Statistics are impersonal, but the statistic that more than 15% of Americans are living in poverty means that 46 million people don’t have the basic necessities of life.

There are many varied causes of poverty, but what is important is the toll it takes on our brothers and sisters. It means parents who cannot find a decent job; feed their family, pay the bills, get adequate health care and live in hunger and fear.

This is not just a human tragedy. It is a moral and spiritual problem. In Matthew’s Gospel (25:42-43) Jesus asks where were you when the least of my brothers and sisters were hungry or thirsty, naked or homeless, sick or in prison? [Read more…]