March 17, 2015

After and undistinguished high school career, Jim worked on and off for a janitorial service for six years. He managed a place of his own for a few years. Lately, employment has been sporadic, leading him to return home to live with his retired parents. Therapy uncovered that Jim suffers from chronic depression. Even with medication, he has become increasingly reclusive and unable to work.

Hannah was introduced to crack cocaine at parties she went to with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend has since left her, but Hannah continues to indulge her habit every chance she gets. Her baby son was born prematurely and shows signs of problems caused by his mother’s addiction. Since arriving in the US from Ukraine, Peter has worked as a carpenter’s assistant. His wife works part time doing nails. Peter has not worked for over a month and business at the nail salon in very slow. Peter and his wife has two children, but no family or friends upon whom they can rely.

By saving what money they could from low paying jobs, Sal and Maria purchased a van which gives them flexibility in finding employment. For a decent wage, they took jobs cleaning floors at the local hospital. Sometimes their shifts overlap by a few

God identifies with those who are poor. Jesus’ family had to search for shelter prior to his birth. He experienced the hunger and thirst of poverty. Church recognizes that we are called to “active love” toward the poor by Christ. We have responsibility to help he poor live full lives, as God intended, through the virtue of Justice

While 12 million American children suffer from hunger, the food wasted in the US could feed 49 million. One out of five children in the US are poor. Children are the most vulnerable group, in fact, the younger the child, the more likely you are to be poor. Therefore childhood poverty should be a priority. Poverty deprives children of the things they need to make a better life.

Welfare reform of the mid 1990’s has shifted the responsibility to the States, limited the amount of people eligible and attempted to move people off welfare. Private charity is insufficient to move people off poverty. Helping requires a balance. Helping would require goods and services to the most vulnerable, assisting people to be self sufficient and provide services to those in need.

Both Government and the private sector help with poverty. Catholic social teaching requires that programs should be run at the local level to assure the most participation. Catholic involvement should be two fold: a.)social conversion for structural change and b.) personal conversion to change attitudes.