Remember the Poor
Is it possible to eradicate poverty?
They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do. - Galatians 2:10
In today's reading, Paul is explaining how he managed to gain support from the leaders of the church Peter and James, to allow him to continue to spread the Gospel to the Greeks.
They told him to remember the poor.
While he said that was his intent, do we know if he really did that? His story, as told in the Acts of the Apostles and in his letters aren't a complete record of his ministry, so we really don't know how important the poor were to Paul.
The poor are mentioned over 200 times in The Bible, mostly in the Old Testament, and only here and in Romans with respect to Paul and his ministry. He talks about his own poverty and what he needs for his work, but we don't get a sense that help[ing the poor was what he was all about.
How often are we so focused on achieving our goals that we fail to even think of those who have little or nothing, those who are cold and hungry this winter, those who don't have the resources or access to them that we have?
I don't think we remember the poor by taking a vow of poverty, as some religious do. That is for a different purpose, to humble oneself and live simply. So, how do we remember the poor?
In our church, the weekly collection doesn't cover the expenses, so there is little, if anything, for outreach, and that means nothing for the poor. Our church is not alone in this regard. So many churches are struggling, and that means so many people are not being reached, either in church or by the ministries of the church.
Several deacons throughout our diocese run or are very involved in soup kitchens and pantries. They touch the poor weekly, and sometimes daily. But if they are not run out of our churches, do we even think of supporting them with time or money?
We should, I think, don't you agree?
We hardly ever hear the word Charity anymore. It has a stigma attached to it, but it is a vital part of spreading the Gospel and sharing the love of God, through the members of the body of Christ. So, I urge you to consider supporting the ministry to poor.
Here are a few of our churches that feed the poor:
Trinity St Paul, New Rochelle
Holy Apostles, Manhattan
Christ's Church, Rye
St George's, Newburgh
Check them out, and let them know if you can help. The deacons in these churches would love to hear from you.
More to come...