Poverty in America Essay

Poverty in America seems to stare at us in every town and major city. Being a culture of materialism and economic success, you would imagine that we would have enough prosperity to see that everyone has a fair share of housing, healthcare and money to fulfill their basic needs. However, as collection plates and fundraisers of our churches continue to ask more and more of us, it sometimes feels as if the need for charity will never cease. In fact, in Deuteronomy 15:11 we read that, â€Å"The needy will never be lacking in the land; that is why I command you to open your hand to your poor and needy kinsman in your country. † With this is in mind, we as Christians can remember that charity is a work of God, not an obligation put upon us by our own personal community. Later in the New Testament we read of Jesus saying, â€Å"The poor you will always have with you; but you will not always have me. † This statement again affirms the need for charity will always continue. And logically, as our population grows while our resources become more limited, this statement clearly makes sense. Yet, with all of the poverty we see, we also view just as much corporate greed and needless spending. If you’ve ever watched MTV Cribs, you wonder how one movie or sports star can justify sleeping at night in a bed that cost more than a half a years rent for some families. Granted, we might not always have the celebrities here on earth, but should we give them as much reverence as Jesus, and justify their increasing expenditures? The gap existing between the financial extremes seems to be forever growing rather than diminishing. Though the Bible admonishes that we should be giving of charity; in today’s culture this may mean taking a further step and turning away from our reverence for entertainment. Instead of buying a ticket to the football game for several hundred dollars, we may consider buying two months worth the food for the local food pantry to accomplish this goal. We may not eliminate poverty, but perhaps stop the growth of the gap between the two extremes. Works Cited The New American Bible For Catholics. (1986). South Bend: Greenlawn Press.