Marathon Matters

Well done, Julie Newsam, who completed yesterday's London Marathon in 5 hours. Julie has been raising money for teenagers suffering from cancer, and will happily take money from any who want to support her.

In the aftermath of the bombings at the Boston Marathon, many issues have re-surfaced about why some people choose to become violently aggressive to their host communities. Questions are raised about whether full legal rights should be extended to the surviving brother, or whether perpetrators of violence should also be seen as victims of their own trauma.

In a famous book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire argues that while oppression is obviously bad for the oppressed, it is also deeply damaging for the oppressors too. Everyone needs liberating from the effects of the inequalities in life, as we are all neighbours to one another.

St. Paul, reflecting on the divisions within the Corinthian church, comes back to our mutual interdependence, within the Body of Christ. 'In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honourable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honourable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honour and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honoured, all the parts are glad.' (1 Corinthians 12.22-26)

While some of the focus, from the media, may be on the winners and special-interest stories, the London & Boston Marathons remind us that we are all in the race of life together. As we run the race, we need our eyes fixed on Jesus, or else we will become self-obsessed, and lose our way.

Best wishes,

Richard