"Americans Know Nothing of Suffering"

Last updated on: March 9, 2017 at 9:15 pm by Elizabeth Scalia

"Americans Know Nothing of Suffering" 2017-03-09T21:15:11+00:00 Elizabeth Scalia

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I think we all get our turns in the crucible and suffer in different ways, but G. Dalrymple, writing of his experiences in Haiti, puts the complaints of day-to-day living into context:

I was approached by an elderly woman on our first day at Petionville, asking for some food. I had none to give her, so I approached a US soldier who was there and asked him about where there might be a food distribution so the woman could get food. He said he had no idea…the UN used to do that, but the Haitian government stopped them, telling them that they wanted the UN to give the food to the local food distribution organizations to distribute. The UN complied. As it turns out, the local aid organizations took the free food that came in from all over the world and were not selling it; they were hoarding it in order to sell it. But the people, for the most part, had no money to buy it with. The Haitian government is so corrupt and I’m sure they’re in cahoots with the local distribution organizations. Someone will get rich off the backs of the poor, and many will die for someone else’s greed.

The stories could go on and on forever. Sadly, it isn’t only the Haitian government and food distribution organizations that aren’t getting the job done in Haiti. We saw very few organizations that were effectively doing anything. It is the NGOs (non-governmental organizations) that are caring for the people.

Suffice it to say: I hope never again to complain about anything in my life. The huddled masses, living 6-8 people in a “tent” that is about 6×6, the smell of the tent cities, the disease (malaria, dengue fever, tuberculosis, typhoid, diarrhea, HIV/AIDS) is beyond belief. I foresee no end to the misery in Haiti short of the return of the Lord. […] Americans know nothing of suffering. If that devastation had happened in America, we would at least have a government with the means to provide equipment to move rubble, dig out bodies, provide food and water and shelter, but there is no such government in Haiti. I struggled with my parishioners who complained about the value of their stocks going down in the midst of the economic crisis. I wanted to literally grab them by the collar, slap them, and say, “Wake up! You have nothing to complain about! Nothing at all!” Not very compassionate for a pastor, but that is how I honestly felt.

But I also learned that Americans are perhaps far poorer than the Haitian people when it comes to faith. I saw people who had lost everything. At night, as dusk would fall over the Petionville camp, one could hear tens of thousands of voices rising up from the tent city in the valley below, singing songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. It was eerie, beautiful, and otherworldly. They were thankful for the gift of life itself. It wasn’t much of a life, by American standards, but it was the only thing they had left. And they were earnestly grateful for it. They were thanking God that they were spared from death in the quake and that they’d made it through one more day.

This piece is really much too long to excerpt justly, but I urge you to read it and pass it around.

I know some people hate looking at Haiti because of the overwhelming feeling of powerlessness that accompanies all of our sympathies; “my church should do something, maybe we can raise funds…” but even if a parish can raise thousands of dollars–even if they could purchase a boatload of the basic necessities of life, and toys for the children–getting the goods and provender into Haiti is staggeringly difficult, and distribution even more so.

Dalrymple says he cannot see Haiti being helped by anything but the coming of the Lord, and everything I read about Haiti, everyone I speak to of Haiti, expresses similar sentiments.

This makes all the more inspiring the life-commitments made by people like our friend “Missionary Ed” and Fr. Rick Frechette and Kent Annan–people who make their lives a prayer with Haiti

If Haiti can only be saved by the coming of the Lord, in the meantime let us pray for the people who are able and willing to “be” Christ for others in such a way, such a small, limited way, and support them as much as we can. I think of Mother Teresa’s notion of doing “small things with great love” and realize that even if the help and aid they can render is limited, their presence–their willingness to be present to others and to literally “set their tent” among them, as Christ did–is the great love that will last beyond their days, weeks or years of service.

On January 24th, Team Rubicon–that intrepid organization formed by ex-Marines and Jesuits, after the Haiti quake–will be reactivating to Haiti. From their newsletter:

Team Rubicon, in partnership with the International Medical Corps, will be returning to Haiti January 24th to establish and run cholera treatment centers on the periphery of Port au Prince. The IMC recently reached out to Team Rubicon, seeking TR’s assistance in the establishment of clinics following the election and anniversary. Recently, NGOs have been reducing their presence inside of Haiti because of political turmoil and an escalation in violence; this has created a gap in aid that Team Rubicon will help the IMC address.

I donate to Team Rubicon because they are bringing fresh energy and new ideas to this land-of-ongoing-crisis. Perhaps you could talk to your church or your bowling league or quilting club, or your work crew, about doing some fundraising to send their way. Or buy this book to aid Haiti Partners, or consider a small donation to Fr. Frechette’s Medical Aid endeavor.

Small things, we can do. Small things with great love–they make a difference, because real love lasts.

One year later, Letters from Haiti.

Haiti

Priests

Previous Post

January 13, 2011

Obama Finds His Voice, MSM Still Lost

Next Post

January 13, 2011 Let's lighten up a little!

