![]() ![]() I am very grateful for the involvement and generosity of so many of our faithful who reach out to the hungry and the poor through their parishes, food pantries and soup kitchens, Catholic Charities, the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, the Christ Child Society, etc. Right here in our own diocese, we must not ignore the Lazaruses at our door. Our support of CRS is a way to reach out to the Lazaruses in poor areas of the world. These efforts are also extremely important since war and violence are so often causes of hunger, poverty, and homelessness. Catholic Relief Services also has many peace-building programs in troubled areas of the world. CRS’s efforts in agricultural development and its investment in helping local communities to make best use of resources, to have the necessary resources in technology, to have adequate irrigation systems, and to gain access to the market are having a great impact in many poor countries. This work involves not only providing food in emergency and crisis situations, but also addressing the problem of food insecurity from a long-term perspective. As a member of the Board of CRS, I have learned a lot about its work to fight world hunger. It is way to reach out to the Lazaruses at our doors. Feed the hungry, Pope Benedict XVI wrote, “is an ethical imperative for the universal Church, as she responds to the teachings of her Founder, the Lord Jesus, concerning solidarity and the sharing of goods” (Caritas in veritate, 27).Ĭatholics Confront Global Poverty is an initiative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services. So many are sitting outside the doors of nations that are indifferent to their plight.Īlmost fifty years ago, Blessed Pope Paul VI spoke of the campaign against hunger in these words: “It is a question of building a world where every person can live a fully human life… where the poor man Lazarus can sit down at the same table with the rich man” (Populorum Progressio 47). I think particularly of the millions of refugees in the world today, innocent victims of war who have lost their livelihoods and their homes. There are still many Lazaruses in our world, here and abroad, who are hungry and too often ignored. He said that this parable “must always be present in our memory it must form our conscience.” He said: “We cannot stand idly by, enjoying our own riches and freedom, if, in any place, the Lazaruses of the twentieth century stands at our doors.” These words are as relevant in 2016 as they were in 1979. Whenever I hear this parable, I remember the homily of Saint John Paul II in Yankee Stadium in New York in 1979, during his first visit as pope to the United States. To ignore them is to become like the rich man who pretended not to see the beggar Lazarus. ![]() So many are deprived of the basic necessities of life, like food, housing, and medical care. In the world today, there are so many people who lie outside the door, like Lazarus, while the dogs come and lick their sores. His will is that we live in solidarity with others and that we not ignore the poor and suffering in our midst. ![]() God’s will is that we care for the poor, that we serve others in the charity of Christ. This well-known parable reminds us that we must live according to God’s will, otherwise, after death, it will be too late to repent. Divine justice prevails after their death. Lazarus was received “in the bosom of Abraham” whereas the rich man ended up in Hades. At the end of their lives, Lazarus was welcomed into paradise, whereas the rich man ended up in torment. The rich man lives in luxury and egoism and is indifferent to the suffering of Lazarus, the beggar on his doorstep. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus. Lazarus at the rich man’s gate by Fyodor Bronnikov, 1886. ![]()
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