Faith Matters - Anti-Poverty Week

With all of the information about roadmaps and the excitement of our Year 12 students final days this week you may have missed an important campaign that occurs at this time each year. Amongst everything else that is occurring Anti-Poverty Week and it’s call for justice is also happening. As our community transitions from the emotional and financial difficulties of the last two years we have the opportunity to contemplate how we might respond to those in need today.

As a College we seek to empower our students to be aware that service involves more than just a financial response. Our response to Anti-Poverty Week should be diverse and sincere. Although Anti-Poverty Week is a national campaign to raise awareness of the financial struggles impacting many Australians, at the College we also consider poverty more broadly. As our faith tradition is global our awareness of justice issues is also.

Did you know:

• In Australia there are more than 3.24 million people or 13.6% of the population living below the poverty line. That includes 1 in 6 children.
• The poverty line is defined as 50% of median household income. That is $457 a week for single adults, $731 for a sole parent with two children or $960 for a couple with two children in 2018-2018.
• Globally over 1 billion people live on less than $1 a day with nearly half the world's population (2.8 billion) living on less than $2 a day.
• More than 800 million people go to bed hungry every day, 300 million of these are children.
• Every year six million children die from malnutrition before their fifth birthday.

These facts are confronting. Although lockdown has impacted our community in many ways we are still able to give and serve. Our Year 9 Journey students have recently unpacked the Gospel parable of the ‘sheep and goats’. The key section explored is the vivid imagery Jesus gives in saying to his disciples, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me”. Matthew 25:31-40

Translating this to the world we encounter requires us to contemplate who the hungry in the world are today, who are at the margins of society, who are the vulnerable or those stripped of dignity, who are the ill and what are their illnesses and who are those locked away and isolated. Each of these questions requires deep reflection. A superficial response allows a shallow response.

When we become aware of the challenge Jesus presents in the parable we gain an insight into the way God sees humanity. The ill are not simply those who are physically sick. The ill are those who are beaten down and are unable to cope with the world around them. Those who are unable to accept or offer love are also ill. People who are unable to encounter God are in need of His care.

Reflecting upon this reading during Anti-Poverty Week we are provided the opportunity to respond. Often when we consider helping others we think of donating money or food to help those in need. Although this is our primary way of donating and helping those in need, there are times when we may not be in a position to do. There are times when we may not be able to donate,or times when this option should be rejected as the lesser option. Our tradition calls us to bring justice to the world. We are prophets who are called to advocate for those in need and offer the love of God to people, especially “the least of these who are members of my family”.

We are called to walk with those in need and support them in seeking justice. Charity is an important but temporary response to those in need. We live in an affluent society and giving financially is often a direct and simple response. Sometimes however we fail in our discipleship when we allow our response to be limited to charity or be based on a transaction. Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu beautifully explains justice in his vivid analogy in saying that, “There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in”. The power we have is found in our freedom and our advocacy. We are privileged people who have the ability to bring justice and change. 

This is the work of Jesus. He didn’t simply heal those He encountered, He welcomed and affirmed those whose society at the time rejected. We are called to do the same. Charity alone is limited and brief at best.

When we consider poverty in our nation, and around the world, there is so much need. But we are undaunted by the challenge, we are people of hope and our desire for justice is at the centre of our lived Gospel. Our mission as disciples is to see the world as Jesus does and offer the love and peace that renews and transforms. Pope Francis reminds us that , “with the grace of Baptism and of Eucharistic Communion I can become an instrument of God's mercy, of that beautiful mercy of God”.

As Anti-Poverty Week concludes I encourage you to consider our call to live the Gospel and what means we have to offer charity, justice and advocacy for our brothers and sisters in need. ‘Happy Anti-Poverty Week!’.

Yours in Christ,

Brendan Nicholls  Liturgy Coordinator