A Letter From Our Pastor: Blessed Are The Poor

Dear Parishioners,

In the historical work of the Church, there has been a preferential love for the poor. Poverty is a way of life chosen by God. God became man and chose a stable and a poor family as His starting point, His apostles were poor fishermen, and the mission of the early Church included caring for widows, the poor and those who are ill or distressed. Service to the poor in the Middle Ages, embraced by religious orders, manifested itself in the formation of schools. These schools met the need in society to educate the poor and marginalized of society. The Church continues providing hope and strength to children living in a new poverty and brokenness that exists in our world today. Embracing poverty is essential in navigating through this broken world to a future life with Jesus Christ, now and forever.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta gave the keynote address at Harvard graduation many years ago. In her address, she stated that there is great poverty here in the United States. She explained that the poverty she saw was not material, but spiritual. Her address given decades ago is still applicable as spiritual poverty is still present in the United States. Hearts are set more on material goods than spiritual. The number of Christians and Catholics that attend religious service weekly is declining every year. The number of Catholics that believe that Jesus is present in the Holy Eucharist is declining. The increased number of broken families, of teen suicide and addicts are all around us. Jesus told the apostles that the “Poor will always be with you” and He sent the apostles to care for them. Mother Teresa of Calcutta gave the greatest example of caring for the poor in our time. She stated, “If I did not see Jesus in the poor, I would have never picked up that first poor man.” Mother Teresa attests that the foundation of charity is the spiritual life. Why are there so many poor people that do not receive help? The answer is in the spiritual poverty that is present in us.

In the Beatitudes written in the Gospel of Luke simply states “Blessed are the Poor.” Material and spiritual poverty is a blessing, not a curse. Let me explain, because it sounds like I am contradicting myself. Poverty enables us to recognize a need for both material and spiritual goods. When I have not eaten all day, I am hungry and I recognize my need for food. If I have not prayed in days, or attended Mass in years, there is a spiritual hunger. This type of hunger is more difficult for us to identify, because we appease that hunger with material things. When we are spiritually hungry, we may choose to attend a party or a concert, or we may choose to indulge in our favorite food or beverage. We know there is something inside that we desire, but we have a hard time identifying our spiritual needs. When we are able to identify our spiritual hunger, then we turn to God to satisfy us. Jesus desires that we see our poverty daily rather than waiting until our lives are a wreck. Daily acknowledgment that we are so spiritually poor and we need God every day, will prevent us from getting to that point where our lives are a wreck. Acknowledging our daily need for God will prepare us to love and care for the poor around us.

The poor are always around us. The poor are amongst our family, friends and community. The poor around us include those who are both materially and spiritually poor. Jesus fills us to care for the needs of these people around us. He tells us when we care for the material needs of others, we care for Him. When we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless, a drink to the thirsty, and all the corporal works of mercy, we care for Jesus. Jesus also wants us to care for spiritual needs of others. He wants us to instruct others, forgive and bear wrongs patiently, and pray for the living and the dead. The poor are around us, and the satisfaction of our spiritual needs in daily prayer and communion with God, energizes us to care for our own poverty and for the poor around us. Thank God for your poverty and He will help you bless the poor around you.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Msgr. Robert Tucker, Pastor