Yesterday, I spent the day in Courtroom 1 at the Christchurch NZ District Court. I felt that I had been getting too out-of-touch with the human race. There is nothing like going to the margin of one's own culture to get a broader perspective on life in general.
Seeing the people brought before the judge for fighting, stealing, drug-taking and so on, reminded me of the feelings of Jesus for the crowd:
'When Jesus saw the crowd, he felt compassion for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.' [Mt 9:36]
I asked myself, "Where is the Church here, bringing the saving love of Jesus?" Jesus made a point of taking the Good News to those on the margin of society. (See Lk 4:18) If I am to put the Gospel into action, I need to spend more time with the marginal people.
