Reaching out to oppressed is the same as touching God 
The Universe
(June 12, 2005)
The age-old question that bothers us all is how can one be worthy of eternal life. I am asked this by many people, just like the rich young man in the Gospel who asked Jesus. Christ told him to sell all he had, give the proceeds to the poor and follow him.
Loving and sharing with others to ease their pain is the only road to happiness in this world and a passport to the next. Each of us has to share our worldly goods with those who have none. We don't have to impoverish ourselves, just lift others out that horrible state.
Wealth brings it's own problems and sadness. One of them is that it distracts mightily from the spiritual nature of a person and generates not gratitude and generosity but greed and selfishness. The wealthy serve only themselves, their families and their masters. They lack the love needed to change an unjust society.
The gospel story of the rich man and the beggar dying at his gate is one of the most powerful images of the barrier separating rich and poor. The only creatures that had compassion were the dogs who came to lick and heal his sores and ease the pain. The rich man wouldn't give even the crumbs that fell from his table. Apathy and indifference to suffering and injustice is the greatest sin of all.
That's what greed does - it separates us from the Love of God and the truth of human failings. We might think we are above all that squalor of human misery and don't need to think about it, but that will plunge us into the abyss of unhappiness and an unfilled life.
At the end when we face death can we truly say we have met God in the poor? Why else would God send His son in human form as a poor carpenter preaching the Sermon on the Mount "blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven?"
We are so accustomed to thanking God for the good things we have in life - a home, security, food, an education and a job - but not only is that to be enjoyed for ourselves alone, these gifts enable us to help others.
There are hundreds of thousands of dedicated young people among the poor and the needy. They are the unsung heroes who work in refugee camps,and on the streets with the homeless and the hungry, bringing compassion and hope. I am blessed to know and work with many of them.
Faith resides in the People Of God, each one of us, who do our very best to serve and love others. No matter what little we can do, according to our means and abilities, it is a contribution to the great ocean of dynamic love that is out there in the people of true faith.
They bring hope and love to the suffering and the sick, the wretched of the earth. They are upholding the dignity of everyone.
I was inspired by the generous responses of San Beda law Students to offer to join us in our work to free the children from the wretched conditions of the prisons of Metro Manila. One group of students has succeeded in securing the release of a young boy. We need more legal and social science students to implement what they are learning in college and put it to the service of the children in prison. They only have to contact me at Preda (preda@info.com.ph). This is Christianity in action.
God is love and has called us to be where He is present, in the poor. It may be hard to understand, but through them, we see His presence. [End]
