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As the leaves change color and the air turns crisp, we look forward to the Thanksgiving Holiday, a day of feasting, football and family and a time for us to give thanks for the many blessings we share. Sadly, more than 40 million Americans live in poverty and are not able to afford basic necessities, including housing, utilities, food, clothing and healthcare, let alone Thanksgiving dinner. Last year, in the United States, one of the world’s richest countries, one in every six children lived in poverty and the poverty rate among seniors was near 10 percent.
How many of us have driven by an unkempt, unshaven man on the street corner holding a sign saying, “Out of Work – Anything will Help,” saddened to think that people are poor even in our own neighborhoods? In fact, poverty touches millions of families everywhere from our cities to our rural communities.
Nov. 17 marks the third annual World Day of the Poor, a day when Pope Francis reminds us “that the poor are not statistics to be counted, but people to be encountered.” In his World Day of the Poor message, the Holy Father reflects on Psalm 9:19, “The hope of the poor will not perish forever.” He considers the suffering of millions of people who experience poverty, noting that they maintain hope in the Lord in a very real way because he assures them of his faithfulness.
Pope Francis challenges us to be authentic witnesses of Christian hope and to accompany the poor through a personal and constant commitment. Here are some ways we can respond to this challenge:
• Pray for the Poor – Try praying with the news. As you see headlines of things happening around the world, pray for the people in these stories.
• Practice the Corporal Works of Mercy – The Corporal Works of Mercy serve as a model for how we can care for our neighbors in need. They call us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, visit the sick and imprisoned, bury the dead, give alms to the poor.
• Make Caring for the Poor Part of Your Buying – One way to support low-income workers is to buy things you use regularly from organizations that pay a fair wage. For instance, for coffee and tea look for a fair trade label. This ensures that farmers who harvest the coffee and tea are paid fairly and work in safe conditions.
• Learn about Causes of Poverty and Work for Change – There are many reasons why people around the world get trapped into poverty such as lack of jobs, low wages, disabilities. We can raise our voices to promote public policy that addresses these and other causes. For more information visit: https://www.confrontglobalpoverty.org/
• Support the Church’s Outreach to the Poor – Contribute to the Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl during Lent.
• Join or Form a Parish Social Concerns Committee – These committees organize food pantries and meals for those in need on the local level.
Most importantly, Pope Francis tells us “that the poor need more than our offer of a warm meal or a sandwich…the poor need our hands, to be lifted up; our hearts, to feel anew the warmth of affection; our presence, to overcome loneliness. In a word, they need love.”
As missionary disciples, let us take time this month to work to cultivate within ourselves the virtues of generosity, patience and kindness. Let us pray that we can be instruments of hope to those in need; that we have ears to hear their cries; that we have a voice to speak out in love and acceptance and feet to walk in solidarity beside them.
Ruggiero is secretary, diocesan Secretariat for Family and Pastoral Life