HOPE?

This weekend I went to the cinema to watch the movie Slumdog Millionare and I loved it. It wasn't easy to watch its graphic portrayal of poverty and violence against the world's poorest children. However, its ultimate message was one of hope in its truest sense- of that desire to live and find joy in the darkness and turmoil of pain. These children carry a great burden on their shoulders- the burden of inequality. I know that as someone born and raised in a wealthy Western country I am guilty of having far more than I need to live. 'The poor you will always have with you' Why? because our priority will always be to make sure that we are safe first. As this economic crunch comes upon us I cannot say I am glad or that our struggles will be justified but if we are looking for any kind of silver lining perhaps it is that the material wealth that has become the god of many will be shown to be fallible. Maybe it will show that wealth is not forever and it is not rightfully ours. We have been fortunate but that does not necessarily mean we have been deserving. If anyone deserves better it is those little children who wake up every morning to spend their days scrabbling through the dirt looking for anything they can eat or earn from in order to eat. Their desperation may lead them to steal, or beg but surely we cannot condemn them for this until we have offered them an alternative or truly tried to understand them.

On Saturday I am going to pray with Friars of the Renewal near the Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Woodford Green, close to where I live. These are the other children it is so easy to forget. I am proud to be Catholic when I think about the fight for the unborn. The fact that we have continuously upheld their rights.

As Obama enters the White House I have HOPE. I might not have a hat that says it in big letters but I have it in my heart because I know we will continue this fight. I know that we will never give up on the poor and the marginalised, we will never give up turning away from the material and seeing the greater value in man. I know that we will stay true. As individuals we will obviously make our mistakes but as a Church we will carry on. In England Catholics are a minority and our abortion laws are incredibly liberal and continue to become more liberal still. However, we have not resigned our fight and we never will. This is the real a hope. The hope that comes with knowing human life is worth more than any paper printed by man which says it is alright or even right to harm another person. It does not stop with us- it simply begins with us.

Descartes said that man is between God and nothingness and he must choose...
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Please continue to pray the NOVENA of LIFE or whatever prayer you feel most potent that FOCA will not be passed later this month (see earlier post WITH A LITTLE BIT OF GRACE - FOCA for more information and pro-life poem) Thanks to all those who have read this earlier post and commented -I have replied to all of you. May we continue to unite in prayer for the chorus of tiny beating hearts which are being threatened in the one place they should be assured of safety.