Heeding the Pope’s Call

At the closing of the Jubilee Year, Pope John Paul II emphatically reiterated the importance of our call to action for justice. Speaking at his general audience on January 10, 2001, the Pope said,
"We must commit ourselves to freeing the oppressed and making justice reign…. At the end of the life of every person and at the close of the history of humanity, the judgment of God will be based precisely on love, the practice of justice, and assistance to the poor."

Perhaps this Lenten season is a good time to reflect more deeply on the Holy Father’s urgent mandate. Visit the Web site of the United States Catholic Bishops. There you’ll find a powerful tool, called "Poverty USA," offered by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

Go to:

www.nccbuscc.org/cchd/povertyusa/povertyusa.htm

and take the "Poverty USA Tour." You will discover startling facts about what it means to be poor in the United States. Since education of ourselves as well as others is one of the primary ways to address poverty, taking this tour and then telling others about it may be an important step towards the commitment Pope John Paul II asks of us.