January 27, 2019 - "Pope Francis Challenge to Live in Solidarity with the Poor!

Our U.S. Bishops encourage us to take up Pope Francis’ challenge to live in solidarity with the poor! There have been reflections each day of the month of January.  I am going to put below reflections for the remaining days of January below for your prayerful consideration.
 
Sunday, January 27.  “Each individual Christian and every community is called to be an instrument of God for the liberation and promotion of the poor” (Evangelii Gaudium no. 187). Pray for the grace to understand how God is calling you to be an instrument for the common good.  Here is a suggestion regarding how to pray in this instance.  Look through a print or online newspaper to find a news article that affects your community or your world.  Cut out (or print out) the article and bring it with you to a quiet place where you can pray.  Think about how much human dignity is affected by the issue or situation.  Pray for God’s healing and transformation for all God’s people impacted, lawmakers, and others.  Ask God how he is asking you to respond on this issue.
 
Monday, January 28.  Many face barriers to breaking the cycle of poverty due to discrimination or racism.  Read and reflect on Open Wide Our Hearts, the bishops’ new pastoral letter against racism.  How is this letter calling you to conversion?  Here is one way to consider.  Racism can be individual, when persons fail to recognize certain groups are created in the image of God and equal in dignity. It can also be systemic, where practices or policies are upheld that treat certain groups of people unjustly.  These systems are often perpetuated due to the silence or unawareness of many.  Commit to learning more about racism and employment, housing, wealth, education, criminal justice, and voting—and then get involved in diocesan, parish, or community efforts to pray and work for conversion of both hearts and systems.
 
Tuesday, January 29.  When someone experiences poverty their basic rights to clean water, food, housing, employment, and vital health care are violated.  With rights come the duty to protect them.  We all have a right to life.  From this comes a right to food, water, clothing, shelter, decent health care.  We also have a right to a decent livelihood and the responsibility to contribute to society and the common good.  We have a right to have a search for God and freedom of religion and the right to participate in society.  But our rights and responsibilities are reciprocal.  We have a responsibility to build up the common good.  We have a responsibility to shape and order society and when necessary advocate for the common good.  If you want to learn more about rights and responsibilities as they are expressed in Catholic Social Teaching you can watch this brief video on YouTube featuring Seán Cardinal O’Malley (Archbishop of Boston), Professor Helen Alvaré (Professor, George Mason University) and Bill O’Keefe (Vice-President for Government and Advocacy, Catholic Relief Services).  Here is the link for this presentation:  https://tinyurl.com/y7ktz7gw.

Wednesday, January 30.  We are called to listen to the needs of victims and uphold the dignity of offenders through practicing restorative justice and opposing the death penalty. People ought to be held accountable for their actions but justice and restoration must be the object of punishment which must have a reformative purpose.  In the thirteenth century, Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote, “In this life, however, penalties are not sought for their own sake, because this is not the era of retribution; rather, they are meant to be corrective by being conducive either to the reform of the sinner or the good of society, which becomes more peaceful through the punishment of sinners” (Summa Theologica, II-II, Q. 68 A.1.) Here is a question to consider today:  How can you show God’s love and mercy to those in need of healing and hope.
 
Thursday, January 31.  Keep the conversation about poverty going with your family, in your parish, and in your neighborhood by signing up to receive the newsletter Notes for Neighbors and other communications from the Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
 
Until next week,
Fr. John