Tag: poverty

columns2017

Being charitable

Post author By Web administrator
Post date September 3, 2017

by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI

“Unless those who call themselves Christians live to serve, their lives serve no good purpose” (Pope Francis).

On September 5, the world will observe the International Day of Charity. The day was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the death of St Teresa of Kolkata. The UN urges us “to commemorate the Day in an appropriate manner, by encouraging charity, including through education and public awareness-raising activities” as “charity contributes to the promotion of dialogue, solidarity and mutual understanding among people”.

If we are to do as Pope Francis said in his 2014 Lenten message and “bear witness to the Gospel message to those who live in material, moral and spiritual poverty”, we must do more than just give to the poor those things that we no longer want, or dole out a few dollars to those who beg on our streets.

Tags charity, poverty

columns2016

Leave no one behind

Post author By Web administrator
Post date September 25, 2016

The Gospel Reading of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31) should lead us to reflect and act on the indifference that exists in our communities and in our world and which leads to immense suffering of those who should have a place at the table of life.

Tags poor, poverty

columns2016

St Teresa, icon of charity and mercy

Post author By Web administrator
Post date September 4, 2016

By Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ (http://rcsocialjusticett.org) & Director, CREDI

The Vatican will anticipate the canonisation of Blessed Teresa of Kolkata with this special postage stamp, which will be released September 2, two days before Pope Francis officially declares her a saint. CNS photo/courtesy Vatican Philatelic and Numismatic Office.

“Love is not patronizing and charity isn’t about pity, it is about love. Charity and love are the same – with charity you give love, so don’t just give money but reach out your hand instead.” – Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

Today (September 4), we thank God as Pope Francis canonises Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (now Kolkata). She was born on August 26, 1910 as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Macedonia. She was the third child of an Albanian grocer and his wife.

Each time we say the Creed, we profess our belief in the Communion of Saints. As St Teresa joins this Communion of Saints in heaven, let us ask her to intercede for us and strive to imitate her life – a life of prayer and action; a life of unshakable faith, devoted to the sick, the poor, the wounded and the marginalised. She died of heart failure at the age of 87 years old in 1997 in Calcutta.

Tags poor, poverty, saint

columns2014

Working for a world without poverty

Post author By Web administrator
Post date October 19, 2014

“Oh, how I wish for a Church that is poor and for the poor!”

– Pope Francis speaking to journalists, March 16, 2013

On Friday October 17, the world observed International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. In his message in 2013, Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the UN, reminded us that: “more than 1.2 billion people still live in extreme poverty worldwide. Too many, especially women and girls, continue to be denied access to adequate health care and sanitation, quality education and decent housing. Too many young people lack jobs and the skills that respond to market demands. Rising inequality in many countries — both rich and poor — is fueling exclusion from economic, social and political spheres, and we know that the impacts of climate change and loss of biodiversity hit the poorest the hardest. All of this underpins the need for strong and responsive institutions.

Tags poverty

columns2013

Eradicating poverty in T&T

Christians must learn to make their act of faith in Christ by discerning His voice in the cry for help that rises from this world of poverty (Blessed Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter: At the Beginning of the New Millennium, no. 50)

Please attend CCSJ’s Seminar on Saturday, June 1, in Carapichaima. Fr Matthew D’Hereaux will speak on the relevance today of Blessed Pope John XXIII’s encyclical: Peace on Earth.

At the National Consultation organised by the Ministry of Planning & Sustainable Development and the UN System on May 10, entitled: “The Future We Want”, I expressed concern that data provided to participants in the Thematic Working Group on Poverty Eradication & Gender Equality focused on poverty in the USA only. Loving our neighbour has global dimensions.

Tags poverty