*“If you want God to hear your prayers, hear the voice of the poor. If you wish God to anticipate your wants, provide those of the indigent without waiting for them to ask you. Especially anticipate the needs of those who are ashamed to beg. To make them ask for alms is to make them buy it.”
Catholic social justice teaching emphasizes, as one of its major themes, the preferential option for the poor. Although we may think of Catholic social teaching as a modern development, it goes back to the Scriptures and the saints, such as today’s saint, St. Thomas of Villanova, who is quoted above.
St. Thomas was an Augustinian friar nominated Archbishop of Valencia, Spain in 1544. When he finally accepted the position under obedience, he donated the four thousand gold pieces given to him by the religious of the cathedral to furnish his residence to a local hospital in need of renovation. He wore the habit he received as a novice 28 years earlier. He mended it himself. He not only advocated direct action to serve the poor, he also worked at solving the structural foundations for poverty: “Charity is not just giving, rather removing the need of those who receive charity and liberating them from it when possible.” St. Thomas of Villanova died on September 8, 1555.
Jesus told us in the Parable of the Last Judgment, Mt. 25:31-46, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, visit the sick and imprisoned, shelter the homeless, and bury the dead. The Corporal Works of Mercy are a distinguishing characteristic of a disciple of Jesus. But so is providing employment, education, advocacy, and justice. The Corporal Works of Mercy take care of immediate needs. We must also ameliorate the causes of poverty.
*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_von_Villanova_17Jh.jpg
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