaders in generosity; it was our leaders who only gradually increased governmental response days after popular support for aid was powerfully evident. I see a lot of good news in this widespread public reaction to an international catastrophe. I also see much to admire in the public statements of one of the major relief organizations: Doctors Without Borders. This charity informed its contributors that it had received sufficient funding to underwrite totally its planned massive response to the suffering around the rim of the Indian Ocean. I appreciate the moral and ethical integrity of this stance. The statement did not end there, however. Doctors Without Borders went on to remind us that several crisis areas in Africa are taking a monthly toll of life rivaling the loss of life from the tsunamis. That agency is telling us that even after the major work in the wake of the tsunamis is past, there will be other neighbors in the world requiring our compassion. Soon the emotions of the moment will pass and the tsunami headlines will fade. People will want to return to "business as usual." When that time comes, we need to recall the words spoken by the ghost of Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Stricken by regret that he had stuck to business as usual while he lived instead of helping people in need, he warned Ebenezer Scrooge not to make the same mistake as he said, "Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance and benevolence were all my business...." Marley is a fictional character, but he speaks the truth. Let's not stop our works of mercy now. Let's remember good words of guidance, whether they come from Dickens or the Gospel of Luke. Then, let us all go and do likewise. E-mail: joey_n_welsh@hotmail.com This story was posted on 2010-04-25 01:31:24
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Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Commentary:
A Kindred Spirit: In final analysis, Off button is ultimate censor Commentary: Cub Scout Pack 888 makes positive impact Rev. Joey N. Welsh: Essay for Earth Day Being Green is a good thing Rev. Joey N. Welsh: Pointing Fingers Lamentations on the state of divers things; how they are, anymore Billy Joe Fudge: Earthquake insurance a good idea Rev. Joey N. Welsh: George Hurrell, Kentucky photographer Rev. Joey N. Welsh: Robert L. Surtees Rev. Joey N. Welsh: On temperance View even more articles in topic Commentary |
 
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