A Call to serve the poor…
As I write this the new Prime Minister has just been announced and it will be interesting to see over the next few weeks how she and the Government deal with the worsening financial situation in the UK. There is much to be done and there is a lot of pressure to achieve what I think is the impossible. I am just glad I do not have the job to lead the Government through these times.
As we move through the Autumn I think we will face some challenging times as fuel costs rise and as more and more people have to make some very difficult choices between eating and heating. I just hope the poorer do not get poorer and the rich richer, although I think this may well be the case.
It is going to be hard to watch people suffer through lack of the basic necessities of life. One person, whose feast day is celebrated today, (5 September) is Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Mother Teresa had a clear calling from God to work amongst the poor.
Mother Theresa or Saint Teresa was Born in Serbia on August 26th 1910. She became a nun in Ireland and then moved to Darjeeling in north-east India. It is said that after her calling from Jesus to work amongst the poor she longed for permission to move outside the convent walls to work with the poorest of the poor in India. In 1948 she began that work in the slums of the city of Calcutta or Kolkata as it is now known. In 1950 she established the Missionaries of Charity along with twelve other sisters.
Throughout her life she challenged all kinds of people to compassion and discipleship. ‘Do you know and love the poor,’ she asked. ‘If you do not know them, how can you love them?’
A challenge to us today, I think and as we move through autumn and winter a challenge that may become bigger. We may not all be able to ‘know the poor’ in the way Mother Teresa meant, but we can offer assistance to those in need. The Cathedral does have a Charity called Micah which works in partnership with the Metropolitan Cathedral and other churches in the city to feed those who are struggling to buy food (www.micahliverpool.com) , but in these challenging times it needs donations of food or money. If you are able to help those in need please do so by contributing to Micah or any other charity that works for the alleviation of poverty.
A prayer written by Mother Teresa,
Teach me, Lord, what You require of me with regard to the poor and needy of this world. Fill my heart with Your compassion and keep me steadfast in following Jesus. Give me Your gift of happiness in all I do, that Your life in me may be attractive to those I meet. Amen..