No Hands But Ours
Posted by Isaac Butterworth | Filed under Disaster
I try to check in daily at Rachel Held Evans’ blog, Evolving in Monkey Town. Today, she is urging us to get involved in relief for the people of Haiti. In a post entitled, “We Already Failed Haiti,” Rachel struggles with the anomaly of catastrophic disaster in the context of a belief in divine providence. She has questions, as many of us do, about massive human suffering in a world governed by a wise, powerful, and good God. Acknowledging that she does not have answers to all her questions, she reminds us that, when it comes to the plight of others in our world, we, too, bear some of the responsibility.
Rachel offers quotes both from Mother Teresa and from Saint Teresa. Each statement deserves our reflection. First, from Mother Teresa:
If sometimes our poor people have had to die of starvation, it is not because God didn’t care for them, but because you and I didn’t give, were not instruments of love in the hands of God, to give them that bread, to give them that clothing; because we did not recognize him, when once more Christ came in distressing disguise—in the hungry man, in the lonely man, in the homeless child, and seeking for shelter.”
Rachel’s quote of Saint Teresa reads like this:
Christ has no body on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion for the world is to look out;
yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;
and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.”
These are good reminders to us in the wake of the tragedy that has befallen our neighbors in Haiti.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is responding to the earthquake in Haiti through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and its partners. Presbyterian World Mission is gathering information on the safety and status of our mission personnel and ecumenical partners in the area. For updates on the earthquake and the church’s response, please visit PDA. Initial reports indicate a large number of casualties and widespread damage especially in the capital city of Port-au-Prince.
You, too, can be part of God’s answer to prayer for those affected by this disaster. Information on the situation and prayers and worship resources are available through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. Funds from One Great Hour of Sharing are already helping with the initial response. You can give to the ongoing relief through PDA account number DR000064
Photo credit: Kris Litman / “Give us this day…our daily bread.”
January 14, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Isaac – Thanks so much for the shout-out, and for including these links to disaster assistance programs. It’s been encouraging to hear from so many people who have both struggled internally with the disaster and also offered help. To me that’s the essence of faith – following, even when it doesn’t make complete sense.
January 14, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Rachel, I appreciate the honesty with which you engage faith and the leadership you give to the rest of us as you give expression to that engagement. While it is disheartening to see the devastation endured by the Haitian people, it is encouraging to witness the compassionate response from so many quarters of the globe.
June 19, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Wonderful site, where did you come up with the information in this blog post? I’m happy I found it though, ill be checking back soon to see what other articles you have.
November 6, 2010 at 4:29 pm
Lowell, thank you for your favorable comment. As I mentioned in the blog post, I often check Rachel Held Evans’ blog, ‘Evolving in Monkey Town.’ It was one of her posts that gave me the inspiration for my own.