CST 101: Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

Summary

The script emphasizes God's and Jesus's preferential love for the poor, highlighting how Jesus's life exemplifies this by being born into poverty and preaching about it. It calls for a personal encounter with the poor, viewing them as equals and recognizing them as the face of Christ. The message urges addressing both immediate needs and systemic issues, challenging societal structures that perpetuate poverty. It advocates for a simple yet profound approach to caring for the poor, including charity, love, and direct engagement, questioning who will act if not the church.

Takeaways

• 🌟 God's preferential option for the poor is exemplified by Jesus's birth and teachings.
• 💡 Serving the poor is serving Christ, as emphasized in Matthew 25.
• 👥 Encountering the poor should be done with humility and as equals, not with a sense of superiority.
• 🌐 The poor are often the most vulnerable and forgotten members of society.
• 🔍 It's important to not only recognize the existence of poverty but to be emotionally and mentally affected by it.
• 🤝 The preferential option for the poor involves addressing both immediate needs and systemic issues.
• 🌱 Recognizing our shared humanity with those who suffer can foster a sense of unity and compassion.
• 🏥 Caring for the poor is straightforward and involves charity, love, and direct contact.
• 🏛 The church has a critical role in embodying and living out the message of caring for the poor.
• 🔑 Addressing poverty involves challenging and changing the systems and structures that create and perpetuate it.

Q & A

What is the preferential option for the poor?

The preferential option for the poor refers to the special attention and care that should be given to the impoverished and vulnerable in society, as demonstrated by God's incarnation as Jesus among a poor family and his teachings that focused on the poor.

Why did God choose to incarnate as Jesus among a poor family?

God chose to incarnate as Jesus among a poor family to show a special love for those who had no one to turn to, not because they were the most righteous or holy, but because they were in need.

What does Jesus preach about the poor in the script?

Jesus preaches among the poor and about the poor, emphasizing God's love for them and the idea that serving the poor is serving Christ himself, as stated in Matthew 25.

How does serving the poor relate to encountering Christ?

Serving the poor is equated with encountering Christ because Christ identifies with the least of his brothers and sisters, as mentioned in Matthew 25, suggesting that those in poverty are the face of Christ.

What is the mindset we should have when encountering the poor?

When encountering the poor, we should approach them as fellow poor persons, not from a position of superiority, recognizing our shared humanity and vulnerability.

Why are the poor often forgotten in society?

The poor are often forgotten in society because they are the most vulnerable and marginalized, and society tends to overlook or ignore those who are not in positions of power or influence.

What does the preferential option for the poor call us to do?

The preferential option for the poor calls us to address both immediate needs and systemic problems, looking at both the individual in front of us and the larger societal issues that contribute to their poverty.

How are the poor made poor according to the script?

The poor are made poor by others and by systems and structures in society, not by choice, but through external factors that disadvantage them.

What are some ways to show love to the poor?

Showing love to the poor can be done through charity, giving to organizations that care for the poor, giving directly to the poor, and physically coming in contact with them through touch and interaction.

Why is it important for the church to care for the poor?

It is important for the church to care for the poor because it embodies the teachings of Christ and serves as a living testament to the good news. If the church does not do it, it raises the question of who else will.

How can we address the larger issues that contribute to poverty?

We can address the larger issues contributing to poverty by examining societal, political, economic, and social structures, and working towards systemic changes that alleviate the conditions that create and perpetuate poverty.

Outlines

00:00

🙏 God's and Jesus's Preferential Option for the Poor

This paragraph discusses the concept of God's preferential option for the poor, exemplified by Jesus's birth into a poor family and his teachings among the poor. It emphasizes that God's love for the poor is not based on their righteousness but on their need. The scripture in Matthew 25 is highlighted as a reminder that serving the poor is serving Christ himself. The paragraph calls for a humble approach to encountering the poor, recognizing them as fellow human beings and the face of Christ. It also addresses the systemic issues that contribute to poverty and the importance of addressing both immediate needs and larger societal problems. The paragraph concludes with a call to action to put the poor first in all endeavors.

Keywords

💡preferential option for the poor

This concept refers to the idea that God and Jesus have a special love and concern for the poor and marginalized. It is a central theme of the video, emphasizing that Jesus' incarnation and teachings were among the poor, highlighting their importance in Christian theology. The video script discusses how this preferential option is not based on the poor's righteousness but on their need, and it calls for a similar attitude in Christians towards the poor.

💡God's incarnation

God's incarnation refers to the Christian belief that God became human in the person of Jesus Christ. This concept is crucial in the video as it illustrates God's solidarity with humanity, especially the poor. The script mentions that Jesus was born into a poor family, emphasizing God's identification with and love for the poor.

💡Matthew 25

Matthew 25 is a chapter in the New Testament that includes the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, where Jesus teaches about judgment based on how one treats 'the least of these.' The video script quotes this chapter to underline the importance of caring for the poor as an act of service to Christ himself, thus linking the treatment of the poor to one's relationship with God.

💡humanizing

Humanizing refers to the act of recognizing and affirming the humanity of others, especially those who are marginalized or dehumanized by society. In the context of the video, it is used to describe the proper way to approach and interact with the poor, emphasizing empathy and dignity. The script contrasts this with the dehumanizing effects of poverty and societal neglect.

