In massive devastation, people need mercy and love

The Rev. Paul Rodkey of Bethany Presbyterian in Spokane said he could see in New Orleans how the rain “literally falls on the just and unjust alike.”

Through his involvement with the national Presbyterian Health, Education and Welfare Association, spent 10 days in New Orleans recently for a meeting of that body, a meeting with 10 Presbyterian networks and to help with cleanup, visit devastated areas and hear stories to understand personal plights and justice issues.

“With the problems so massive and nondescript, I don’t know where justice is there,” Paul said.  “When we don’t know, we need to show mercy, compassion and love.  That’s why it’s crucial for people to go there to volunteer.

“For 30 years, Americans have been told that government is the enemy, so we made sure it had less money, we elected some incompetent leaders and we gave tax  money through breaks and subsidies to the private sector.   

“The disaster shows the result of people devaluing government.  It exposed our neglect of government’s role.”

Now people pay mortgages on uninhabitable homes or concrete slabs.  When people rebuild, they must consider if it’s worth it, given the diminished value in a neighborhood with no one in four blocks, no public services, and nearby stores closed, he said.

For information, call 534-0066.

Mary Stamp - The Fig Tree - © February 2007