蜜芽传媒

Good Morning

A 蜜芽传媒 report on the increasing problem of domestic abuse focussed on Claire鈥檚 story. If you have not watched it yet it is available on the 蜜芽传媒 news website.

The unimaginable sense of tragedy and loss felt by Claire is tangible. A brave, grieving mum, whose two young sons Jack and Paul were killed in a fire set by her abusive ex-husband, has the courage and conviction to tell her story . She hopes that by bravely raising awareness, other children鈥檚 lives might be spared.

1:7 children now apparently experience domestic violence. It is a hidden problem. It is happening across the country. And the reported number of cases continues to rise.

I have some idea, from meeting domestic violence victims in my work as a parish priest, how helpless and hopeless they often feel. You can see it in their eyes. It鈥檚 truly awful. Part of the sense of being imprisoned by their circumstances is what can seem to many of us, on the outside, an illogical loyalty to the family group in which abuse is taking place. This often unwittingly perpetuates the problem. It鈥檚 a vicious circle. They just can鈥檛 see another way, never mind find it.

One charity supporting women and children victims of domestic abuse suggests that, paradoxically, the upcoming Christmas period is quieter [for them as a charity] than usual because victims can鈥檛 get away from their abusers. The perpetrators have more time to work their evil in a pressure cooker environment and, once again, children are unwittingly put at risk.

On Thursday I received a Christmas card depicting Mary and the infant Jesus. It is astonishing how many seasonal variations on a theme there are of images of the Virgin and child. But they all feature a vulnerable mother and an even more vulnerable baby. A child born in the most difficult of circumstances where weakness and fragility combine with utter devotion and love.

Any bond between a mother and child is unique. However it turns out, it is one of the most complex and deeply spiritual relationships imaginable. Which is why Claire鈥檚 story is do damning and so profound. I would hope that we can鈥檛 as a community just pass by on the other side.

Indeed for me, the essence of the incarnation is about evil being overcome and practical hope being offered in whatever way we can: particularly to those suffering right now, hidden from our eyes.

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