Booze and pills, sexual politics, and non-leadership in the Church have dominated the discussion so far. The point missed is that she fled the scene. There it is, plain and simple. She fled the scene. That's the linchpin, the sine qua non. Sure it was mentioned, but never analyzed like those juicier bits have been. Is driving wasted bad judgment? Sure. Steering with your knees while looking away from the road to text with your thumbs? Yep, Really bad. Doing both? Unutterably reckless and stupid. But people do recklessly stupid things all the time. Sometimes innocents are hurt or killed; sometimes just the reckless one. It's a broken world.

In Heather's case, it might be said in her defense that after she hit the bicyclist she was in shock. She wasn't thinking clearly. It was all so terrible she had an episode of some kind and just reacted on instinct. The horror of it all was more than she could bear. I completely agree. Horrible, terrible, unbearable, mind-numbing--seeing a grown man crash into your windshield has to be an awful shock. But are any of those good excuses? I know firsthand about motorist vs. pedestrian accidents. I was in one.

I'll never outlive the shock of seeing a young coed an instant before she bounced off the passenger side of my passing car because she stepped out from in front of a parked truck without looking. Praise almighty God that she didn't step out a second sooner. I can't bear to think what would've happened. The fact I couldn't have done anything to avoid her doesn't matter. It's the crummiest feeling in the world to be the instrument of someone's harm. Weirdly, my powerlessness made it feel worse.

The point is, I stopped. I stopped quick, I stopped short, I stopped now. I didn't just stop because of the impact, then recollect myself and speed away. I stopped because all I could think was I had to help the young lady. Fortunately there were some passers by already doing that. It was doubly fortunate because when I got out of the car and called 9-1-1, I was a shaking wreck. I could feel myself going into shock. My eyes must've looked like dinner plates, because the cops were very sympathetic. If there hadn't been a lamppost to lean on, I'd have fallen. I asked the EMTs how the woman was, and they said she badly hurt her knee and broke her arm. I presume the knee hit the car and the arm broke when she spun to the pavement. I'm so thankful it wasn't worse.

With that perspective, what can I say of Heather Cook? Why didn't she stop? What kind of soul can be the agent of someone's harm and yet leave them mortally injured by the curbstone and run to save themselves? What kind of alleged priest, let alone bishop, can see their neighbor broken in the gutter and not run to comfort them? What was she thinking? "Obviously no need for a priest here. I'll just go home?" I guess there was no need for basic Christian charity, either. Well, you say, Miss Cook didn't know how badly her victim was hurt. No? Well, finding out isn't the number one reason to stop, but it is in the top five. The number one reason, in case you wonder, is 'because they're both children of the living God.

Heather Cook isn't the only broken soul ever to fail the Good Samaritan test. But for a so-called bishop, it was an epic fail. She passed by, like that priest. But as godless as that man's example was, our Lord never accuses that priest of throwing the poor wounded man into the gutter himself. Oh, Heather! Why couldn't you have stopped to render aid?

What spirit possessed you? Your career was probably gone as soon as the accident happened. But it wasn't too late to show mercy. It wasn't too late to give last rites. It wasn't too late to show character. It wasn't too late to get over yourself and love. Now you face a lot of suffering in the years to come. It's my fervent prayer that the Holy Spirit will show you the love and mercy you couldn't find for your neighbor.

Amen.

FOOTNOTE: Andy and his wife live in Darrington, WA far from an Anglican parish. If there are those near him who would like fellowship and perhaps begin a church plant in his area you can reach him at andyblair@frontier.com