Oh, How I Would Like A Poor

Such Self-denial 'may Appear Demanding,' But It Will Allow You, So To Speak, To Be And To Breathe Within The Heart Of The Church.

Through Prayer, Charity And Humility Before God, People Receive A Heart Which Is Firm And Merciful, Attentive And Generous, A Heart Which Is Not Closed, Indifferent Or Prey To The Globalization Of Indifference.

The Church Is Likewise Conscious Of The Responsibility Which All Of Us Have For Our World, For The Whole Of Creation, Which We Must Love And Protect. There Is Much That We Can Do To Benefit The Poor, The Needy And Those Who Suffer, And To Favour Justice, Promote Reconciliation And Build Peace. But Before All Else We Need To Keep Alive In Our World The Thirst For The Absolute, And To Counter The Dominance Of A One-dimensional Vision Of The Human Person, A Vision Which Reduces Human Beings To What They Produce And To What They Consume: This Is One Of The Most Insidious Temptations Of Our Time.

To Use A Telling Phrase Of The Reverend Martin Luther King, We Can Say That We Have Defaulted On A Promissory Note And Now Is The Time To Honor It.

Education, Work, And Access To Health Care For All Are Key Elements For Development And The Just Distribution Of Goods, For The Attainment Of Social Justice, For Membership In Society, And For Free And Responsible Participation In Political Life.