In the bible we are told to help others. In 1 Corinthians 12:26 it says
“If one part suffers every part suffers with it”
So by not helping the poor we are inflicting not only the poor but also ourselves.
The main way people think that they can help the poor is by giving money. This however is the easiest way because people throw their spare change into a charity box. One of the most important ways of helping the poor is by simply praying to God to help these people and having faith in God to bring inspiration and hope to those helping the poor and to the poor people themselves. We can either pray to him as a community or in private. In Matthew 6:6 we are told that God rewards faith in him.
“But when you pray, go into your room and close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” This is linked to the Christian ideal of universal priesthood. If every Christian fulfills their duty as universal priests then everyone will be compassionate towards eachother and give to charities.
“We need to build just a social order in which all receive their share of the world’s goods and no longer have to depend on charity”
Most of the world’s wealth is concentrated in a small minority of the world’s population. This Is very true in America were the richest 10% own 80% of the country’s wealth and 45 million Americans have no health care also throughout the world 1 billion people live on less than $1 dollar a day. In my view I blame governments and their selfish abuse of the power they have been unjustfully given. They live on the rule look after number 1 i.e. themselves while leaving poor around the world starving. Another issue with the governments are there moneybag efforts to keep the economy thriving but by what means? Food Company’s throwing food away. Why not donate these products to those who desperately need it?
The other way of helping the poor as a Christian is through the Catholic Church’s charity Trocaire, which means ‘mercy’ in Irish. It was set up in 1973 and is the official agency of the Catholic Church. It collects its money from parishes around Ireland and uses that money in two different ways.
It supports long term development projects in the third world. This includes things that are needed in the long term such as wells, infrastructure, buildings and also working towards peace in war torn countries. This is important because if a country can support itself then Trocaire can focus its initiatives in other countries to help them achieve the same goal. Trocaire isn’t just giving them the countries money; they help physically by buildings new buildings and medical care. It also provides emergency aid to places where war or natural disaster has struck. Short term aid includes things like temporary accommodation, medical equipment, sanitation and sterilisation kits, blankets and of course food and water.
So we can see that by praying we are showing faith in God and also showing compassion for our neighbours. By working with the church we can help the local poor people and donating money also helps those in poverty. By volunteering for an organisation like Trocaire we help the poor by building new buildings and physically helping them. By loving God and helping others we will find true happiness for everyone.