Peace, justice and mercy

  This month was going to be a special month as a group of us from Churches Together in Marshalswick went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
  However, because of the war involving Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, it was felt that the situation was too difficult and potentially unsafe for us to go ahead with the trip.  So, reluctantly, we have postponed our visit for the time being.
  This has caused me to stop and reflect again on the situation in which the world finds itself.  It has reminded me again of the great chasm that exists between ourselves and those who live in other parts of the world.
  We are disappointed that our visit has been cancelled.  But what have we really lost?  Our holiday plans may have been wrecked; the hoped-for spiritual refreshment may have to be found from elsewhere but, in comparison with those whose lives have been devastated by the death of those whom they love and by the destruction of their homes and communities, our losses pale into insignificance.  Our feelings of disappointment cannot come anywhere near the sense of fear and desperation of those people who are directly affected in that war.
  The same can be said for many of the things that we find to be a burden.  For example, we get distressed by the length of time it takes to get a doctor's appointment but, hey! we have a health service and we have all kinds of medical services to rely on - unlike the people of the Northern region of the Volta river in Ghana, where there is only one doctor for 187,000 people.
  As Christians, we are given a commandment from Jesus to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’.  We cannot even start to do that if we do not, first, try to see the world from our neighbours’ perspectives - and that means trying to understand what it is like to have lost your home, your family or having little or no hope of obtaining the medical treatment that you need.  When we have developed that level of understanding, we can offer more practical and intentional love beyond a general feeling of sympathy and compassion.
  As we watch these events on TV and read our newspapers, whether they are in the Middle East or Africa, we need to imagine our attitude and feelings if these things were happening in our neighbourhood, in our town or to our families.
  It also applies closer to home.  If we are to really love our neighbour, we need to try to understand the pressures of life that are faced by those of other faiths and those with less hope and fewer opportunities because of economic and family circumstances.  Could this have been among the things that Jesus was doing when he visited Zacchaeus?
  Then, from within our own hearts, we are able to cry out to God for peace, for justice and mercy in the world - for our neighbours and ourselves!

by Graham Clarke.