Ruth Harrigan Artist

The most deadly poison of our times is indifference.

St . Maximillian Kolbe


Have you ever realized after an event happened that you stood by, either deliberately or inadvertently, and allowed an injustice to take place without taking action?

I know I have. Sometimes this happens because we are afraid. Or maybe we are just indifferent.

Years ago when I taught drama at a girls' camp, a little girl was sent to us who was deaf. She was only seven years old and her mom entered her into the camp without telling the director that she couldn't hear.

On the first morning of camp, all of the little girls would line up and we would call out their names as counselors so they would know which cabin to go to. When I called this little girl's name, she did not step forward - of course. She couldn't hear me.

I called the name out over and over. Finally, I saw al little girl standing aside - and somehow I knew she could not hear me. She was deaf.

I put down my clipboard and approached the little girl. She looked frightened to death. I knelt down and took her hand and led her over to my group of seven year olds.

The camp director told me to keep an eye on her and we would see if it would work out. Over the next few days, I did just that - kept an eye on 24 little girls - one of whom was deaf.

Later I asked the girls if they knew her. About ten of them went to her school but said "She's in the other class." They admitted they were afraid of her because she was different. One said "I didn't know what to do or say when you called her name."

I set out to give the little girls a great camp experience and kept this camper close by whenever there was a particular danger - a campfire, swimming, etc. Slowly the other little girls began to start holding her hand and directing her when she couldn't hear things. Within a few days, she was enjoying camp and a lot of her fear was gone.

But I've never forgotten that moment in the main lodge when I walked over and took that little girl's hand. I had never been around anyone who was deaf so I don't know how I "knew". It doesn't matter, except that I was able to reach out to her when she was afraid.

It's easy to act indifferent toward others who are different from us. It's normal to worry that we'll say or do the wrong thing and dismiss it as too much - for us. Yet this is how God steps into our lives and uses us. We can be that person who reaches out - who says the kind word, takes someone's hand - no matter what, we can be the agent of change that we are meant to be so that we can include someone who would otherwise be excluded.

We can, indeed, through our caring bring the lost sheep home if we let God work through us.