Though we are moaning a lot in this country about cutbacks, higher taxes, fat-cat salaries, emigration, and anything else we can think of, I'm instead thinking of the Greek people again today as their Parliament debates whether to accept the latest austerity package and bailout terms.
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| The Greek National Flag (Image link to Wikipedia) |
Much is being made of the role of Germany in the Greek crisis. A Greek newspapers has (unfairly) depicted Angela Merkel as a Nazi - see here for a look at an article and photo from the Washington Post about this. Nasty stuff! Equally, there are probably people in Germany wondering why they are paying to bail out the Greeks.
But it is the ordinary people of Greece who are suffering most in this fiasco. They are being made to pay for the grievous sins of their politicians and bankers - no wonder they are letting their anger out on the streets. I recall my first ever visit to Greece which was in late 2004 after the Athens Olympics and their football team had won the European Championship - they were on top of the world and I'm sure it was a great time to be Greek. While it must be tough to be Greek now, ordinary Greek people must never give up - they are a very resilient people who will rise again.
At Mass today there was a mention of the "Greeks" during the second reading:
Never do anything offensive to anyone - to Jews or Greeks or to the Church of God; just as I try to be helpful to everyone at all times, not anxious for my own advantage but for the advantage of everybody else, so that they may be saved. (1 Corinthians 1O:31-11:1).
Think about it.
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