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The Community at Prayer
Reflection by Father Paul M. Baca
April 27, 2008, 6thSunday of Easter

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       It is surprising to read in the first reading for today from the Acts of the Apostles that Philip, one of the seven chosen to help the apostles wait at tables, goes to Samaria. Considering the treatment Jesus got on one of his journeys when they refused to let him into the village of Samaria because he was on his way to Jerusalem, this was such a change in the minds and hearts of the Samaritans and the early Christian church. We read today, "Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them. With one accord the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. For unclean spirits crying out in a loud voice came out of many possessed people and many paralyzed or crippled people were cured. There was great joy in that city."

In our day and time we find so many people in the world; in fact close to half the people are enslaved and to some extent paralyzed by poverty and its consequences. It seems to me that more and more people are realizing that it is extremely important that all people receive an adequate education. In today's world there are many who are Christians or otherwise who, like Philip, are working signs and wonders and are bringing the joy of liberation in many ways.

Some time ago Roberta and Tom Wellems gave me a book entitled, "Three Cups of Tea," which was made possible by the coordinated efforts of Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. This wonderful book points out how the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan are failing would-be students on a massive scale.

I would like to point out first of all how this wonderful story started. Greg Mortenson was a mountain climber and he was attempting to climb K2, the second highest peak in the world and failed. Tired and disoriented he was attempting to find his way down the mountain when he happened to walk into the impoverished Pakistan village in the Karakoram Mountains. He was totally impressed by the kindness and consideration of the people. Noticing the lack of schools and what little schooling there was seemed to exclude the girls, he promised to return and build a school. This story tells how over the next ten years Mortenson build not only one but over 55 schools especially for girls in that sparsely inhabited region of the world. This is the land that gave birth to the Taliban. A quotation on the back cover of the book explains the title, "Here in Pakistan and Afghanistan we drink three cups of tea to do business; the first, you are a stranger; the second, you become a friend; and the third, you join our family; and for our family, we are prepared to do anything, even die." These are the words of Haji Ali, Korphe Village Chief, Karakoram Mountains, Pakistan.

There are so many outstanding needs in the world and it is always a joy to read or hear of someone responding to those needs in a meaningful way. I believe the apostles and the early Christians had a wonderful ideal to share with the world and this ideal was the most basic teaching of Jesus. The Holy Spirit was at work then and is very active in our midst. It is unfortunate that sometimes the importance of divine/human love is downplayed and colored by greed and self indulgence. Reading the book, "Three Cups of Tea," was very uplifting for me because it reminded me of the many unsung heroes, religious and otherwise, who are hard at work with incomparable dedication to bring joy and hope to the many disenfranchised of the world.

For those who are interested, perhaps you would like to know about the two people who made this book possible. From the Introduction to the book:

Greg Mortenson is the director of the Central Asia Institute. A former mountaineer and military veteran, he spends several months each year building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He lives in Montana with his wife and two children.

David Oliver Relin is a globe-trotting journalist who has won more than forty national awards for his writing and editing. A former teaching/writing fellow at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, he is a frequent contributor to Parade and Skiing Magazine. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

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