We are called to find Christ in (the poor), to lend our voice to their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to speak for them and to embrace the mysterious wisdom which God wishes to share with us through them./Estamos llamados a descubrir a Cristo en (los pobres), a prestarles nuestra voz en sus causas, pero también a ser sus amigos, a escucharlos, a interpretarlos y a recoger la misteriosa sabiduría que Dios quiere comunicarnos a través de ellos.—Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium 198
January is Poverty Awareness Month. In the Justice, Peace and Human Development/USCCB daily bulletins they focus on a different aspect of poverty and how other factors exacerbate it. Their 7 January bulletin caught my attention when it said poverty is not a catchphrase but a difficult reality that many are living, adding that our faith challenges us to respond to the needs of those who are most vulnerable.
In asking how to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable I remembered what 3rd grade said at Mass this week . Their suggestions to listen attentively, treat others with respect, and to smile may not alleviate poverty but it’s a good starting point. Their wise words are essentially what Pope Francis said above.
In his encyclical Fratelli Tutti Francis goes even deeper in helping us in understanding the dignity we all have, including the poorest among us. “The dignity of others” Francis says, “is to be respected in all circumstances, not because that dignity is something we have invented or imagined, but because human beings possess an intrinsic worth superior to that of material objects and contingent situations. This requires that they be treated differently. That every human being possesses an inalienable dignity is a truth that corresponds to human nature apart from all cultural change. For this reason, human beings have the same inviolable dignity in every age of history and no one can consider himself or herself authorized by particular situations to deny this conviction or to act against it.” FT 213
Showcasing SHA talent: In showing the Baptism of Jesus, Joshua in 4th shows how all are included.
God bless,
Mrs. Alhadef
Campus Minister
4th Grade Aide
Jr. High ELA Aide