Main menu:
newsletter > 2005
"You are not to built a temple for me to live in.
I have never lived in a temple from the day
I brought Israel out until today,
but went from tent to tent,
from one shelter to another"
1Cron. 17,5
When king David asks advice from the prophet Natan: "Here am I living in a house of cedar, while the ark of Yahwe's covenant dwells beneath a tent cloth" it becomes clear that he is uneasy in comparing his life of plenty and God's radicalism. But God cannot be locked up; He will always be out there, among the under-privileged. 'Concern for the poor is a constant theme throughout the Bible and in the Church's teaching, from the early Church to the most recent encyclicals. "Do not honour Jesus here in the church, clothed in silk vestments and then pass him by unclothed and frozen outside" says St. John Chrysostom. Whilst there is concern for welfare and for charity, there are also many calls for change in the structures which bring about poverty in the first place. As Jon Sobrino has pointed out, the poor are a mirror for the rich, showing up the inadequacies and distortions of a wealthy lifestyle, reflecting back in bright light the consequences of structural injustice.
Church teaching highlights the global structures of sin, which lead to the huge and ever-growing gap between rich and poor. The Church speaks out clearly against poverty - it is a scandal that affects all of us, whether we see ourselves as rich or poor. As Christians we cannot, as St. John Chrysostom says honour Jesus in the church and pass him by unclothed and frozen outside'... This reflection from CAFOD is part of the attached resource material. Most of it is about the campaign 'Make Poverty History'. Yesterday, Comboni claimed it was the hour of Africa. Today Politicians seem to be on the same wavelength. Nelson Mandela, speaking in London said, "Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom."
On the Saturday of the ordination to the deaconate of Marcial, Jose', Noli and Oswald, I was at the CAFOD headquarters in London for a meeting of the JP diocesan commissions. Preparations are well ahead for this year's J&P National Conference entitled "We are Stewards of Creation - the Greening of Justice and Peace". It will take place in Swanwick from the 8th till the 10th of July. I am sending you the form for the enrolment if you wish to join me. Know that there are difficulties among the diocesan JP commissions in taking up the challenge and organizing future conferences. Organizations such as Pax Christi have offered a to help in this. In fact this is their 60th anniversary and they are going to celebrate it at St. Joseph's in Hendon next June the 18th.