International Day of the Eradication of Poverty Friday October 17, 2014 Adapted from www.omiusajpic.org

Opening Prayer We gather in your presence Lord. We ask that this prayer will draw us deeper into right relationships with You, with ourselves, with each other, with institutions and with the earth.

We place our hopes, our dreams, our works and our efforts for justice, in particular the eradication of poverty before You.

We pray that we may listen deeply and reflectively so that we will be more consciously aware of the needs of the most vulnerable in our society. Having identified those needs may we have courage to work courageously for the Reign of God and the transformation of our World. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Scripture Reading James (2:1-5)

A reading from the letter of James A reading from the letter of James. My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favouritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?

For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Have a seat here, please’, while to the one who is poor you say, ‘Stand there’, or, ‘Sit at my feet’, have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Reflection: Scripture quotes on Poverty

You shall not abuse any widow or orphan You shall not abuse any widow or orphan. If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry; Exodus 22:22-23

For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield; but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the wild animals may eat. You shall do the same with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard. Exodus 23:10-11

For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield; but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the wild animals may eat. You shall do the same with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard. Exodus 23:10-11

‘O Lord, who is like you? You deliver the weak from those too strong for them, the weak and needy from those who despoil them.’ Psalm 35:10

Happy are those who consider the poor; the Lord delivers them in the day of trouble. Psalm 41:1

May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor. Psalm 72:4

The field of the poor may yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice Proverbs 13:23

“What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor?” says the Lord God of hosts. Isaiah 3:15

If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. Isaiah 58:9-10

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; Isaiah 61:1-2

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Matthew 25:35-36

And the king will answer them, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? . . . And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:37-40

God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. Luke 1:52-53

Then Jesus looked up at his disciples and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. ‘Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. ‘Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Luke 6:20-21

And he said to them, ‘Take care And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. Luke 12:15

“If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” James 2:15-17

There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Acts 4:34-37

Give us each day our daily bread. Luke 11:3

Prayers of the Faithful Loving God, bless your people.

That all Nations work together to build a world of justice, love and peace. We pray to the Lord. Loving God, bless your people. That all people have access to relevant education throughout their lives. We pray to the Lord.

That all people have meaningful work, and sufficient income to live their life with dignity. We pray to the Lord. Loving God, bless your people. That all people have adequate accommodation, appropriate healthcare, We pray to the Lord.

That all people have a genuine voice in shaping the decisions that affect them and that all people can contribute to the development of society. We pray to the Lord. Loving God, bless your people. That all development is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable for this generation and the generations to come. We pray to the Lord.

Our Father

Closing prayer God our Father, we ask you to help us to worship you in an acceptable way. Help us to be always aware that true worship demands of us to live just lives and to work for justice and peace in the world.

We ask you this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.