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| The Good Samaritan, Jared Small, 2013 |
You can listen to an audio recording of this reflection at this link.
Two weeks ago Pope Francis addressed a meeting of those working to promote social, economic and racial justice across the world. He described them as Social Poets, because they are creating “hope where there appears to be only waste and exclusion.”
The recent history of St Stephen Walbrook owes a great deal to one such social poet; Chad Varah - who on 2nd November 1953 took the first call from someone contemplating suicide, on what became the world’s first telephone helpline. The organisation that we know as The Samaritans was born.
Our Bible reading is the Parable of the Good Samaritan, from the Gospel of Luke.
Bible Reading - Luke 10.25-37
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’
But wanting to justify
himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was
going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who
stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a
priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other
side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on
the other side. But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw
him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having
poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to
an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them
to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will
repay you whatever more you spend.” Which of these three, do you think, was a
neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one
who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’
Reflection
Someone who went and did
likewise was Chad Varah, Rector of this parish - St Stephen Walbrook and
founder of the Samaritans. He took the first phone call here on 2nd November
1953.
It was from a woman with
four children by three different fathers. Crippled by poverty, she was facing
imminent eviction. On the phone she had explained that she was going to murder
her four children and then use gas to kill herself. With many years experience
counselling parishioners, Chad Varah recognised “the tone of genuine despair”
in her voice - this was no empty threat; five lives were in imminent danger. He
travelled across London to see her. He managed to negotiate a week’s extension
on her lodgings and afterwards used his own funds to pay for a small hotel room
for the woman, her eldest daughter (aged 14) and the second youngest child, a
boy. He persuaded his wife, Susan, to look after the woman’s nine year old
daughter for a few weeks until larger accommodation could be found. After
travelling around London in a taxi unsuccessfully trying to find a temporary
home for the woman’s baby amongst his friends, the taxi pulled up at an address
in Olympia and the driver got out. It turned out to be his own house and he
came out having persuaded his wife to take in the baby, much to Chad Varah’s
delight. His secretary, Vivien Prosser paid an allowance towards the baby’s
expenses.
As a result of the first
call to the Samaritans, five lives had been saved. But Chad Varah realised this
hands-on approach was unsustainable. Once people had stepped back from the
brink of suicide (which at that time was illegal) there were agencies and other
charities who could muster the resources to offer longer-term support.
In the early days of the
operation, people used to visit the church in person to speak to Chad Varah, as
well as call by ‘phone. A group of volunteers was formed - people who waited
with those who came to the church, offering cups of tea and listening as they
told their stories, often more than once as they moved further down the queue
towards the vestry door behind which they would speak to the Rector.
By 2nd February 1954 there
were fifty such volunteers on the rota. Chad Varah has described this date as
being more important than the day he took the first telephone call, as it was
then that he realised that this group were The Samaritans - this ministry was
not something he could ever hope to do alone.
Published by Pope Francis
during the height of the pandemic, Fratelli Tutti calls on us all to recognise
that addressing injustice, inequality and suffering requires collective action
which can only come about through a reversal of the radical individualism that
currently grips the world - something the Pope describes as another deadly
virus. The title of the book, which means “All Brothers” is taken from the
writings of the Pope’s namesake, Francis of Assisi. In it, Pope Francis asks us
to dream of “the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity.”
One chapter explores the
parable of the Good Samaritan in detail; reflecting how today in our
“throw-away society” we have become indifferent to wastefulness. Wasting food
and natural resources has become commonplace - but we have also grown accustomed
to wasting our relationship - our solidarity - with others. In a world of
individualism, certain people or groups - the disabled, the elderly, immigrants
- are not seen as being of value to us; spending time with them is a waste.
We’ve made an idol out of individualism. We’ve forgotten that every person is
made in the image of God.
Pope Francis goes on to
suggest that a consequence of the global shift towards individualisation is our
inability to listen carefully; a process of de-skilling that has been
accelerated by our use of technology. Today, immediate texting demands instant
answers. We cut people off before they have finished speaking; our view is more
important than theirs. Often - like the Priest and the Levite - we don’t spare
the time to listen to other people at all.
Individualism, the Pope
explains, does not make us more free, or more equal. Radical individualism is
like a virus that makes us believe that the answer to everything is about
giving free reign to our own free will.
But the result is that we
are more alone than ever.
The people who passed by
the injured man on the road to Jericho were too caught up in themselves to stop
and act like good neighbours. The only person to do so was a foreigner - an
outsider himself; a Samaritan, shunned by Jewish society. His actions, the Pope
explains, reveal not just a moral imperative for neighbourliness - but a
fundamental truth about our identity. “We were created for a fulfilment that
can only be found in love.” A love that is revealed through our interactions
with others.
Chad Varah dreamed of a
world where desperate people did not have to face life alone. His creative use
of technology and commitment to make time to listen to everyone who called
Mansion House 9000 and his recognition that collective action is needed to help
people experiencing suicidal thoughts - have saved thousands of lives.
When we next find
ourselves living amidst the parable of the Good Samaritan, let us take
inspiration from Chad Varah and all those who volunteered here alongside him;
may we become Social Poets; turning the dream of a more humane world for all
our brothers and sisters into a reality.
Silent Reflection
Prayer
This ‘Prayer to the
Creator’ concludes “Fratelli Tutti” :
Lord, Father of our human
family,
you created all human
beings equal in dignity:
pour forth into our hearts
a fraternal spirit
and inspire in us a dream
of renewed encounter,
dialogue, justice and
peace.
Move us to create
healthier societies
and a more dignified
world,
a world without hunger,
poverty, violence and war.
May our hearts be open
to all the peoples and
nations of the earth.
May we recognize the
goodness and beauty
that you have sown in each
of us,
and thus forge bonds of
unity, common projects,
and shared dreams.
Amen.
Thank you for listening to
this week’s Start:Stop reflection. Please sign up to receive our email
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events coming up. I hope you have a
wonderful week.
Links
Before I
Die Again - The Autobiography of Chad Varah
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