Hotel Rwanda and the Good Samaritan

Wow. There are almost no words to describe the things that are running through my head after seeing this movie. For those of you who have not yet seen it - GO SEE HOTEL RWANDA....like TONIGHT. It was a powerful and moving portrayal of the horrible genocide that took over 800,000 Tutsi lives by the Hutu tribe in Rwanda in 1994. To see a trailer visit www.mgm.com/ua/hotelrwanda/main.html

I am a History teacher. I teach my students that it is important to understand the mistakes of our past so that we will not be doomed to repeat them. This fall I taught the Holocaust, the Jewish genocide that took over 6 million people's lives for no other reason other than than the fact that they were Jewish. For some reason, human pride took on its worst form as one group of people thought that they had the right to deem another group inferior and kill them off. According to a recent CBC poll, most Canadians do not even know the extent of the Holocaust, or the vague details surrounding where it took place or why. Almost all had little or no recollection of Canada's disgusting Anti-semitic immigration policy during the 1940s, which allowed no Jewish refugees into our country - we even turned a boat of refugees back into the hands of the Nazis! And then, 50 years later, Canada and the world proved that they had not learned their lesson....and again we turned a blind eye....this time towards Africa. The fact that new reports were coming back to the West while the massacre was taking place, and diplomats were were shaking their heads, but yet NOT ONE COUNTRY sent in intervention troops (sorry - except for a few days in order to escort some white rich people out) is absoluetly appalling - what have we learned?

I recognize the temptation to think that there is nothing that we can or could have done - for these things happen so far away....but, and forgive the cliche, we need to, right now, and within our sphere of influence, BE the change that we want to see in the world. Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan to teach of the ideal relations between people- especially supposed enemies. If you remember correctly, a Jewish man was robbed, beaten, and left for dead. Two people passed by, one a Levite, and one a priest (someone who you would expect to help), and both justified their actions - "What can I do? I'm just one person," I'm sure they were thinking. Or a plethora of other excuses that I'm ashamed to admit I identify with: "I'm too busy." "It's not my business." "Someone more suited will help him." "I'm sure it's too late - he's most likely already dead." "God will punish the criminals - in His own timing." All these excuses are simply ways to get out of our responsibility to our neighbours, to help them, to speak for them when they have no voice, to protect them from oppression and greed and hatred. Who finally helped this Jewish man? His enemy - someone he least expected. It is clear from this story that Jesus said that everyone - from the people in Rwanda, to the children working for Walmart in sweatshops in Haiti, to the beggar that annoys me every time I walk down Princess Street. EVERYONE on this planet is my neighbour and it is MY responsibility to reach out to them. Lord, please, help me to be the change that YOU want to see in this world. And help us all to wake up and stop repeating the same tragic mistakes.