May 24, 2010
Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of (your) faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:6-9
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Mark 10:17
Piety
A Payer to Continue Ordinary Time
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time. 1 Peter 1:3-5
Study
We now return to our regular programming…ordinary time. Now that the mysteries of Lent, the Triduum, Easter and Pentecost have been celebrated in the liturgical cycle, we return with Jesus to our travels through life.
The first letter from Peter addressing the Christian communities in Asia reminds us immediately that every ordinary day we celebrate the extraordinary love of the Lord. Even though each day may bring us “suffering through various trials,” those little tests will help to strengthen our faith. As we set out this morning on our journey through our (extra) ordinary days, Jesus joins us. Like the man Jesus encounters, we seek the answers to what we need to do in life.
Our pursuit of possessions and the way we cling to the objects we collect in life can become the impossible obstacle along the way in our journey. Ah, but what is extraordinary is that the love of God will help us to overcome these obstacles. “For men it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” Mark 10:27
Action
All things are possible for God. As Catholics, we are called to confront global poverty in the same way the man who met Jesus was challenged to give his possession to the poor and follow Christ.
Ordinary life for people who live in poverty exceeds the challenges faced in life by people reading this. If you are reading this, you have more than many people in the world have. You own or have access to a computer and internet connection. You have an e-mail account. Yet, billions of people live on less than $2 per day.
Because of this extreme poverty, CRS asks all faithful and practical Catholics to urge your Senators to sign on to the bipartisan Kerry-Lugar letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee leadership. According to CRS, the letter supports a strong international affairs budget in order to preserve funding for poverty-focused programs that uphold the life and dignity of our brothers and sisters living in poverty throughout the world. According to information on the CRS web site:
Why is the International Affairs Budget Level Important Now? The overall U.S. government budget environment has made it increasingly difficult to sustain essential funding for poverty-focused international assistance. As a result, the Senate Budget Committee recently recommended a $4 billion cut from President Obama’s total request for international affairs. We want to urge the Senate Appropriations Committee to reject this proposed reduction in order to preserve funding for essential poverty-focused international humanitarian and development assistance programs.
The international affairs budget determines overall funding levels for initiatives essential to confronting global poverty. If funding for the international affairs budget is drastically reduced in the proposed manner, we will fail in our moral responsibility to assist people in need around the world. While budget constraints are serious and must be dealt with, through foreign assistance reform and other measures, our nation should not balance its budget on the backs of people living in poverty around the world.
How do Key Parts of the International Affairs Budget Confront Global Poverty? The international affairs budget encompasses lifesaving programs such as: provision of food and clean water; treatment of people affected by HIV and other deadly diseases; promotion of agriculture and microfinance to help people support themselves and their families, and delivery of education and health services to poor people. At this point in the congressional budget process, a strong international affairs budget level is critical to ensure that adequate resources are available to assist poor and vulnerable people around the globe.
What does the International Affairs Budget have to do with my Faith? Our Catholic faith calls on us to uphold the life and dignity of the human person by alleviating human suffering and promoting justice and solidarity worldwide. As Pope Benedict XVI said in his recent encyclical letter, Caritas in Veritate, “[…] more economically developed nations should do all they can to allocate larger portions of their gross domestic product to development aid, thus respecting the obligations that the international community has undertaken in this regard.”
By insisting that our government assist our brothers and sisters around the world who need a hand up to lift themselves out of poverty, we are acting on our faith. We are giving a new birth to a living hope.
For more information contact:
Stephen Hilbert, Foreign Aid Policy Advisor, Office of International Justice and Peace, USCCB, shilbert@usccb.org, 202-541-3149 or Tina Rodousakis, Manager, Grassroots Advocacy, CRS, trodousa@crs.org, (410) 951-7462
