January 9, 2022 - "Poverty Awareness Month"

January is Poverty Awareness Month.  Pope St. John Paul II wrote in his encyclical On Social Concern (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis), no. 38 a useful description of Solidarity.  There he said that “[Solidarity] is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of many people, both near and far.  On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself of the common good; that is to say to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all.”
 
A recent posting from Justice, Peace, and Human Development department at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offered the following advice that I want to present to us today:
 
Solidarity invites us to remember that we are all children of God who share in one another’s joy and suffering.  This is a key component of working together to seek justice for all God’s children.  Being in solidarity with others lifts us from our individualism and offers us the opportunity to work together to address poverty.
 
Justice, Peace, and Human Development offers the following reflection for January 3, 2022 on the USCCB website:
Take a moment to think of a particular person you know who has been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, poverty, or economic difficulty: think of the person’s name, recall his or her face and situation.  Say this prayer for solidarity [which you will find in the next paragraph] and for the grace to share in the suffering of our brothers and sisters who experience poverty, and for a deeper conviction to work for justice and peace.
 
Here is the prayer for solidarity mentioned in the previous paragraph:
 
Almighty and ever-living God,
empower your one human family to join hands
on our journey of faith.
Send us your spirit of hope,
so that we may work
to alleviate human suffering
and foster charity and justice
in our world.
Amen.
 
Until next week,
Fr. John