THE CRY OF THE POOR

“He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will himself also call and not be heard.” –Proverbs 21:13

If we don’t listen to the cry of the poor, our prayer will not be heard by God. If we give a beggar some money, have we heard his cry? If we don’t give him money, have we not heard his cry? Jesus proclaimed that His mission was to preach Good News to the poor (Lk 4:18). However, this Good News was not only about providing immediate needs but also freedom. Jesus described His Good News for the poor as the proclamation of “liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind and release to prisoners” (Lk 4:18). To hear the cry of the poor is more than giving a handout. It is giving “a year of favor” (Lk 4:18).

This year should be the occasion for the best things that have ever happened to the poor of the world in many centuries. Let us ask for the Spirit of the Lord to come upon us and anoint us (Lk 4:18). Only then will we hear the cry of the poor according to the Lord’s will.

PRAYER: Father, may I love the poor in Your radically different way. May I always “be mindful of the poor” (Gal 2:10).
PROMISE: “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act upon it.” –Lk 8:21
PRAISE: For many years in Korea, the Catholic Faith was outlawed and those caught practicing it were martyred in horrific ways. Most of the Korean martyrs were lay men and women. Today there are more than five million Catholics in South Korea.