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category "Remaking" Ourselves 'Remaking' America 9/10 Mindset 9/11 trials Abortion ACORN Adoration Advent Advent 2008 Advent 2009 Advent 2010 Alternative Energy Alternative Media America American Catholic Church American Church American Genius Ameridolatry ANCHORESS BOOKSHELF Anglican-Roman Reconciliation Answers & Questions Anti_Semitism Archbishop Hilarion Ayn Rand Bad Mass Barack Obama Baseball Benedict Benedict & Islam Benedict in UK Benedict XVI Benedictine Bill Whittle Birth Control Blogs and Blogging Blogs and Blogging Bloodless Coup Bobby Jindal Bookchat Breitbart Bride at every wedding... Bride at every wedding... Buckley Bullies Bush Bad? Bush Good Buster Capitalism Catholic Fiction Catholic Vocations Catholicism Celibacy Chaput Charitable Stuff Chesterton Chile Chris Christie Christians in Exile Christine O' Donnell Christmas Christmas Gift Ideas Church Hates Science? Church hates women Communion of Saints Compline Conclave 2013 Confession Constitutional Stuff Conversion Crisis & Opportunity Critical Thinking Crooks and Liars Crucible of Faith Cuba Culture of Life Culture of Life/Death Culture of Treason? Dancing Death Dialogue re Islam Dick Meyer Divorce and Remarriage DOJ Domestic Terrorism Dominican Order Don't try me too high Dowd Dumb Democrat moves Dumb GOP moves Economic woe Education Egregious Harry Reid Elder Son Elder Son's Sweet Girlfriend Elderly Election '10 Election '12 Election '16 Election 2004 Election 2006 Election 2008 Election 2010 Election 2016 Elena Kagan Elitism Embryonic Stem Cell Research End Times? English language Enhanced Interrogation Erosion of Rights Eucharist Euthanasia Exorcism Extraordinary Synod Facebook Faith Faith and Reason Faith Friday Faith Perspective Faithful Friday Fascism Again Fascism in America Fatima FCC Feminism Film First Things Forgiveness Fr. James Martin Francis and Islam Francis in America Frassati Fred Thompson Free Speech? Freedom of Worship FutureChurch Global Pandemic GOP Congress Haiti Head Covering Health Care Here and Queer Hermits Heroes Hitchens Holy Spirit Holy Week '09 Holy Week '10 Hoo-Hah & BS Hoo-Hah & BS Icons Illegal Immigration In The Arena Interviews Interwebz Iran Uprising Iraqi Christians ISIL ISIS Islamic State Islamification/Islamofascism Islamification/Islamofascism Isra-El It's all about me! Me! ME! James Burke Jerry Lewis Jesus Christ Joblessness John Boehner John McCain John Paul II John XXIII Juan Williams Just Words Katrina/Rita King is a Fink Latin Mass Leadership Lectio Divina Lent Lent '08 Lent '09 Lent 2010 Lent 2011 Limbaugh Listen to Lizzie Litigious Society Liturgy Liturgy of the Hours Mainstream Media Manliness Marriage Mary Media Excess Medical Merton Michelle Obama Mighty John O' Connor Misc. Miss Ella Missionaries Mitt Romney Monasticism My brother S My Irish Aunties Mystic Monks Nanny Statism Nature NEA Neri New Media Newman Noonan Notre Dame NPR Stuff Nun News Obama Bad? Obama Good? Obama White House Oil Spill Online Retreat '08 Online Retreat Days Oratory Orthodoxy Our Hillary! Parenting Passionists Patheos Patheos Book Club Patrons Paul Ryan Penance Penn Jillette Philosophy PJTV Podcasts Poetry Politics-free zone Pop Culture Pope Emeritus Pope Francis Prayer Predictions Priesthood Pro-Life Public Sector Unions Purgatory Questions about Catholicism Quotes of the Day Quoting the News Race in America rants Recipes Remarried Catholics Reposts by request Retreat thoughts Rome Rudy Giuliani Russia Saints Sarah Palin Scandal Scott Brown SCOTUS Scriptural stuff Secularism Send in the clowns Serving up hot links Sexuality Sherrod Shroud of Turin Sisters and Nuns Social Entrepreneurship Social Media Social Security Socialism doesn't work Sports and Faith Stem Cells Strange Gods Suffering Synod Tea Parties Tea Party Terri Schiavo The 9/11 Commission The Catholic Answer The Constitution The Desert The Fourth Estate The Pelosi The Perpetual Adolescents The Rosary Third Party? Timothy Dolan Touch of evil TSA Tsunami TV/Pop Culture/Music TV/Pop Culture/Music Twitter Uncategorized Unemployment Unintended Consequences US Military Vaginal Musings Vatican Vespers video faves Vile Joe Biden Voter Fraud War by Litigation War on Terror War, What it good for? Why can't weeee be ... World Youth Days Year of Faith Year of the Priest

Select a Month August 2016 July 2016 April 2016 March 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 August 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did Israel ask Samuel for despite his warnings?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A palace A new Tabernacle A king A prophet