Please hear the cry of the poor says Offaly influencer

Between the various wars and conflicts in our world at present, climate change, and the multitude of  worries and tragedies the world has endured within the past few years or so, many people are finding themselves lost and are crying out in need.

Recently on the day of our national budget announcement I was at Mass in the Poor Clare's Church and I reflected on what it means to be "poor" and what it means to make each of us to be an instrument of God's beautiful peace even if the budget hasn't gone far enough to help our real poor in our country and in our world. I have noticed over my life, that to be a good person one does not need to depend on religion, status in life, job status, race, skin colour, what country they are from, political views or culture. It solely depends on how each of us treat others and each other.

The cry of the poor has always been ringing in my ear's ever since I was a young person growing up and it rings even louder each day as I get closer to that day which is the end of days in my life. I have also noticed over the years that our ears are constantly bombarded each day by all sorts of sounds. Sounds of laughter, sounds of voices, sounds of noise, sounds of music, sounds of sirens, sounds of phones, sounds of traffic, sounds of televisions and sounds of computers.

Also on some days our ears hear sounds of sadness, sounds of worry, sounds of fear, sounds of depression, sounds of illness, sounds of homelessness and sounds of grief. The sounds we hear stresses a certain kind of hearing. For me the hardest and most difficult hearing I hear is hearing the cry of the poor and even in that cry of the poor the worst of it is hearing the child's voice crying that is poor. The cry of those who cannot speak up for themselves. The cry of those who are alone and have no one with whom to share their loneliness or sadness or homelessness. The cry of those who have no helper in this life. The cry of those who have been abandoned or rejected. The cry of those who are so weak and helpless because of drought, famine, hunger and thirst that you can not even contemplate or imagine. The cry of those who are at the “bottom of the heap” and live under constant oppression. The cry of those who feel they are not worthy to live. It's the worst sound because it's the real cry of the poor.

Poverty in the world is a scandal, it is a real cry for help and support. Still, we tend to think about it only when we want to think about it. Most of us don't see the poor on a regular basis. We rarely come face-to-face with seriously sick children, severely abused and abandoned children, people with grave depression or mental illness, the chronic homeless, the lonely elderly, the abandoned and the real poor living in our midst. It's easy to live without thinking about those less fortunate. But now and then, God seizes our attention. The impoverished and those with little hope cry out for justice. In unexpected moments, we hear their cry. A clear mark of solidarity with the poor is the practice of hearing the cry of the poor and making their cries for dignity, love, justice, respect, food, water, equality, fair play, acknowledgement, hope, care, a bed, a room and freedom of our own.

The Earth Cries

We must also remember that when the Earth is crying, we are all crying. We have stopped being guardians of our planet Earth a long time ago and we have stopped listening to its cry's, and we have to turn that around. The Earth itself has literally issued a mayday warning when it comes to the irreversible effects of climate change that the world is already enduring. People and communities are and have been overwhelmed, and have been forced to face these struggles through times of isolation, separation and major worries about their future. Also many people in our world today are not so lucky to have all of their most basic human needs met. I have seen that first hand over the last month on my recent visit to Ethiopia and East Africa where some 25 million people are hungry and thirsty and are at grave risk of dying today and yet all their cry's are falling very much on deaf ears. Also all you have to do is read the latest report about poverty and our homeless and the number of children poor and homeless in our own country here in Ireland. According to the excellent hardworking charities that point out that there are many more homeless families and individual men, women and children sleeping rough on our streets than ever before.

There are many lost, desperate for work, abandoned, poor, homeless, worried and don’t know where their next meal will come from. They go through the pain of hunger and thirst every day. What is it about the homeless, the poor, the abandoned, the sick, the refugee and the marginalized that makes people so uncomfortable? These are our fellow human beings who have hit on hard times, often through no fault of their own. Loss of a job, the poor economy, the stresses of the current pandemic or family circumstances can push people and families onto the streets. These people need our support. They also need hope that they may see that their lives are worth living and hope that they will know that their tomorrow will be a better day. That hope comes from the help of others. That hope comes from you and me.

When you help someone in need you instill hope in them. You give them the capacity to be grateful and motivated to work towards a better life. You give them life, literally, by giving them food, water, encouragement and the life skills to sustain themselves. And by giving hope to their life, you make your life better. No one deserves the daily suffering of scavenging and living on our streets or being hungry and thirsty for food and water in our modern era. The solution starts with love, mercy, compassion and empathy, which will move you and me to do something, however small or big it may be. And from your actions, you will model the way for others around you, who will eventually also hopefully do something to help and support those most in need in our county, our country and our world which are crying out for help in so many circumstances at this present moment.

Thought for the week

As your thought for the week, I ask God to bless your hearts and your ears so that you may hear the cry of the poor in the midst of your daily life. I ask God to bless your heart and soul so that you may act out of the centre of compassion, and know what it is to be human and fully alive. I ask God to bless your heart and soul that you may recognise your own poverty. I ask God to bless your ears that hearing the cry of the poor and becoming poor yourself, you will find out what life is really all about and that the answer to it, is genuine true love and giving and helping others from the goodness of your heart. And I ask God to make you always remember where there is life, there is hope. Do something for someone else to ignite that fire of hope in their lives and in your life. Let this prayer be always in your heart and on your lips so that you will always hear and recognise the cry of the poor in our world and lives.

We also celebrated the feast of St. Francis this week and I have a favorite story that comes from the early writings about St. Francis that I love to reflect on. One of his closest companions, Brother Leo, would get discouraged at times. Brother Leo asked Francis to write something for him that would lift up his spirits. When Brother Leo died, a small parchment was found in his habit and is preserved to this day in Assisi. Francis wrote: "May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his face and bring you peace. The Lord bless you always. Amen."

This blessing was so comforting to Leo because it reminded him of God’s presence in his life, and the peace that comes from that presence. This gift is for all of us, too. St. Francis was known as the person who most patterned his life after that of Christ’s. It was his joy to follow the poor and humble Christ. He treasured Holy Poverty and guarded it carefully because he wanted nothing to get in the way of the greatest possession of all – God. We, too, should never forget that God is and will always be our greatest possession. St. Francis spent his life serving others after the example of Jesus, who said: “I have come to serve, not to be served.”

He freely gave to those in need from whatever he had. A way to honour his memory is to reach out to those in need with the gift of your time or treasure through one of the many service organizations in our communities. Another way to take on his spirit today is to see each individual you encounter as your brother or sister, with inherent dignity, created by God and deserving of your respect and loving concern. Every human life is a gift. Each of us is a gift. The world is a gift. All is a gift from the one primal source, God, the giver of all good gifts. To know that we are gifts, makes thanksgiving possible.  To recognize that we have been created by the free act of God, is to know that we are Loved. And in the words of St. Francis, let us always: “Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks and serve Him with great humility.

Wherever we are, in every place, at every hour, at every time, every day and continually, let all of us truly and humbly believe, hold in our heart, love, honour, adore, serve, praise, bless, glorify, exalt, magnify and give thanks to the Most High and Supreme Eternal God, Trinity and Unity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit: to Him who is Creator of all, Saviour of all, without beginning or end, unchangeable, invisible, indescribable, ineffable, incomprehensible, unfathomable, blessed, praiseworthy, glorious, exalted, sublime, most high, gentle, lovable, delightful and, above all else, totally desirable, for ever and ever. Amen." Shortly before St. Francis died. The last words of this poor man who had nothing and gave everything were, “I have done my duty; may Christ now teach you yours.”