Message for Overseas Aid Sunday 2010

To Be a Good Friend for the Poor

     The CBCK Committee for "Caritas Coreana" (President: The Most Rev. Francis Xavier Ahn Myeong-ok) issued a message for the Overseas Aid Sunday with the theme, "Make us to be Friends for the Poor in the World" as of January 31, 2010. As mentioning the Catholic is the community that needs to put it into action 'to love God and neighbors', he urged the faithful in Korea to be good friends for those under poor and inadequate surroundings in the world.

     Bishop Ahn said when unconditionally sharing what we have with the people in hunger and difficulty, we just fulfill the love that Jesus taught to us.

     The president mentioned the number of the starving exceeded over a billion as of September, 2009, and a third of the world population, 2.7 billion, is living hand to mouth with less than two dollars a day. What makes this even worse is that most of these needy and poor reside in South Asia and Africa where serious natural disasters such as droughts, floods, or earthquakes have frequently occurred of late. The way to overcome various challenges with global solidarity is to offer what they really need as carefully analyzing problems that have caused the poverty.

     In his Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI pointed out harmful consequences of the globalized world and suggested that the whole world leads and supports any poor nations around us, mentioning the love of God is to seek common good "for the people who belong to the social community and who can only really and effectively pursue their good within it" (n.7), "to safeguard weaker parties" (n.65), and controls desires.

     Knowing nothing but love, Jesus offered his life for us, and He became our friend as "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends" (Jn 15,13).

In conclusion, Bishop Ahn assured to pray God to give us true love in our hearts through the Holy Spirit and to take care of our neighbours with generous minds.