Study Session: Week #3

To be distributed at the end of session #2

Why are you wealthy while that other man is poor? Is it, perhaps, in order that you may receive wages for kindheartedness and faithful stewardship, and in order that he may be honored with great prizes for his endurance? St. Basil the Great

Reflection

Think and Act Anew: Handout

In Think and Act Anew: How Poverty Affects Us All and What We Can Do about It, Fr. Larry Snyder writes:
Foundational to the teachings of the Scriptures is the belief that we are called upon to live in community. This community is premised on the relationship human beings have to one another. We are neighbors, but we are more. We are sisters and brothers called to value and practice the virtues of charity and justice. This is of ultimate importance in how we act as citizens and neighbors in the United States, and it should define what is expected of us in serving the least of those who are members of our national family. (P. 58) We will take a critical look at how we live in relationship with one another, and how loving our neighbor as ourselves establishes a fraternity that creates the human family. We will revisit some of the patterns of our daily lives and see how they support or harm our brothers and sisters who might be a few degrees of separation away from us. Finally, we will look at several individuals who made decisions to use their time and talents to bring transformative change in peoples lives.

Reading Assignment for Week #3

Chapter 4, pages 56-60, and Chapter 5, pages 61-64, from Think and Act Anew: How Poverty Affects Us All and What We Can Do about It by Fr. Larry Snyder

Consider the following questions while reading the assignment.

1. What does it mean for someone to be our neighbor? How does the biblical sense of neighbor differ from the common use of the word? 2. How are we more than neighbors? What impact does living as the human family change the way we would live or treat others? 3. How do our individual decisions about where we shop and what we buy affect others around us? Do our shopping decisions cost other people their jobs, or endorse employers who pay minimum wage and provide no benefits, like health or child care? 4. How does our individual pursuit of the American Dream contribute to (or harm) the common good? 5. What changes will you make in your own life based on this reading?

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