Children of Haiti

In this powerful documentary, the story of three homeless children is told, intertwined with the telling of the reality of the 500,000 homeless street children of that country; an estimated number before the 2010 earthquake.  After seeing the film, and recalling the ousting of then Haitian President Aristide in 2004; I could not help but weep.  I was reminded by a friend of a sign displayed in Cuba that says in Spanish something like, "The world has X number of homeless children...none of them lives in Cuba."

One of the three boys is recorded toward the end of the film (about minute 46:30) saying of the "sanguine" or "soulless" as the street kids are called: "A lot of us have talent, we are intelligent, but we can't find anyone to help us. If there was a serious government, they would do everything possible to help us. Then we would have a good country; where violence would go down; there would be no kidnappings and corruption; people wouldn’t just use the country for personal gain; and the country would be beautiful, like so many other big countries. Haiti is going to change; Haiti must change; but we have to put our hands together. It’s then that we’ll honor ourselves, as a people with liberty, equality, and brotherhood. Then God will bless Haiti."

May God bless Haiti indeed....

Genesis 4:1-14 and Haitian devastation

Today's (Wed after Baptism of the Lord Sunday) reading is from Gen 4:1-14

As I was reading this, these thoughts came to mind:
-Was this story told as a way to justify the Israelites taking of the land from the Cananites?
-Both Cain and Abel made offerings to God, why was Cain's not accepted?
-Did God instigate this feud between the brothers?

Often when I read these kinds of texts, I think that they are truisms: brothers have altercations violence comes as a result, and in this case there is death. What was behind the events that led to death?  Cain kills Abel out of jealousy?  God had clearly shown favor to Abel and not to Cain, but in the end God's favoritism does not protect, but rather is the impetuous for Cain's deadly action. This passage was written thousands of years ago, about a culture and a people about whom we know very little, so cultural understanding is nearly impossible.

The task of biblical and theological interpretation is to try to make since of current situations, ours and that of others, based on biblical texts and our experiences.  The headlines of this morning were about devastation in the already devastated Haiti.  And in the same hour, I read the story of Cain and Abel.  A story of God's favoritism and God's disfavor.

I can't help but wonder if Haiti, as a collective peoples, can't somehow feel like Cain, wondering if God has any regard for them?   Will they be able to rise up out of the ashes against "Abel"?

But perhaps, Haiti is more like Abel, a humble country whom God favors, but who is being killed by the Cains of the world who have risen up and taken from them, struck them down.  We try to make sense of natural disasters, and God's role in human suffering; but, as the story from Genesis shows, maybe God is not as much of an agent as we humans are..."Your brother's blood is crying out from the ground..."

Even as we try to make sense of it, our response is to be one of compassion. So we give, and we pray:

We pray for Haiti

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As the eyes of the world turn to Haiti, let us join our hearts in prayer:

God of compassion
Please watch over the people of Haiti,
And weave out of these terrible  happenings
wonders of goodness and grace.
Surround those who have been affected by tragedy
With a sense of your present love,
And hold them in faith.
Though they are lost in grief,
May they find you and be comforted;
Guide us as a church
To find ways of providing assistance
that heals wounds and provides hope
Help us to remember that when one of your children suffer
We all suffer
Through Jesus Christ who was dead, but lives
and rules this world with you. Amen.
(Adapted from Book of Common Worship)

-Bruce Reyes-Chow, Gradye Parsons and Linda Valentine