He knows he must live with the awful fact that he took a life.  A 25 year old life.  Andrew is also 25.

His pain is evident as he faces the camera, confessing his guilt.  He begs others to heed safety regulations and to be very wary of adrenalin.

Andrew Mears is contrite, humiliated and scarred for the rest of his life.

But he also shows that he carries the seeds of a beautiful redeeming gift: compassion.

While his lapse in judgement and foolish self-confidence had terrible consequences, his admission of personal fault enables him to feel deeply the pain he has inflicted on two families – his own and Rosemary’s.  He has entered their suffering with courageous honesty from which many will benefit.

Compassion means suffering with another; not merely witnessing someone’s distress and feeling sorry for the person, but journeying with that person into the heart of their pain.

The compassionate are those who have suffered themselves and know how suffering can distort perception, prejudice judgement, harden hearts and destroy peace.  But they have also found that suffering can make a person more understanding, more tolerant, more sensitive to another’s hurt.

Andrew Mears will never forget the moment death came through his hands.  The memory could destroy him, except that he is already showing us that he wants to contribute to life.  His sorrow and his determination to put the needs of others ahead of his own interests are the seeds from which true compassion grows.  If he continues on that path Rosemary’s life will not have ended for nothing.

“Don’t end up like me!” is Andrew’s plea to those who might still think irresponsible behaviour is fun.  If he lives compassionately, however, he will be a person to imitate.

Entertainment is the key word in assessing the significance of a feature or item, especially at weekends or on  so-called “Current Affairs” programmes.  “Will it entertain?”  “Will it hold an audience?”  “Will it sell us advertisers?” – these are the questions, the answers to which will most often decide whether or not an item gets into print or goes to air.

Michael Laws is not innocent when it comes to nailing people through the power he holds on talk-back and through the press, but I agree with his outrage in this instance.  There was absolutely nothing in the story about Robin Brookes that  warranted so much air time or column  space.  But it was a story about a rugby legend and the name alone  would draw a crowd.  And anyway, there wasn’t much else happening!

Media people claim “the people’s right to know” as a reason behind such “exposures”.  But in defending that “right” media chiefs must also accept and exercise responsibility.  They must measure the steps to publication by rules relating to fairness, good judgement, honesty, the protection of the innocent, the consequences for all concerned and – that 5-letter word – truth.

Omitting any of those steps, whether by ignorance or pig-headedness, risks the loss of credibility.  Then the people – they’re the ones with the right to know – become the greater losers.

He has already established a charitable trust and tells us he intends to give most of his money away during his lifetime.  If the Trust is well managed then the good that it will do has the potential to save the taxpayer a lot of money.

IRD will receive tax from the income generated when the grants are used.  In addition, social services, Income and Support, health care and other emergency agencies may find their budgets under less pressure because of the care provided by the gifts channelled through the Trust.

Sam Morgan’s wealth will benefit the community not cripple it.  He comes across as a thoughtful, caring individual with a strong social conscience.  His comments over not having to pay tax can be easily misquoted and misinterpreted.  He has left himself open to those who enjoy making mischief.

I pray for Sam, that his idealism be not squashed or blunted by jealousy or by the manipulation of the greedy; and that his generosity be not only applauded but copied by all of us.  It doesn’t take a fortune in cash to be generous; real treasure is found within a person.  Sam Morgan may have both.  But each of us has more than enough within ourselves to give away.  And it’s all tax free.

O Giver of life.  You have blessed me with so much.  Help me to be generous with the time you have given me, the smile you have given me and my fondness for laughter.  Through the sight and the voice you have given me may I help to set right what I see to be wrong.  May I praise you with my life and use your gifts to love and to serve.  Amen.

The twins had to be separated in order to survive.  Their physical union was not compatible with the independent living necessary for human life.  And yet, we need one another.  We cannot live alone.  Our independence – to be healthy and meaningful – requires an interdependence, a connection with others and the world around us.

Having been separated physically, the twins  are now free to enjoy and develop the bonds of kinship, friendship and those that come through sharing the gifts of creation.  These are spiritual bonds that must be strengthened and maintained.  Our spiritual togetherness is the vital connection we cannot do without.  If our focus is exclusively, or even mostly on what is physical in our relationships, we will wither and die.

The connections that matter are the ones that enable us to share ourselves with others, to contribute to life around us, to develop and use our own gifts, and to draw in the beauty,  strength and wisdom that abound in creation.  Such connections bring fulfilment and ensure life goes on.  These were the connections that brought a highly skilled team together this week and enabled a surgical procedure to be so life-giving.