We can all learn from—and be challenged by—by the vision and loving commitment of a highly qualified priest-professor who heart reaches out to the poorest. I have seen how the eyes of the poor, especially of children, light up when they see Fr Mathew. A model and a challenge.—Editor
What we see depends on where we stand. This a truism coming from our everyday experience. It can be understood both literally and figuratively. Literally, our physical sight is limited by the space that we occupy. We can see only what is around us. We cannot see, for example, what lies beyond the horizon. Figuratively, where we stand refers to what we stand for, ahat defines our personality and gives meaning to our existence. It is about our priorities, our value systems and our principles. So, our lives will be shaped definitely for the better or for the worse by where we stand and what we stand for.
If we stand in an airport terminal or a luxury shopping mall, then we will see the glittering side of the advancement brought about by science and technology – everything about it is so flashy and spectacular. There is a touch of class in the building, the furniture and the lay out. The rich top layer of humanity can be found there, as they go in and out of such places. If we stand in a slum surrounded by shanties infested with rats and dirt and slime, and with human beings swarming the area like maggots, we see another aspect of humanity and existence. Both these types of places that I have mentioned can influence our perspective and impact our ministry.
During the past decade—by a quirk of circumstances or Divine Providence, depending on one’s point of view—I have been doing ministry in places where I was able to encounter human misery in all its inhuman dimensions. Though it liked a quirk of circumstances, I believe it was the definitive plan of God that took me to such places and people. If we live for the Lord, we will find ourselves in the right at the right time. I am sure this is something that many people can vouch for from their experience. Besides my assigned responsibilities in the community, I was able to find time to reach out to the neighbourhood. I would like to share with you some of my profoundly heart-wrenching experiences in working with people in a garbage dump land-fill and a slum along a drainage canal.
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Fr Mathew George SDB
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