What do you know about poverty?
Monday, August 15, 2022
Victor Martell
When I was first told about the poor, I was introduced to a figure that was very peculiar to me because I saw him outside churches on Sundays or walking down the streets: the typical beggar who, sick or healthy, asked for alms as he saw us passing by.
I have learned that these beggars represent only one aspect of what we call poverty, because in truth they are suffering in the flesh from the hardships of it all. However, they are not the only unfortunate ones; there are also other destitute people who need help:
The poor who are homeless.
The poor who are living alone.
The poor who do not know Jesus, nor his Church.
The poor who do not receive a visit from a relative in a nursing home.
The poor who are in prison and whose friends have forgotten about them.
The poor who are in a hospital and do not receive visits for fear of contagion.
The poor who lost their jobs.
The poor women abused by chauvinistic husbands.
The poor young women who have been tricked into prostitution, lured by lies of a better life.
The poor laborers being exploited because they lack legal immigration status.
The poor who cannot claim their rights because they live under a dictatorship.
The poor who are trapped by drug and alcohol addictions.
The poor who cannot read or write.
The poor who do not know the language of the country where they came for a better life.
The poor who are discriminated against because of their race, color or sexual preference.
The list of different types of poverty is endless. Perhaps you can add many more. However, I invite you not to keep making the list longer, but to see the possibility of helping one of these victims of poverty.
Sometimes we say, "I don't have money to help because I don't even have enough for my own expenses." You know that many of your expenses are superfluous and you could save to help. But that is another story.
What I want to point out and bring to your awareness is that it is not necessary to organize a group or establish an institution, but to find a way to help the unfortunate ones who are suffering and need a helping hand. Sometimes even a phone call or a visit to a hospital or a jail can make a difference.
Instead of following the routine of going to the club or to the beach, invite one of your friends and open the doors to a change that will fill your lives with happiness, and that you will remember for a long time.
The poor are expecting you. Don't make them wait any longer.
This blog also appears as a column in the August 2022 edition of La Voz Catolica.
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