World Day of The Poor

It's Nov.17, 2019. It's a brisk 22 degrees F where I sit. Here on Seneca Lake in Upstate NY the sun is shining. It's the type of day where the squirrels become active jumping from lime to limb, chasing each other and twitching their tails as they sit feeling victorious after a brief encounter. Small flocks of geese and ducks travel up and down the lake, in the water and through the air. It is peaceful.

As I sit in this setting, I reflect on the fact that Pope Francis has designated this as the World Day of the Poor. He has spent the past few days making sure that he brings attention to the poor in his own neighborhood, breaking bread in a shelter that has been established in a Vatican owned building to feed and house men and women who have the need for some assistance.

I like Francis and his approach. He seems to understand the work and the message of Dorothy Day and all of the folks identified as Catholic Workers, the community of saints who live and work in houses of hospitality throughout the world. Poverty is real. It has a face, a smell, a taste. It isn't pretty and can't be fixed by an occasional check or donation. Poverty is also different around the world and in different economies. Imagine the people fleeing wars in Yemen and Syria. Women and children, in some cases with only the clothes on their backs. Or, there is the poverty in many countries in Africa being driven or made worse by climate change. Basic things like water and crops are a huge challenge.

But as I said earlier, poverty is different in different places and changing economies. Today in the United States single mothers and families struggle in so many different ways. Working two or three jobs and having to look presentable and good for work or making sure that their children aren't made fun of because of their cloths. Trying to find affordable health care or not having any at all. Poverty may not look like we think it should but it still hurts and it stresses relationships.

We also have a tendency to blame the poor for their situation, especially when they're not easy to look  at or be with. The same is often true of anyone who looks different than us. Those homeless folks we pass by on street corners or living in tents or under canvas. Who are they? Why don't they move on? Ordinances will save us from this human trash. Won't they? No. Simple as that. We are a community whether we like it or not. Sometimes people need a hand or an ear or a bed. Sometimes people need a community and you tend to get it where you can find it. Community, support and relationships go a long way in identifying problems, needs and solutions. Getting our hands dirty in the struggle with poverty is pretty much essential. Only then can we begin to understand the shoes that someone else is walking in.

So Francis has a lot of this right. Sitting with and listening to the poor is a priority. Judgmental thinking needs to go out the window. Sit, listen and learn. Watch the struggles before coming up with old answers. Find out how messy poverty really can be.

What good is a World Day of Poverty? Reflection of any kind is always good. Reflecting on the poor, poor families is critical. If designating a day or a week or a month helps someone understand the struggles of their brothers and sisters, that's not a bad thing.