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Blaming the Poor for Poverty

 

We announce a new series of articles under the general title of La Salette – Let Us Respond to the Cry of the Poor. This new set of reflections is in response to a recent letter from the La Salette General Council members in Rome, Italy. We have heard the concerns of their Justice and Peace Commission, which asked all La Salettes to “denounce the atrocities, and other forms of injustice perpetrated in countries like Myanmar, Madagascar, Mozambique, Haiti, and Ukraine.”

As part of this decision, the General Council “challenges us to be more open and generous in identifying the needs, praying for the suffering, and offering humanitarian help” and training more La Salettes and La Salette Laity in the area of Catholic Peace and Justice, especially applying it in own ministries around the world.

Therefore, we offer eight short prayer services in seven languages (delivered once a month for eight months) that deal with poverty and other social issues. It uses scripture and explanations from Pope Francis and Pope Benedict and contains a brief overview of Catholic Social Teaching in a question-and-answer format. Each topic can be downloaded from our website in Letter and A4 formats (see below).

Our first topic in this series is Blaming the Poor for Poverty. As people connected in some way to the event of La Salette and our Weeping Mother, we know well from her example at La Salette that we are called as reconcilers to respond compassionately to the needy as she did with the two children, Maximin and Melanie. The following are prayerful reflections offered in seven languages so that all La Salette Missionaries, and those laity connected with us, can celebrate the wisdom and challenge of our Catholic Social Teaching during this year.

These materials can be used – as a whole or in part – for personal prayer or in ministries or communities to begin meetings, prayer groups, or gatherings for religious adult education. See the links below: