Since reading Life and Work in September, the article ‘Oddly political’ about the Iona Community by Ruth Harvey has had me thinking.

I fully appreciate the concern for the poor and needy, but I am left with questions and doubts.

With the mantra of ‘Justice and Peace’, there is an implication that the problems of poverty, exploitation and other social concerns are caused by greed, and that solutions should be found through political processes. I have never thought that the Very Rev George McLeod (later Lord McLeod of Fuinary) saw these problems quite in this light. He decided to use a team of unemployed parishioners to work on Iona Abbey to give them work, accompanied, of course, with good food and shelter, paid for by him and his supporters. So far as I am aware, The Very Reverend gentleman did not blame anyone for these problems, but he saw it as his duty to his Lord to help where he could. Surely, this should be our understanding.

Jesus said that the poor are with us always, and I believe it is my duty to my master to help wherever I can. My duty is to serve Jesus by helping the poor in so far as I personally can, and I believe this duty extends to the Church itself. Each congregation should be doing everything in its power to help the needy in its area.

John F Stirling, Helensburgh