💡systemic problems

Systemic problems refer to issues that are deeply rooted in the structures and systems of society, rather than being isolated incidents. The video discusses the need to address both immediate needs and systemic problems, indicating a holistic approach to poverty alleviation. It suggests that while direct aid is important, it is also necessary to examine and change the underlying causes of poverty.

💡charitable

Charitable describes actions or behaviors that are motivated by a desire to help others, particularly those in need. In the video, the concept is used to encourage giving to the poor, either through organizations or directly. It is presented as a fundamental aspect of embodying the preferential option for the poor and living out Christian values.

💡brotherhood and sisterhood

Brotherhood and sisterhood refer to the sense of community and mutual responsibility among people, especially within a religious or spiritual context. The video script uses these terms to emphasize the importance of viewing the poor as one's own family, thereby fostering a sense of responsibility and care towards them.

💡physical contact

Physical contact, in the context of the video, refers to the act of touching, holding hands, or being in close proximity to others as a way of showing love and solidarity. It is mentioned as a way to genuinely express care for the poor, contrasting with a more distant or detached form of charity.

💡good news

The term 'good news' is often used in Christian contexts to refer to the teachings of Jesus Christ, particularly the message of salvation and hope. In the video, it is used to challenge the community to not only proclaim the good news but also to live it out by caring for the poor, thus embodying the teachings of Jesus.

💡bearer of the good news

A bearer of the good news is someone who carries and shares the Christian message of salvation and hope. The video script questions the role of the church as a bearer of the good news, suggesting that if the church does not actively care for the poor, it fails to live up to its calling and leaves a void in society.

💡love

Love, in the context of the video, is a central theme and a fundamental Christian virtue. It is discussed in relation to how society and individuals should treat the poor, emphasizing that love should be the driving force behind actions to alleviate poverty and provide support. The video contrasts the lack of love shown to the poor with the love that should be extended to them.

Highlights

Understanding God's preferential option for the poor is essential before understanding Jesus's.

God incarnated as Jesus among a poor family to show His love for the poor.

Jesus preached among and about the poor, emphasizing God's special love for the needy.

Matthew 25 highlights that serving the poor is serving Christ Himself.

The poor are the face of Christ, teaching us valuable lessons about humanity.

Encountering the poor should be done with humility, not from a position of superiority.

The poor are the most vulnerable and forgotten in society.

It's not enough to know about poverty; we must be emotionally and mentally affected by it.

The preferential option for the poor calls for addressing both immediate needs and systemic issues.

We must look at the individual and societal levels to understand and solve poverty.

Poverty is often a result of systems and structures that make people poor.

Caring for the poor is not complicated; it involves charity, love, and direct contact.

Loving the poor means treating them as our brothers and sisters.

Physical contact, like shaking hands, is essential to show love to the poor.

If the church does not care for the poor, it fails to embody the good news.

The preferential option for the poor is a call to action for immediate and systemic change.

Transcripts

before we understand jesus's

preferential option for the poor we have

to understand god's preferential option

for the poor God incarnated himself as

Jesus among a poor family in a poor

village and Jesus himself preaches among

the poor and preaches about the poor

this is how God is he there's a God who

had a special love for those who had no

one to turn to

not because they're righteous not

because they're the most holy and most

saintly but because they are in need and

God comes to their rescue in Matthew 25

Christ tells us whatsoever you do with

the least of my brothers and sisters you

do unto me and it's such a beautiful

reminder for us that the people we serve

who are in poverty who are in need are

in fact the face of Christ and because

of that have so much to teach us so when

we go to encounter the poor let us

encounter them as a fellow poor person

not from a perspective of superiority

where they're in the dark I'm in the

light to all of these things know I grow

in my own humanity and I encounter the

person of the world who had the poor in

our society the poor are those people

who are really really imagined alized

amongst us the most vulnerable

those who are forgotten in society here

in America I don't think anyone can say

well I do not know what's happening in

those other parts of the world but it's

not enough to know we should allow what

we see what we hear and no really

touches and for us to have that mindset

I may be an American the person who just

lost his whole family is from Syria but

at this point this point of suffering we

are one the preferential option for the

poor calls us to address both immediate

needs and systemic problems to look both

at the person in front of us and to give

them what they need in that moment but

also to say why is this person in this

place what has happened in our society

what are the larger issues at work and

how can we address those larger issues

when we see the situations to which the

poor are subjected the humanizing

humiliating you could say that those

situations manifests the lack of love

lack of love from other people lack of

love from society for they did not

choose to be poor they are made poor by

others and by systems and structures and

society in our political lives in our

economic lives in our social lives

whatever we do we should always put the

poor

fists people try to make caring for the

poor out to be something very difficult

or complicated or hard to understand

it's not

it basically means a few things first of

all being charitable to the poor giving

to organizations that care for the poor

giving directly to the poor

it means loving the poor as our brothers

and sisters it means coming to know them

touching them holding them shaking their

hands and really physically coming in

contact with them because otherwise how

would we show our love what a shame if a

community claims to be the bearer of the

good news for that community not to live

it not to embody it and so we we ask the

question if if the church will not do it

then who else will