Like we catholics did a while ago, during the centuries of slavery (which means since time immemorial!) could not the combined religions of the world provide a fleet of ships to rescue and comfort the hundreds of thousands of refugees valiantly crossing land and sea as we speak.
We’re talking morality here, not politics. What’s right and wrong, not what’s expedient.
Such an heroic operation would bring both praise and condemnation. What’s new?
While countries argue back and forth about the advantages of allowing asylum seekers to land, some of us are called to espouse the cause of these estranged fellow global citizens.
Of course, it’s all too much for us ordinary people. But, that’s what churches, synagogues and mosques are for – to raise the minds and hearts of ordinary people above personal, family and friends concerns to sympathise with global grievances and celebrate global achievements.
The same urgency must drive our planning for this summer’s bushfire season. Only cooperation by all agencies, government and non, will save the day.
Sophisticated as our society may well be, cooperation is an art to be perfected only with practice. We need to jump at each and every chance to do good things together rather than separately.
The Melbourne Cup could not be staged without the cooperation of thousands of staff and 100,000 spectators.
The Cup Day, interest rate rise is meant to remind all of us that many problems and privileges must be shared by all of us who are known as the Commonwealth of Australia.
Last Thursday I spoke at the National Squalor Conference hosted by the Catholic Community Services, Sydney.
I checked with the organisers to ensure they hadn’t made a mistake. They reassured me that I had the experience of 36 years servicing the poor of Melbourne. They insisted the conference would benefit. I went.
My self-confidence has been shaken, surprise, surprise, over recent events. I know I’m onto a winner with this parish and its social mission. The Squalor Conference helped reassure me about the value of such a pastoral/missionary combination.
My friend and confidant of 50 years, Ken Serong, is buried from here this Sunday.
Ken supported me with friendship and constructive criticism for all those years.
He was the assistant secretary of the Victoria Police Association for many years. In this capacity he kept me and whatever charity I chaired in close touch with Victoria’s front line social welfare, our policemen and women.
Because of the troubled lives of our “clients”, often brought to the attention of police, Ken’s task was to keep us and police in respectful touch. It worked.
I have a brief annual memorial service on Armistice Day, 11 November after 12 noon Mass. It’s held at the shrine in the parish garden. There’s a plaque with the first names of 40 local, young people who died in the 1980’s drug “wars”. They died on my watch. Just another reason for not leaving this patch stained by blood, toil, tears and sweat.
RJM
I just read that Senator Barnaby Joyce wants to ship the Sri Lankan refugess back to Sri lanka!!!!!!!! Which Gospel is he reading????? How long will it take his Archbishop in Brisbane to crticise him for such offensive, divisive and callous remarks?? Wher is Pell? Where is jensen?? Where are all the toher professional religious leaders??? Former Pm Howard is gloating in the wings about his asylum seeker “solution”…it’s enough to make a decent person sick!
I’m with Pat!
Yes it’s sad that religious leaders seem to be muzzled….we need strong, vocal and compassionate guidance as a nation…our religion is supposed to assist in that task…Seems like we haven’t grown as a nation when a few boatloads of “others” head our way the politicians try to outdo each other in knee jerk reactions…Hockey says the Aussie boat is a 3 star hotel…and he’s probably right compared to a detention camp in Indonesia….but that doesn’t help matters….Steven Smith says that the asylum seekers cannot choose their destination country…..Why not? Rudd is excelling in doublespeak and Turnbull is talking it up hard while the feral conservatives reassert their inhuman and discredited policies on this matter….Reading your latest activities makes my head spin when I think that the powers want you out of there Fr Bob…..your reports on what is happening among your tribe are of far more value than the glossy brohures/reports published by “charities”…..grass roots love, compassion and action is best….bless you in your labours and bless all the tribe too…
Well said Father Bob!
I enjoy your blog.
My husband is a Jaffna Tamil, and we have family back home in Sri Lanka. Naturall it’s very hard for us both right now to listen to the news or public opinion regarding the plight of these poor people fleeing Jaffna.
The ignorance, prejudice and arrogance of some in this country astounds me at times. The vast majority of us are all ‘boat people’ yet the history in the past 200 years is often forgotten.
The Tamils of Jaffna have lived there for thousands of years so the claims to have these people ‘return’ to Tamil Nadu in India is proposterous. Their home is Jaffna.
What has happened to our ‘fair go’ attitude and our compassion for those wanting to come and embrace Australia? I would rather think it has more to do with media and liberal party brainwashing rather than inherent racism or prejudice against foreigners.
We are all more than happy to open our hearts and pockets to raise money for those suffering overseas, yet when they want to start life anew here it seems a different story. What are we protecting? Perhaps we are all so insecure about what makes us ‘Australian’ that we feel the need to object to foreigners wanting to be ‘Australian’ as well. As long as we care for the poor souls from abroad, and not living next door to us sending their kids to the same school as our kids, then we are more than happy to care for and shell out our cash for their charitable needs.
Anyway, enough of my rant.
P.S. Make sure you go back to Scotland!!! Make time for it.
My mother has never returned to her fathers hometown of Kelso and she deeply regrets this. She may never have the chance! So make sure you go if you have the chance!