A widow from Dublin and the Ethiopian Famine

Every age has its own monumental events and upheavals which often raise up unlikely champions. I think the drought and famine in Ethiopia in the mid-eighties was certainly amongst them. With millions on the verge of starvation, the charities were completely overwhelmed and even their best efforts could not have produced what was needed without intervention on a similarly epic scale.

The BBC’s brilliant reporting as the story broke left the lapsed-catholic punk rock star Bob Geldof undone and he picked up the gauntlet. His Live aid concert raised about 150 Million pounds worldwide and was watched by at least half the population of the planet via the biggest ever satellite link-up. Much of its success was due to his own frank sincerity as he inspired people to give.

In a decade largely marked by selfishness and greed this was a real revolution and outpouring of compassion as the eyes of the world focussed for a moment on the plight of a forgotten people and decided to do something together.

The most memorable moment for me was hearing about a call the phone operators received from a widow in Dublin. She was living on a small pension and whilst she had nothing to spare she offered her wedding rings to be sold to feed someone, as she didn’t need them to remember her husband and knew it could save a life. The call could be heard on the speaker and the phone operator looked over to Bob Geldof as he wasn’t sure how to respond to this offer and he said ‘take it’. Every penny counted. Many people gave a little, some gave a lot, and a few gave everything...

That widow will be long dead now and I doubt she has any regrets. Detachment from our earthly goods is necessary, not only in the heart but also physically (how else would you know?). The tragedies we see around us, in Syria, South Sudan or Burma are an opportunity to love. We cannot be fully alive without charity in our hearts.

Lent beckons us to change, to detach and focus on what is important and atone for our past failings (1 Peter 4:8) Above all hold unfailing your love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins and (Sirach 3:30) ‘Water extinguishes a blazing fire: so almsgiving atones for sin.

The Helpless

There was an extraordinary photograph taken in 90’s of a vulture that landed near a Sudanese child on the verge of starvation, waiting for her to die so it could devour her.  When it was published it became a symbol of famine in Africa, moving many to outrage, others to pity and charity.

When I look at it though, I see something else. The child, weak and helpless, is quite unaware of the danger lurking behind it, it has other concerns. And most of the people on earth are very much like this helpless starving child, not through famine or lack of any means of preserving their physical life but because they are starved of the means to strengthen themselves against their very real and dangerous enemy

As our societies become increasingly godless, the people are easy prey for the enemy of their souls. They don’t know they have an enemy, they don’t know how to strengthen themselves to combat his wiles. They simply fall into every trap he lays. And yet we have been given everything we need to put the enemy to flight;- a prayer life, the sacramental life of the church, a community of believers and so on.

The photographer, Kevin Carter, won a Pulitzer prize but was always haunted by the event because whilst he had shooed away the vulture afterwards, he failed to intervene to save the child.

As Christians how can we intervene to rescue from death those around us, who whilst they may appear happy, successful and productive are devoid of the true life in God, spiritually emaciated and living in the shadow of a merciless creature, lying in wait to take possession of them at death. We too may be haunted by what we fail to do to prevent that. Perhaps prayer and bold witness to what we believe would be a start.

Testimony of Francis Bok .. redeemed Sudanese slave