Trapped

News from South Wales, and the 4 trapped miners, will keep us gripped until they themselves are freed. The last year has had 2 major stories of trapped miners, and we know the outcome is always uncertain. These are anxious times.
But there are other stories of people being trapped in one way or another.
'Trapped in debt' applies to individuals and governments. The inability of the EU to solve the Greek debt issues shows the complexity of the muddle.
'Trapped in poverty' applies to many families and individuals, and is often linked to 'trapped in unemployment'. These are troubling times all round.
The natural reaction of many is to remain complacent and unconcerned, because this is someone else's problem. We too easily remain blind and deaf to the needs of others, for many reasons.
Jesus was startling in his challenge to the complacent in his society. 'One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and the people were watching him closely. There was a man there whose arms and legs were swollen. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, “Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?” When they refused to answer, Jesus touched the sick man and healed him and sent him away. Then he turned to them and said, “Which of you doesn’t work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don’t you rush to get him out?” Again they could not answer.' (Luke 14.1-6)
The roots of our complacency may not be strictly religious, as with the Pharisees, but all of us find ways to justify our ignoring of those around us who are trapped in one way or another. Usually, we are too busy with getting on with our own lives, so we have no time or energy left for those in need.
I wonder what Jesus would have us do to help those around us who are trapped. Perhaps we might discover that if we imagined ourselves as a one of the trapped ourselves. We could pray that we find out what Jesus wants from us.
Best wishes,
Richard