How Should We Think About the Poor?

When Jesus first preached in the synagogue in Nazareth he read from Isaiah, ""The Spirit of the Lord has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor."" These reflections by the bishop of Saginaw, Michigan, challenge Catholics to focus on the poor as Jesus did. Bishop Untener explores eight ways of translating words into action to reach out and help the poor. ""It's no picnic helping the poor. There is often no feeling of fulfillment. It's work like a lot of virtue is work,"" writes Untener. This Catholic Update reaffirms a fundamental element of Christian discipleship.