Tag Archives: poverty

I mentioned at the conference that a common stereotype about Jews is that we’re all wealthy to some degree; the complementary myth, of course, is that there are no poor Jews.

Anyone who has planted a seed before knows the feeling of wanting to return and find a huge shade tree growing in the place where it was sown. And in development work, you hope that the tree is also producing enough fruit to feed the entire village!

True compassion and true sacrifice for others require that we surrender to God's influence over us, which will sustain us when our cheap human versions of those words fail us and we are tempted to put up the barricades and scream, “No more!”

In material terms, one man's poverty/need is another man's luxury. But in Matthew 5:3 Jesus speaks about spiritual poverty. This is the far worse poverty, the kind he wants to address in all of us.

Somebody once said, “Don't pray for a solution to a problem unless you are willing to be part of that solution.” For the first time in my life I am beginning to feel that willingness.

The Katrina experience has much to teach us about the ways in which disaster relief programs interact with poverty and social welfare programs.