Ernest Gordon was a young man from Scotland who fought in the
Pacific theatre during World War II. While traveling from Singapore, he and
several other soldiers were captured by the Japanese and sent to the infamous
Kwai Valley to join a force of prison laborers building a railway from Thailand
to Burma.
The conditions the workers endured during those years were
inhumane and cruel. With little food and lacking adequate clothing, they
labored from dawn until late in the evening. Because the guards were afraid
that they would not meet the deadline imposed on them by the Japanese
government for completing the railway, they would beat the prisoners
mercilessly to get them to work even harder. Torture was common including
hanging prisoners from trees by their thumbs, crushing their heads in vices and
burying them alive.
Over 16,000 prisoners died during the construction of the
railway. At first, the hope of one day returning home motivated the prisoners
to stay alive. Soon, that hope gave way to hatred of their captors and, later, hope gave way to despair. As Ernest
Gordon related it to a journalist, “One grey day succeeded another. Misery,
despair and death were our constant companions.”
Eventually, under the harsh conditions, Gordon fell victim to
several ailments including malaria and tropical ulcer and was sent to a “death
ward” where prisoners would go to die. It was there that he met three men who
would change his life. They were devout Christians who sacrificed themselves to
care for him and eventually save his life.
Every day, they boiled rags and applied them to his wounds. One
of them, sold a watch to buy medicine for him. Often, they would go without
food themselves so that he could eat. Though Gordon had experienced nothing but
cruelty and torture during his captivity, a light of hope was beginning to
shine for him in what had been a living hell.
It became clear to him that what motivated these men to
sacrifice themselves to save him was their Christian faith and convictions.
Though Gordon had been an agnostic, he embraced Christianity because of their
example and started to join them in prayer and good works.
Eventually, Gordon recovered from his illness and regained his
strength. When the other prisoners saw that he had not died, the morale among
them greatly improved and a new hope motivated them to endure the degrading
conditions of the camp. The prisoners began doing good deeds for one another,
joining together in prayer and helping one another with their work. As they
shared the gospel with one another, they even found the grace to forgive their
captors and witness to the guards.
Ernest Gordon survived those difficult years of captivity and
was eventually rescued by allied troops. After the war, he became a
Presbyterian minister and the chaplain at Princeton University. He tells the
story of those years in the book, Through
the Valley of the Kwai which was made into a movie in 2001 entitled, To End All Wars.
Ernest Gordon’s conversion experience is a beautiful and moving
illustration of today’s gospel message.
The prisoners had very little to give. They were all struggling
under the same harsh conditions. However, instead of keeping the little they
did have to themselves, they sought to serve one another. Who knows how many
lives were saved because of the sacrifices that the prisoners made on a daily
basis to treat each other’s wounds and raise each other’s spirits. In
particular, the prisoner who sold his watch to buy medicine for Gordon
illustrates how much good comes from a small kindness. Who knows where that
watch is today? But we are still inspired by the charity which moved him to
sell it.
Hearing Jesus’ words in today’s gospel, we might think that we
have too little to give. We might wonder what good we could possibly do in a
world with so much need. We might even fear that if we give what we have there
will not be enough left over for us.
However, it is often true that, those with the least to give
make the biggest difference. Besides, the greatest acts of kindness are often
those which do not require money or special talents. They are the smiles that
we give to strangers to let them know that they are welcome. They are the pats
on the back we give to our friends to let them know they have our support. They
are stopping for a few minutes to listen to a neighbor who is having a hard time. These small acts do
not cost a dime yet they pay inestimable dividends.
We live in a world in which there is much neglect and cruelty.
However, our world suffers perhaps not so much from the evil done but from the
good that so many fail to do. Inspired by Jesus’ message and the witness of
people like Ernest Gordon, let us go from this place intent on doing what good
we can, no matter how small it may seem. As we receive the greatest small gift
of all - the Body and Blood of Christ - let us ask God to put His love into our
hearts so that we will be generous in giving of ourselves to others. Then
despair will give way to hope and hate will give way to love. The light shining
forth from our good deeds will light the way forward for others. And, when we
appear before Jesus, the Just Judge, we will see how our good works were
multiplied over and over again to the glory of God, the Father.
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