Deacon Reflection: These Are Indeed Trying Times

These are in deed trying times and probably times that were not much different than the times when the characters in Jesus’ parable of the “Good Samaritan” were told. When Jesus told this story he was essentially asking the listeners to put themselves figuratively in the shoes of each character. Count them. There are five of them: the naked and wounded victim, the Temple Priest, the Levite (or deacon of that day), the innkeeper and the Samaritan.

Now you may ask, what has all this got to do with the suffering in pandemic-ridden American lives of today? Days of trial and chaos. All too often, I do believe that we are blind to what is happening around us when we have to deal with our own daily problems. Take for instance the suffering of our Latino brothers and sisters that are farmworkers. Not just those in the fields harvesting cucumbers and tomatoes or cutting cabbage or digging up potatoes, but also the ones that line up everyday to go into the chicken and pork processing plants of our state. They are the naked and wounded, the victims of our story. Did you know that we the “Church” operate a food bank to feed and clothe these struggling brothers and sisters? It does, but that food bank often does not have enough to go around because the folk that come are so numerous due to cutbacks from farmers' spring planting, attributable to fear of lack of markets and labor, and virus-related shut downs in the processing plants.

Let us not be like the Priest and the Levite (deacon) and pass them by. Let us be like the Samaritan and the innkeeper and reach out and help those who are in need.

Last August after I retired from serving as a deacon at Holy Innocents, Henderson, the bishops assigned me to be a diocesan representative on the Board of Directors of the Episcopal Farmworkers Ministry (EFwM). As a member of this Board, I serve on the Sustainability Committee. During these trying times during the pandemic, EFwM has been operating a food bank for many area farmworkers and food plant workers who have been out of work due to either the uncertainty of farmers planting for their markets and the turmoil of food plant operations.

I am looking for people: priests, deacons, laity, vestries or congregations who might be willing to join with me in becoming sustainers of this endeavor. We are talking about signing up to contribute a monthly or annual amount to the ministry. Even a commitment of $10 per month would be so much appreciated; that's just $120 for a whole year and goes to making purchases for the food bank or other badly needed things. It is so easy to do! You just go to the EFwM web site at www.episcopalfarmworkers.org and use your credit card (checks and Pay Pal are also accepted) just like you would do for, say, your favorite radio station, public TV, another charity or your alma mater. All I ask is if you do decide to join with me that you contact me directly and let me know that you have contributed. I don't need to know how much, just that you have signed up. Please consider this, these folk need our help! Don’t be a priest or a levite. Be a good Samaritan!

Peace and blessings, the Rev. Harrel Johnson