Dear Friends,
Whether or not you grew up in the Christian tradition before discovering Unitarian Universalism, I imagine many of you know of the gospel parable of the Good Samaritan.
The Samaritan was a traveler who stopped to help a Jewish man who had been robbed, beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. Jews and Samaritans were known to hate one another in first century Palestine. Still, the traveling Samaritan decided to act out of love and help the seriously wounded man.
The man in need had been discovered previously by two other travelers before the Samaritan had arrived. However, the parable suggests that these earlier travelers chose not to help because they were afraid of reaching outside of what we might call their “comfort zone,” which at the time included maintaining very separate ethnic and religious boundaries.
Jesus told this parable in response to a question from a lawyer, who wanted to know how he might inherit eternal life. When Jesus responded with his version of what many of us know as “the Golden Rule” – that is, “to love your neighbor as yourself” – the lawyer, still confused, asked him, “Who is my neighbor?” The parable that followed is a reminder that all persons are our neighbors and boundaries of any kind – ethnic, religious and geographic – must not prevent us from showing compassion to those in need.
Typhoon Haiyan and Our Moral Imperative
This past Friday, Typhoon Haiyan swept the Philippine Islands and left unimaginable death and destruction in its wake. Even before it struck, forecasters warned it might be the strongest storm in recorded history. According to CNN, it was 3.5 times more ferocious than Hurricane Katrina – and big enough to stretch from Spain to Sweden.
As Unitarian Universalists, this tragedy is calling us to act as good neighbors: decisively and now.
Rev. Bill Schulz, president of our international humanitarian organization, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, and UUA President Rev. Peter Morales issued the following joint statement this week:
As images of the devastation that Typhoon Haiyan has wrought in the Philippines fill the media, we are coming to see the enormity of the humanitarian disaster. The photographs and videos are heartbreaking. As compassionate people, our thoughts turn immediately to how we might help.
Our concern is intensified by the special historic connections Unitarians and Universalists have with the Philippines. We have UU congregations in Manila and on the island of Negros. UUSC has an environmental justice partner, IBON. Early reports indicate that our UU brothers and sisters escaped the worst of the storm. For millions of others, the need for relief is desperate.
The UUA and UUSC are launching a joint special appeal for Philippine relief efforts. As is our practice with international disaster relief, UUSC will take the lead in distributing funds where they can do the most good, targeting contributions toward those most marginalized.
Please be generous.
I went to this link and easily donated to the UUA/UUSC Philippine relief efforts.
I hope you will consider doing so, too. Though far away, the Philippine people are our neighbors and need our help.
Warmly,
Terry