Big Oil and the Poor Little Fisherman

A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,
“Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.” (Mark 12: 42-44)

Big Oil sucks! There. I said it! I wanted to put that in the title, but I felt it might be in poor taste. I got to thinking today, there’s a lot of angry people out there protesting at the British Petroleum (BP) Offices around the country, and even at the small little gas stations displaying those two letters on their logo, “B” and “P”. Being that BP is the source of the nations worse oil spill in history, anger is understood at time like this. I forget how many hundreds of millions of gallons of oil have already poured into the beautiful Gulf of Mexico, and I can’t imagine how many miles of beaches, marshes and wetlands will be forever tainted with its gooey mess. The fragile ecosystem is just that, FRAGILE. Its finely tuned balance will forever be immeasurably harmed because of the spill. One gentleman, quoted in the USA Today, sums it all up, “It makes me sick!”

With that said, I don’t want to be accused of ignoring the immensity of the damage done by this oil well, and its leaking into the Gulf. It’s just that today’s reading from the Gospel seems to offer a basis for what we’re dealing with here in human terms. Basically, Mark’s Gospel outlines the generosity of the Widow who gave her last cent as compared to the rich man who gave a miniscule portion of his wealth’s surplus. The connection between this Gospel Truth and the situation along the Gulf Coast is just too perfect!

While BP meets today with its Stockholders to reassure them that there’s plenty of money available to respond to this disaster, others are facing the loss of their whole way of life. First, we must not forget the reality that 11 people lost their lives in the original rig explosion. They have quietly been laid to rest in their hometowns in Texas, and their families will most surely forever be affected by this catastrophe! Another Vietnamese-American community in Buras, Louisiana is also affected. "Many of these people do not speak English, so they don't understand what kind of assistance is available, and they are scared," said Billy Nungesser, Plaquemines Parish president. "Just the other day, a 94-year-old fisherman, who has his wits about him and looks forward to taking his vessel into the marsh each day, said, 'Mr. Billy. Please help. What do I do?' I didn't know what to tell him." (LA Times May 7, 2010)

I recognize that BP is offering to foot the bill for it all, and yet their cost keeps mounting. I also recognize that they have untold wealth, and its their position that there is plenty of money to pay for this... So my prayers are with them, and their efforts to fix this terrible problem! Meanwhile, there are fishers all over the region forced to contribute all they have... Their entire livelihood! This of course is the lingering issue and the tragic part of the whole event... One that a “geeky blogger” like myself cannot fix sitting here at his computer!

So I’ll just conclude with this... God blesses those who give their all! It says so in the Gospel (above), and the Apostle Paul wrote about it to Timothy: “For I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.” (2 Timothy 4: 6-8) To the people of the Gulf Coast, keep fighting, and keep praying. This is NOT a plague, and you do NOT deserve this! But you are the people strong enough to show the rest of the struggling world how to respond to challenges. You’ve teach us all what “family” can do as you continue to rebuild after Katrina, and you’ll lead the way in providing example, courage and tenacity as you call upon your community to help clean and protect this crucial part of our home.

The challenge for BP would be this. Are they willing to sacrifice their entire wealth to match the willingness of the many who are facing the loss of everything? That will be the measurement of their true worth. There are many folks dependent on BP these days, and the ripple effect of unintended consequences has never been more evident. But if they fight to the bitter end, and win this battle of oil vs. nature, and save a marsh, or a beach, or the livelihood of a Bayou La Batre fisherman and his family... We will all be a better people for it. The earth will readjust, and life will live on, but how we respond as a people will forever change the future of our humanity, and the way we respond with our wealth.

We must put away the anger, and match the generosity of the poor widow, and that poor fisherman somewhere on the Gulf Coast, looking to the sea with hope and promise of a new day!