Welcome!
Welcome to the Social Justice Spot! Social Justice is a huge component of our Catholic faith, and it a huge and all-encompassing concept. Although it does mean spending Saturdays at a soup kitchen or donating to the poor, it is much larger than that: it also means giving more time or money than we feel comfortable giving, befriending a marginalized person we would rather ignore, or working to understand the suffering of someone far different from ourselves, whether here in Dallas or on the other side of the world. Practicing Social Justice is, in essence, continuing the work Jesus began during his time on Earth. To help you better understand just how big Social Justice is, each week I’m going to introduce a new Social Justice issue. If you feel moved to do or learn more, check the SMU Catholic blog for a prayer over the issue and links to places where you can volunteer, donate, or simply educate yourself further.
Global Poverty
UNDERSTAND We already understand that most of us are blessed
financially, and that the majority of the world lives on far less money
than we do. But it’s easy to forget (or ignore) exactly what this
means, and the realities of the lives of so many people on the same
Earth that we live on. Half the world’s population-- that’s 3 billion
people—live on less than the equivalent of two US dollars a day. Think
about all of the things that this means they go without—necessities
like food and clothing, to begin with, but also an education, which is
the first step in many cases towards moving out of poverty. Thankfully,
organizations all over the world are working to help those living in
poverty, but we all need to do our part. Help out by making donations,
educating yourself about the conditions of those living in poverty,
praying for the impoverished, and encouraging others to do the same.
This
Lent, consider giving through Catholic Relief Service’s Rice Bowls.
When you have spare change, make a point of putting it in your rice
bowl. Or, take it a step further and make conscious efforts to live
more simply—such as eating a less expensive meal—and then putting the
money you’ve saved in the rice bowl.
PRAY for those living in poverty: that they may find inner strength through God. Pray also for those who have the means to give, that they reach out and help however they can. Use your own words, or pray the following:
Christ our Lord,
your light shines into the shadows,
and shows us
where the obstacles to change lie.
We know that often
they are in our own hearts,
in the way we live,
and in our daily choices and actions.
We pray that we may accept
the light of your love
as a challenge to change
ourselves and our world.
We pray that, each day,
we make the choices and
take the actions
that will bring an end to poverty and hunger,
and lead us all
towards a fairer world.
Be with us, Lord,
as we face your challenge
and learn how to live
our lives in love.
Amen
DO AND LEARN:
- Learn more about where poverty is the greatest, and see this illustrated visually, at http://www.povertymap.net/
- Give through Catholic Relief Service’s Rice Bowls during the season of Lent. http://orb.crs.org/
- Listen to the Christian Aid Podcast, a podcast from a UK organization that works to alleviate poverty around the world. http://nightingalesangatwcc
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