"The Tears Of Our Children.... "

From Bishop Charles Jenkins of The Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana:

The generosity of our nation and the world in response to our time of having been brought so low is gratefully acknowledged. Like the Good Samaritan who left silver with the innkeeper to care for the man robbed and beaten on the Jericho Road, we have known the mercy of others in our time of need. Some would say the season for such generosity has passed. Indeed, many of us we are well on the way to recovery, and that which yet needs be healed will be done by God, perhaps through the hands of doctors and nurses. But I find in my own soul a wound so deep that healing seems possible only by grace.

However, not all are at the point where I am on the road to recovery. Demonstrated so plainly time and time again is the indisputable fact that the “least of these” are not able to stand without assistance. Surely, assistance is available for many, but the process to that assistance remains a moving target. Deadlines are arbitrarily set to meet the needs of bureaucracy rather than the needs of our fellow citizens whose lives remain in the roadside gutter.

I remind us that the Good Samaritan bound up the wounds of the man brutalized and then took him to the Inn. He did not simply give him silver coins and tell him to be on his way. As tired as we are, as deep as may be our compassion fatigue, like the Good Samaritan we must gird our loins and pick up the least of these and bring them with dignity to the place of healing. If we just toss a coin to the beggar alongside the path of life, the beggar will die in that spot.

The words of Dr. King must ring loudly in our ears. “A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies. On the one hand, we are called to play the Good Samaritan on life's roadside, but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.” (From “Beyond Vietnam”.)

We have engaged, in a direct and intentional manner, the work of challenging the edifice that produces beggars. I believe Dr. King to be correct when he calls this “true compassion.” Faith communities and people of good will are the standard bearers in this challenge. This challenge continues to be lived out in New Orleans where the façade of American progress has been washed away. Many would be happy if we could again apply “make-up” to the wound that affects us all, but this is no longer possible here. This wound is evident around our nation, but in New Orleans, it was exposed starkly when the flood washed away the veneer.

Living without this veneer can be trying. Compassion fatigue is a phenomenon I well understand. True compassion as defined by Dr. King seems to me so fundamental to being a person of faith, a Christian, and, in my case, a Bishop, that I think we must persist. When the wound in our society is healed by grace and compassion, the scar will not be an ugly reminder of what was, but a medal of honor reminding all of God’s healing.

Something else I find trying is wondering what our government’s intention is for this city. I do not know if there was a deliberate plan for the social engineering of New Orleans. I observe that, intentional or not, the city is a far different place today than it was four years ago. For some, life is better, while for others, life is at best unchanged or worse. I observe a shift in where political power is vested and a dramatic change in the role that New Orleans plays in state government. I see our schools improved for some but grossly neglected for others. I see children going without special education and the tools that will help those challenged to succeed. So many children remain estranged from their spiritual roots in New Orleans. They have no way to return home and little encouragement to do so. The tears of our children remain a scandal to this city.

The privatization of disaster response has made of us a means to profit. The revolution of values of which Dr. King wrote is a theological revolution. This theological shift has to do with our understanding of God and, thus, our understanding of humanity. Grace and blessing cannot be measured in the rich lifestyles of predatory preachers; rather God’s blessing is seen in the ministry of Jesus whereby dignity has been granted to all. The revolution of values must include recognition of the dignity of every human being. I think such dignity is incarnational and, thus, has to do with what we think of God.

On this fourth anniversary of Katrina, I find myself concerned that the work of the revolution of values is still in the beginning stages. What we do in Louisiana has an impact across the nation and the world. We have an opportunity to give the world a model of Christian compassion. I pray for the continuing generosity of Christian brothers and sisters and friends from around the world that we may continue the task that has been placed before us.

Until today, I missed these powerful and eloquent words from Bishop Jenkins. Thanks to Ann Fontaine at The Lead for directing me to them.

I'll miss Bishop Jenkins when he retires at the end of the year. I hope that he remains in our neighborhood after his retirement.

UPDATE: A more recent picture of Bishop Jenkins than the one above.