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St Anthony of Padua parish In Oxford made a welcome card for their new MP following the General Election
“Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us, and opposes our way of life… Before us he stands, a reproof to our way of thinking.”
So often in our world today, especially on social media, everything is seen as either good or bad, right or wrong. There is no space for changing our minds, for compromise, for seeing things from another’s perspective.
We stand on opposite sides of the fence shouting at each other across the abyss. We will never convince others in this way. Nobody is listening. They cannot hear our message when they feel that their own way of life is threatened.
Yet we cannot build the world we want to see – a world free from poverty and hunger, safe from the threat of the climate crisis – without bringing everyone with us.
We need patience and generosity, learning not to dismiss others out of hand, but instead working together for the good of all people.
Perhaps we can all be inspired by Lokho in Kenya, who says,
“We intend to live as one team in our society. You can get assistance from the outside when you exist as a team or a group, rather than as an individual… But when you are an individual, your effort is not seen and you cannot get organised.”
As we look out at the people around us today, let us try not to judge and condemn them if they think differently from us. In humility, let us acknowledge our own flaws as we seek to work together with others to build a world of understanding, rather than one of anger and division.
Prayer
Gracious God, open our hearts to our own failings before we leap to judge others in anger. Guide us as we seek to build a more compassionate world. Amen.
Act
Listen to other perspectives, with online talks from a variety of CAFOD experts and guests.