Christ our Lord tells us, “The poor will be with you always” (Jn 12:8). By this He means that we are all poor – both because we remain poor, weak sinners, entirely dependent on His grace, and because everything we have in this life is His gift, and so not ultimately our own. The force of Jesus’s words is that we must therefore take care of each other, especially those who can do the least to care for themselves.
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development is an effort of the Catholic Church in this country to address the causes, not merely the symptoms, of poverty. For example, some people can take for granted skills like managing household finances, avoiding unnecessary debt, and saving for future needs or plans. But for many, these skills are never encountered at home, and to be acquired, must be explicitly taught. In the Diocese of Sioux City, CCHD grants have helped teach such skills, and have helped these same people then gain access to start-up business loans for the first time. I’m aware of two Siouxland businesses, an auto-repair shop and a photography studio, that have begun this way, lifting these families, and those of their employees, out of poverty.
In just this way, your support of this collection can make a difference for people living in poverty across the United States. Please remember to pray for the poor, and please prayerfully consider how you might help the CCHD this year. For more information about the collection and those it supports, visit http://www.usccb.org/about/catholic-campaign-for-human-development/collection/collection-resources.cfm.