Comments on OSV Daily Take Blog: Looking into the eyes of poverty

Great article, Mary! Very often in New York, we co...

2010-03-12T15:41:18.678-05:00

Great article, Mary! Very often in New York, we come face to face with poverty -- on the streets, in shelters, in doorways -- but too often, it becomes part of the background. We forget what poverty really means to our neighbors who are struggling -- and we forget that we're always called to help.

Hi Mary - I had to come back and reread this now t...

2010-03-11T21:38:00.182-05:00

Hi Mary - I had to come back and reread this now that I am finally home.

It really is mercy that is the challenge... I felt that greatly at work today.

Peace to you.

Fran, Thank you so much for your thoughtful and be...

2010-03-11T11:55:08.497-05:00

Fran,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and beautiful comment. You're right: Mercy can be much harder to incorporate into our lives than the more concrete practices like fasting. I find, as I journey through Lent, that the fasting is the easy part. The prayer, mercy and charity are much more challenging.
Peace,
Mary

Your words are a reminder of the Gospel imperative...

2010-03-11T11:36:42.391-05:00

Your words are a reminder of the Gospel imperative to embrace the poor.

Of course we are all the poor... that is the most challenging embrace. However if we do not confront the suffering and material poverty before our own eyes, we will not be transformed, nor will we transform others.

It all looks easy on paper, but it is not.

The other night I gave a talk at my parish about prayer, fasting and mercy. I thought the fasting was hard, the mercy it seems is much harder. And that mercy is required if we are to look deeply into the eyes of poverty.

Fran Rossi Szpylczyn