Warm thoughts for poor people

"We're Number One!" How often have we heard that cry from a stadium crowd exulting over their team's victory? Can you imagine Jesus shouting that? If so, you must have had mixed feelings as you listened to the Scripture readings at last weekend's liturgy.

The beginning of the first reading (Isaiah 61:1-2a) is clearly meant to refer to Jesus. In fact, at the very start of His ministry, He went to the synagogue in Nazareth, specifically looked for this passage and applied it to Himself (Luke 4:18-21).

He tells us that He is sent to those who are poor, captive, disabled or imprisoned -- hardly those considered "number one," either then or today.

Jesus singles out those who are, by the world's standards, the losers and frees them from the chains that have kept them bound at the margins of their community.

Who is marginalized today? Would you include the people living in shelters who own their own homes but cannot afford utilities? Would you include Rose, a woman in her fifties who is permanently disabled and has severe asthma?

Rose (her name has been changed to guard her identity) is unemployed and has no health insurance. Her prescriptions come to $250þ$300 each month. She lives in public housing with her daughter, who is in her mid-teens. Rose receives a monthly disability check of less than $600 and a little more than $400 in child support.

That income is too high for this little family to qualify for public assistance or food stamps. So, each month, Rose must try to stretch slightly less than $1,000 to cover rent, food, medicine, utilities, bus fare and laundry, not to mention clothing and necessities. But her income simply can't stretch that far, so she has fallen behind in her utility payments. Worse, she has been threatened with eviction if her electricity is turned off.

Rose sought help from Catholic Charities' emergency assistance fund, which itself can only stretch as far as donations permit.

Unhappily, Rose's story is not unique. Frank (not his real name) is a single father caring for two children. He is a good parent whose only regret is that his two part-time jobs don't leave enough time for him to read to or play with his daughter and son.

Because his jobs aren't full-time, he lacks health insurance. The cost of his apartment's electric baseboard heating has doubled this year. Each month, Frank pays a portion of all his bills, but he knows that, with the onset of winter, his heating expenses will outstrip his ability to make even his partial payments.

He is frightened as he realizes that he is one check away from moving his family into a homeless shelter. Through its emergency assistance fund, Catholic Charities is helping him obtain family health coverage and eventually to secure an apartment with a less expensive heating source.

As we enter the coldest time of the year, can your spending for Christmas stretch to include someone who, like Rose and Frank, cannot afford heat and light? If so, you may find that this gift, more than any other on your Christmas list, affords you the deepest satisfaction, since you will be offering it to Christ Himself.

Donations to Catholic Charities' emergency assistance fund may be sent to Catholic Charities, 40 N. Main Ave., Albany NY 12203. Put "emergency assistance" in the memo line.

(Barbara DiTommaso is the director of the Albany diocesan Commission on Peace and Justice.)

(12/15/05) [[In-content Ad]]