Hope for Housewives — Or Dishonor?
Concern for the poor has been a cornerstone of Catholic action and doctrine since Jesus issued the Beatitudes, chief among which is the first, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus came to vindicate the suffering of the poor and give them hope for eternal life.
But who are the poor? The American Heritage Dictionary defines the poor as “People with little or no wealth and possessions considered as a group.” The Church calls upon her members to perform Corporal Works of Mercy, which include feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, tending to the sick, and visiting prisoners. The Church has a good handle on who the poor are and what they require.
But if you were to ask Amartya Sen, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, he would tell you that the Church’s understanding is inadequate. Sen, whose article “Will There Be Any Hope for the Poor?” appears as part of Time magazine’s “Visions 21” series (May 22) speculating on the future of “Our Work, Our World,” claims that “Economic poverty is not the only kind of poverty…,” and that the definition of the poor must include “subjugated homemakers in male-dominated societies, common in Asia and Africa, who lead a life of unquestioning docility….”
You May Also Enjoy
Our shared vocation as Christians is showing our neighbors that destroying preborn babies cannot be an act of justice, much less of love.
Michael Rose Is a Liar and a Vicious Bully... Michael Rose Responds... The Traditional Latin Mass — Pro and Con... The Dogs Are Barking...
Workers of the World, Unite! — In Front of the Boob Tube... From Mere Christianity To Merest Christianity... All Power to The (Smart) People... The Prophet Elijah Deported and King David's Condo Up for Sale... Right From the Mare's Mouth... The Atheist, the Cardinal and The Liberals... Dogma: A Damnable Mess of a Movie