woman at the well

I did think of something that's struck me for quite a while. Every day, I scroll through the photos offered for publication in Catholic newspapers in the United States. It is such a story of contrasts - I just looked at photos of college students moving dorm refrigerators into their college dorms, hugging their parents goodbye - contrasted with photos of protests of the Mexican election - aftermath of Hurricane Katrina - aftermath of the war in the Middle East - photos posted for a story on the AIDS crisis in Africa - dying parents and orphaned children - then, back to America, where there's a choir singing or a church being remodeled. It is a daily, visual glimpse of our lives of indulgence, where our biggest problem is that the traffic is bad. Fortunately, there are also photos posted of Americn relief workers, of religious sisters working with the lepers in Indonesia, of Catholic Relief Services delivering tents to displaced families in Pakistian. I am reminded that "we will have the poor with us always" and what counts is our response - action, not despair - faith, hope and charity.