Plenary, 28 Nov 2007
Meeting date: Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Official Report
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Time for Reflection
Good afternoon. The first item of business is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader is Father David Borland, from St Andrew's and St Cuthbert's in Kirkcudbright.
Father David Borland (St Andrew's and St Cuthbert's, Kircudbright):
Over the past two months, I have been incredibly fortunate in that I have been able to spend some time in Italy, Canada and, of course, our own beautiful country, in particular in bonnie Galloway. Although all those places at first appeared to be very different, I soon realised that, although what I saw was quite unique to each place, what I heard from the people who lived in them was very similar. I do not know whether you, as our Scottish politicians, will find this reassuring or not, but I soon came to realise that the everyday man or woman in the street—wherever they live in the world—seems to love complaining about their politicians. Take heart: it is not just us.
It bothered me that that should be the case, so I asked myself and them why. I was struck by many of the answers. What was brought home to me was the realisation that there is a great perception among many people that he, she or they who shout loudest get everything that they want. One small businessman in Toronto said to me, "I work hard, I raise my kids, I pay my taxes, I don't cause any trouble, so the Government just takes me for granted." There was a tone of resignation in his voice when he said that—a tone that I have heard in our country, too.
As a community leader myself, those conversations forced me to ask myself some serious questions. When I am running around my parish, seeking out those who are most in need of help—an essential and central part of my ministry—do I also take for granted that silent majority? Do I act, deliberately or accidentally, according to the premise that if they are unhappy they will shout? Will they? Am I assuming too much? Perhaps all of us who seek to serve the people of Scotland need to ask ourselves those questions constantly.
As a Christian, I believe that God sent his son into the world for everyone, to remind us that each of us is equal in God's eyes and must, therefore, be equal in each other's eyes. You, as the servants of the people of Scotland, are called to serve everyone and to be seen to be serving everyone equally. You are the women and men who are entrusted with serving those who are most in need in our society, those who cry out to you for action. At the same time, however, you must remember that there are many, many more within our society who subscribe to the creed, "I don't want to be a bother." We cannot forget them.
Thank you for providing me with this opportunity to share my reflections with you. Today, I pray that God will open your hearts to the aspirations of everyone and your hands to meet their needs. God bless you all.