St Peter Administrator posted on October 21, 2005 10:22
Our observation of Respect Life Month should include such issues as poverty and hunger, domestic violence, war and the torture of prisoners, the arms race, and many others, especially as they impact on the children of the world.
One in four children in the U.S. go to bed hungry; one of our brothers or sisters in other parts of the world dies EVERY THREE SECONDS. Ending poverty, one of the U.N.
Millennium Development Goals, subscribed to by 147 nations including the U.S., need not be just a dream if we hold our elected leaders to the promises they have made. Here are some ways we can make pverty history:
- Support debt cancellation for the poorest countries, without conditions.
- Switch to Fair Trade items in your home and school; use your buying power to benefit the poor.
- Learn about the Millennium Development Goals and share this information widely; write to the President expressing your support of the goals.
- Pray for justice for the world's poor.
- Sign the Make Poverty History petition by visiting http://www.one.org
Prayer to Make Poverty History
Christ, our Lord, your light shines into the shadows and shows us the unjust structures that need transformation. We know that often obstacles are in our own hearts and heads, in the way we live nad in our daily choices and actoins. We pray that we may accept the light of your love as a challenge to change ourselves and our world. We pray that each day we consciously make the choices and take the actions that will bring us closer to the end of poverty and lead us to a more just and peaceful world. Help us to recognize our fears and hold them up to your transforming light. Be with us, Lord, as we accept your challenge and learn to live our lives in love. Amen.