I'm sure you wouldn't be surprised if I tell you that there are instances, after I have preached a homily, when something "comes out" that leads me to regret that I didn't have that information before I preached that homily. Such was the case last weekend as one of my points about Jesus' encounter with the rich man was that He called on the man who wanted to know how to "inherit eternal life" (Mk 10:17) to sell his possesions and give the money to the poor. (Mk 10:21). This is one of a number of Gospel passages in which Jesus called on "would be followers" to show love and generosity toward the poor.
I'm sure Pope Francis was pleased with the Gospel for this past Sunday, because it fell on the day of the canonization of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, Pope Paul VI, and five others. Archbishop Romero was martyred on March 24, 1980, in large part, because of his love and care for the poor in a country where those in power did what they could to oppress the poor. Pope (and now Saint) Paul VI wrote in his famous encyclical, "On the Development of Peoples" (1967): "On the part of the rich man, it calls for great generosity, willing sacrifice and diligent effort, " when it comes to care of those who are hungry and poor.
I believe it's clear through the words and example of Saints Oscar Romero, Pope Paul VI and, firstly, that of Jesus himself, that the path to eternal life is walked by those who regularly and generously care about and care for the poor. In addition to many avenues in which we can directly help the poor with our God-given resources, there are opportunities we have to generally improve the living conditions for the poor -- like our generosity to the Campaign for Human Development collection, November 17 and 18, and the power of our vote on election day. I urge you to educate yourself on Issue 5 which will be voted on November 6, 2018 which, if passed, will gradually increase the state's minimum wage to $11 an hour by 2021. Among other things, this has the real potential to lift some people out of the status of "poverty level" and give them a chance to care better for their own and their family's basic needs.
I'm sure Pope Francis was pleased with the Gospel for this past Sunday, because it fell on the day of the canonization of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, Pope Paul VI, and five others. Archbishop Romero was martyred on March 24, 1980, in large part, because of his love and care for the poor in a country where those in power did what they could to oppress the poor. Pope (and now Saint) Paul VI wrote in his famous encyclical, "On the Development of Peoples" (1967): "On the part of the rich man, it calls for great generosity, willing sacrifice and diligent effort, " when it comes to care of those who are hungry and poor.
I believe it's clear through the words and example of Saints Oscar Romero, Pope Paul VI and, firstly, that of Jesus himself, that the path to eternal life is walked by those who regularly and generously care about and care for the poor. In addition to many avenues in which we can directly help the poor with our God-given resources, there are opportunities we have to generally improve the living conditions for the poor -- like our generosity to the Campaign for Human Development collection, November 17 and 18, and the power of our vote on election day. I urge you to educate yourself on Issue 5 which will be voted on November 6, 2018 which, if passed, will gradually increase the state's minimum wage to $11 an hour by 2021. Among other things, this has the real potential to lift some people out of the status of "poverty level" and give them a chance to care better for their own and their family's basic needs.