Just Thinking
October 5, 2012
My wife and I were watching TV
Last week
And she made a very
Astute observation
“How come all we hear about
In the Presidential election
Is the middle class
Did everyone stop talking…..
About the Poor?”
We hear about the top 2%
And
The middle class
What are we doing about the poor?
Are they now the middle class…
Want to hear some sobering facts?
There have been
48 murders…..
In Camden, NJ
So far this year
Camden has gained the title of….
America’s most dangerous city
Camden is about 7 miles
From where I am sitting
Let’s look at some of the facts:
- 13 homicides in July – the most deadly month since a shooting spree in 1949
- Murder rate was ten times New York City in 2011 — and on pace to be even higher this year
- More than half of children live below the poverty line as the city is ravaged by drugs
- Police department forced to cut one third of officers in 2011 and arrests dropped to less than half of what they were in 2009
I am using Camden
As an example
Because it is
Close to home
There are many families hurting
Not only in Camden….
But in all across…
The United States
In cities
And
In small towns
There are independent programs
Set up
To help these people…..
Mostly non profits
With Church affiliations
Providing food
Temporary Shelter
Working with youth
Helping them to
Believe in their abilities
Teaching them
You can make a difference
Aspire,
Don’t settle
But there is no grand effort
No coordinated
Vision
To make a difference
To lift these people up
Yes,
There is unemployment
Disability
Food Stamps
And
Other Government assistance programs
But what are we doing
As a whole….
To lift the poor in spirit
Give them the opportunity
To live
To Share
The American dream
Whatsoever you do
To the least of my brethren
That you do unto me
I think we are all familiar with that line
What are we doing to help…..
The poor?
We all take our lives for granted
What we fail to realize is that…..
Every Day is a Gift
I am a product of Catholic Schools
They taught the….
The 7 Corporal Works of Mercy
- Feed the Hungry
- Give drink to the thirsty
- Cloth the naked
- Shelter the homeless
- Comfort the imprisoned
- Visit the sick
- Bury the dead
What have we been doing….
With the gifts that we have been given?
Many years ago
As man evolved
They realized
The only way
They could sustain
Continue to grow
And Survive
Would be by
Helping each other
There was no….
Bigger
Better
Stronger
They all worked together
They Realized that they….
All needed each other
The world calls us to be engaged
We are all one
“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.”
Mathew 25:34-36