We live in a mad sick country in a mad sick world!

I was really moved by this program last night. If you are in the UK you can watch it here for the next 6 days in iPlayer. I experienced a mixture of anger and sadness when I heard this (amongst other things):

One in 5 low income families report skipping meals … that is something 8 year old Courtney experiences every week.
“For tea we have a big version of a sausage roll. I go without dinner when I’m at home but when I’m at school I get free dinners.”
Courtney lives with her mother and three sisters. Come the school holidays paying for food for the girls is a struggle without free school meals.

This morning on the BBC website it is contrasted by this story. I’m a football fan …. but this just makes me feel sicker than normal.

This mornings reading in Morning Prayer was 1 John 3 and I read these words:
‘How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?’

How indeed?
How have we got to a situation where no one bats an eye at a price tag of £20 million for a sports person and yet turns a blind eye to children like Courtney without food, or like Paige who sleeps in a room riddled with damp in which the ceiling collapsed, or like Sam … or like countless others in our communities ….

 I feel angry …. but I guess anger is useless …. instead I need to consider what I can do to help?