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The document discusses poverty from both a spiritual and material perspective. Spiritual poverty recognizes our total dependence on God, while material poverty means a lack of means to meet basic needs. The Bible shows God has concern for the poor, and Jesus especially associated with the poor, teaching that we should support those in need. We are called to defend the defenseless, see from the poor's perspective, and work to empower the poor.
The document discusses poverty from both a spiritual and material perspective. Spiritual poverty recognizes our total dependence on God, while material poverty means a lack of means to meet basic needs. The Bible shows God has concern for the poor, and Jesus especially associated with the poor, teaching that we should support those in need. We are called to defend the defenseless, see from the poor's perspective, and work to empower the poor.
The document discusses poverty from both a spiritual and material perspective. Spiritual poverty recognizes our total dependence on God, while material poverty means a lack of means to meet basic needs. The Bible shows God has concern for the poor, and Jesus especially associated with the poor, teaching that we should support those in need. We are called to defend the defenseless, see from the poor's perspective, and work to empower the poor.
enough food to live on, and one of you says to them: I wish you well, keep your self warm and eat plenty, without giving them these bare necessities of life, then what good is that? In the same way faith: if good deeds do not go with it, it is dead. James 2: 15-17
From the Latin paupentas, literally translates as
pauper, poor Associated
with the lack of means to
provide for material needs or comforts
Poverty of the soul present in people
with lack of purpose in life, a sense of hopelessness about any lasting meaning
Human beings live not on bread alone
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Mt. 5:3)
Poverty of the Spirit
Recognizes
that we totally depend on God. It
affirms that God alone is our savior, the sole source of all good gifts This spiritual poverty moves us to share our blessings with the truly poor How
blessed are the poor in spirit, the
kingdom of heaven is theirs Mt. 5:3
Material poverty Means
lack of sufficient material
means to meet basic human needs
This
type of poverty is scandalous.
It manifests itself in the lack of the necessary means for survival
80% of the worlds population live in
developing nations which only use 20% of the worlds health In the next 24 hours, over 40,000 children will die of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition Although UN says the world produces enough food to feed everyone, over 1 billion people are chronically hungry
Women in developing countries live
an average of 17 years less than the women in industrialized countries Poverty is the main cause of hunger. UNICEF reports that over 3 billion people lives on less that 2$ per day One out of three children in developing countries suffers from under nutrition
From the Scriptures and Church
Teaching, we learn that the justice of a society is tested by the treatment of the poor Sacred Scriptures reveals that God is compassionately concerned for the welfare of the poor, that God has a preferential option for the poor
The Bible names those who are poor:
The materially impoverished,
members of lower class The afflicted and the powerless The hungry, the unclothed, the homeless, prisoners Orphans Lepers whom society feared and isolated
Sinners like the women caught in
adultery Strangers and outsiders Widows who have no social status Outcast tax collectors
Treatment of the Poor in the Old Testament
The
Lands were not to be farmed, debts forgiven, and
slaves were to be let go
The
Sabbatical Year Jubilee Year
People return to their proper place in the
community
The Prophets warned the people, to get
back to justice
Treatment of the Poor in the New Testament
Incarnation
is the great proof of Gods love for
humanity and His great love and compassion for the poor Who, being in the form of God, did not count equality with God something to be grasped. But He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in every way like a human being, he was humbler yet, even accepting death, death on the cross (Phil 2: 6-8)
Treatment of the Poor in the New Testament
Jesus became lowly and lived a life of poverty Jesus associated with the poor and the outcast, and responded to their needs Jesus parables and teachings reveal his attitude toward the poor and lowly Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 7:11-17) Lazarus and the Rich Man (Lk. 16:19-31) The Rich Young Man
Jesus tells us to have our priorities straight:
Sell your possessions and give to those in
need. Get yourselves purses that dont wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it, For where your treasure is, that is where your heart will be too (Lk. 12:33-34)
He warns us:
No one can be a slave of two
masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or be attached to the first and despise the second: You cannot be the slave of both God and of money (Mt. 6:24)
We must control money, not money
controlling us: Watch out and be on guard against avarice of any kind, for life does not consist in possessions, even when someone has more than he needs (Lk. 12:15)
The standard on how we must treat
the poor: Treat others as you would like them to treat you (Mt. 7:12)
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
Because He has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, And to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. (Lk. 4: 18-19)
The most basic right of each human being
is the right to life
Denying people the right to food is a
fundamental injustice of the highest order Feed the man dying of hunger, because if you have not fed him, you have killed him (GS no.69)
Worldwide millions are hungry and
malnourished. Chronic hunger includes both starvation and malnourishment About 700 million in developing countries 20% of their population still do not have access to enough food to meet their basic daily needs for nutritional well-being (United Nations reports, no.7)
The injustice of hunger is that the world is
not lacking in any way in food resources.
In the world as a whole, an average of 2,700
calories is available per person per day, enough to meet everyones energy requirements. But food is neither produced nor distributed equally. Some countries produce more food than others, while distribution systems and family incomes determine access to food (UNs report, 1996)
Various forms of corruption
contribute to poverty Unfair and high interest on foreign loans Demography shows that as a nation becomes richer, higher birth and death rates are reversed
Everyone must respect the social teaching of
the universal and common destination of the goods of the earth We must apply the principle of subsidiarity so power is not taken from those who rightly possess it We must practice the principle of solidarity WE must actively participate in the Eucharist
First, it means that we cannot love
immoderately, or selfishly use, riches and wealth
Not to enable the poor to share in our
goods is to steal from them, and deprive them of life. The goods we possess are not ours, but theirs (St. John Chrysostom, CCC 2446)
Second, we must put into practice the
spiritual and corporal works of mercy by which we come to the aid of our neighbor
1.
2. 3.
4. 5.
We must speak for those who have no one to
speak for them. We must defend the defenseless We must look at things from the side of the poor and powerless We must evaluate lifestyle, policies, and social institutions in terms of how they affect the poor We must help people experience Gods saving love and liberating power We must empty ourselves so Gods power can touch us in the midst of poverty and powerlessness
Those who are well off must change their
attitudes to the poor We must support full and equal employment as well as a just wage Society must empower the poor to help themselves We must make education of the poor out top priority The tax system must be evaluated based on how it affects the poor
O God, To those who have hunger, Give bread; And to those who have bread Give the hunger for justice