“ ‘Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them’ (Matthew 11:2-6)…Belief in God and Church attendance are highest among the poor and lowest among the wealthy. Apparently, Jesus is still preaching to the poor.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“In taking upon Himself our shared human nature, Christ continued to identify with the weak, the poor, and the oppressed. He was born to a young mother under circumstances which rendered Him subject to suspicion (John 8:41). He was born into a Galilean peasant family living in a village so small it likely moved with the seasons. St. Joseph, as a day laborer, did what would today be considered “handyman” work for fellow peasants to survive. Legally, He and His family were not Roman citizens, legally categorized by Rome as “non persona.” He spent His adult life essentially homeless and dependent upon the hospitality of others. He ended His life falsely convicted, dying the most humiliating and torturous death that a tyrannical government could devise.” (Father Stephen De Young)
“As we say often in the prayers of the Church, we all need mercy before the dread judgment seat of Christ. We err, however, if we think of the Lord’s mercy as being available only in some arbitrary way in eternity. For we encounter Him every day in our neighbors, especially the poor, wretched, and inconvenient: the widow, the orphan, the stranger, and the enemy. We participate in His mercy by showing mercy to them. That is how we share more fully in the life of the Savior as we conform our character to His.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters)
“As Christ’s disciples, we are not merely asked to provide material assistance to the needy, but also to care for the poor with pure hearts that keep God’s word. Saint Paul warns us that if we “bestow all [our] goods to feed the poor, and though [we] give [our] body to be burned, but have not love, it profits [us] nothing” (1 Cor 13:3). Caring for the poor is not simply a kindness on our part; it is integral to our salvation. God declares, “Blessed is the man that hath understanding for the poor man and the pauper; in an evil day the Lord will deliver him” (Ps 40:1).” (Dynamis 11/16/2020)
“…a young boy heard his father offer a fervent prayer for the poor and needy at their dinner table. When the prayers were over and all began to eat, the young boy asked, "Wouldn't it be simpler, dad, if we all just shared with those who have less?" Of course it would! But it is much easier to pray for someone than it is to sacrifice and to help him ourselves. We are not content to offer up to God what we cannot do ourselves, but often ask that he assume our responsibilities as well.” (Fr. Andrew Demotses)
"All that we call human history--money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery--[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy." (C. S. Lewis)
“A man's poverty before God is judged by the disposition of his heart, not by his coffers…What is important is how a person views God in prosperity or poverty, not the prosperity or poverty itself.” (St. Augustine of Hippo, Life Application Study Bible, Job 21:29-33)
“The Kingdom of God and a perfect human world are not the same things. The Kingdom of God is not theological shorthand for human improvement. If all disease disappeared tomorrow and all poverty and inequality went the way of the Dodo Bird, the Kingdom of God would be nowhere nearer or further. There is no social agenda that has any relationship with the Kingdom of God.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“Prosperity, more than poverty, can dull our spiritual vision because it tends to make us self-sufficient and eager to acquire still more of everything—except God. The same thing can happen in our church. Once we become successful in terms of numbers, programs, and buildings, we can easily become self-sufficient and less sensitive to our need for God. This leads us to concentrate on self-preservation rather than thankfulness and service to God.” (Life Application Study Bible, Deuteronomy 6:10-13)
“He who thinks that he has achieved perfection in virtue will never go to seek the original source of blessing, for he has limited the scope of his aspiration to himself and so of his own accord has deprived himself of the condition of salvation, namely God. The person aware of his natural poverty where goodness is concerned never relaxes his impetus towards Him who can fully supply what he lacks.” (St. Maximos the Confessor)