LIFE AS MY BROTHER'S KEEPER

“And love will hold us together

Make us a shelter to weather the storm

And I'll be my brother's keeper

So the whole world would know that we're not alone.”

The above quotation is taken from a song entitled "Hold us Together", written and performed by Matthew Maher, a critically acclaimed Canadian-born contemporary religious singer, songwriter and record artist. It draws attention to the question that has been asked over and over throughout the ages, and has plagued humanity since its original record in the biblical story, when Cain murdered his brother Abel in a jealous rage and then replied to God’s enquiry:

“I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

The term “brother’s keeper”, especially in the Judeo-Christian traditions, has come to symbolize the willingness to accept the welfare of your fellow man and the unconditional responsibility to exercise the necessary choices. In its truest sense it implies a moral obligation and a directive as children of God, to care for your brother. Jesus Christ, in teaching us the prayer to God, started off with “Our Father who art in heaven” clearly implying the brotherhood of mankind and our individual responsibility to one another. St. Paul in his letter to the Galitians,Chapter 3, Verse 28 was direct and unambigous when he wrote:

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free,
there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus"

And when Jesus, in Matthew Chapter 22, Verse 39, instructed us to “Love your neighbor as yourself”, he was confirming the principle of responsibility for the caring of one another.
The real tragedy and failure of humanity throughout the ages is that, although we have given lip service to this concept, we have never as individuals, or a group, or a society or a nation, seriously acknowledged its relevance. Except for the occassional individual, who by example and life choice have strived to fulfill this directive, we have chosen to place our selfish needs ahead of all else, securing our own comforts at all cost. We will very seldom admit to the fact, but the truth is abundantly clear, that in all things, we do everything in our power to secure our own welfare and more, while giving little attention to our neighbors’ needs. Without question, we are motivated by our in-bred animal instinct which dictates a “Me First” response.
Over the years, the world has seen many examples of people who voluntarily abandoned a life of potential glory and success to follow the advice of Christ and become their brother’s keeper. My personal favorite is Dr. Albert Schweitzer, a German theologian, an accomplished world class organist, philosopher and physician, who forsook a life of fame and recognition in Europe, to become a medical missionary to the inhabitants of Lambarene, a small outpost in French Equatorial Africa, founding and maintaining a hospital to serve the population. He was motivated by an ethical philosophy of sharing, which he called “Reverence For Life”, for which he received a Nobel Peace Prize in 1952. Despite the multitude of accolades and awards he received from all over the world, Schweitzer, who died and is buried in Lambarene in 1965, remained dedicated to his principle of reverence and responsibility to life.
But Schweitzer is but one outstanding example of many, many others who on a daily basis spend their lives guided by the principle of caring for the welfare of others. Each day, in thousands of ways and often at great personal expense and inconvenience, people can be found going the extra mile in order in some small way, to alleviate the pain and suffering of others. When a very successful and prominent Neurosurgeon leaves his comfortable offices in Miami to travel and spend weeks at a time in Haiti under appalling conditions after a devastating earthquake, or when a fireman goes into a burning building to save a victim, or a 16 year old student saves her weekly allowance to send to a children’s fund, these are all examples of living as your brother’s keeper. Consider the example of Mary, a kind lady who has suffered her share of misfortunes, losing her only son at 31, fired from her cleaning job by an ignorant boss, with no source of income yet continues to collect clothes and food to give to her needy brothers and sisters in her neighborhood. All these people, in their own special way, were indeed living the life described by Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew when he said:

“Whatever you do to the least of my brothers,
You do to me”

The image and kindness of these people, quietly doing their work without pomp and glory, stands out in stark and glaring contrast when compared with so many of the “famous” people whose names and faces inhabit the daily newspapers, the weekly magazines and the nightly television programs and whose claim to fame is the absurd and immoral exploitation of self gratification. A young woman who is said to have collected 15 million dollars to participate in a public marriage ceremony and then breaks it up after 90 days, or the investor who successfully cheated and schemed thousands of people out of their life savings, with no intention of repayment, or the college coach who used his position and trust to abuse young children are but a few examples of what appears to be the norm in present-day society. By any standard, in any society, these actions are both a gross abomination and a shameful indictment of ungodly behavior. Yet society is determined to glorify and reward these people to absurd levels and we, as members of society, encourage this transgression by our support or even worse, by our silence. It makes the true believer feel that Jesus Christ suffered and died in vain and that his teachings of love and caring remain buried in the sands of selfish behavior.
But irrespective of the prevailing conditions it is essential that we all make the effort to embrace the spirit of respect, caring and tolerance towards our neighbors and to recognize that we are indeed our brother’s keepers. Without this principle firmly implanted, we are destined to continue to live in a world of suffering, turmoil and distrust. In the setting as presently exists, dominated by wars, racial and religious distrust, indiscriminate killing and absurd social imbalances, it is no surprise that Schweitzer’s principle of Reverence of Life has been discarded on the altar of expediency. The task is not easy, but not impossible, and must begin with the acceptance and recognition of the fact that each one of us are indeed keepers and instead of asking, we rise up and accept the responsibility with diligence and determination.
Many years ago, when during a very trying time in my life, I found myself in need of others to help me deal with a difficult situation, I was sustained by the words of a beautiful song, recorded by “The Hollies” entitled “He Ain’t Heavy.” This has since served to constantly remind me of the need, role and strength of a keeper. I sincerely hope they will serve the same purpose for you:

It's a long, long road

from which there is no return.

While we're on our way to there,

why not share?

And the load doesn't weigh me down at all.

He ain't heavy, he's my brother.