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Romney's remark riles rivals

05 Feb 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Jesus focused his healing ministry on the poor and the outcast, moving tirelessly from village to village in this Sunday’s gospel. Fresh from a primary victory in Florida, Republican front-runner Mitt Romney stumbled Wednesday with a comment about the poor that spread rapidly on internet sites and drew immediate criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. “I'm not concerned about the very poor,” he told CNN in an interview. “We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it.” Asked about the comment later, Romney responded, "Of course I'm concerned about all Americans--poor, wealthy, middle class--but the focus of my effort will be on middle-income families who[m]I think have been most hurt by the Obama economy." Newt Gingrich, who finished a distant second in the Florida primary Tuesday, sought to take advantage of Romney's wording. "I am fed up with politicians in either party dividing Americans against each other," he said at his first Nevada event before the state’s caucuses on Saturdays. "I am running to be the president of all of the American people, and I am concerned about all of the American people." Romney's comment also drew condemnation from supporters of President Barack Obama who have repeatedly exploited the candidate's quotes to argue that Romney is out of touch. And Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), who endorsed Romney four years ago, encouraged him to "backtrack," saying the very poor needed jobs, not welfare programs. Source: An article by Michael Finnegan, Maria L. LaGanga, and Kathleen Hennessey for the Los Angeles Times

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Would Ryan budget fight poverty or punish the poor?

19 Aug 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“When the poor one called out,” the psalmist says this Sunday, “the Lord heard, and from all his distress he saved him.” Now that presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has chosen Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin as his running mate, Ryan’s budget priorities are coming in for some criticism, including from U.S. Roman Catholic bishops and others who say his budget neglects the needs of the poorest and most distressed among us.Bishops representing the United States Catholic Conference said Ryan’s 2012 GOP budget fails to meet certain “moral criteria” and cuts programs that “serve poor and vulnerable people.” And the Franciscan Action Network (FAN), an organization of Franciscan friars and sisters and lay Franciscans, said Ryan’s “proposal balances the budget on the backs of the poor with cuts to Medicaid, Head Start, Pell Grants, and other vital programs.”Catholic social values “are very, very important,” countered Ryan. “And the preferential option for the poor, which is one of the primary tenets of Catholic social teaching, means don’t keep people poor, don’t make people dependent on government so that they stay stuck at their station in life; help people get out of poverty, out into a life of independence.”But, said Patrick Carolan, executive director of FAN, “with the political conversation now [focused] on ensuring that low-income people are working, the most blatant affront is that the Romney-Ryan budget actually cuts job training programs for low-income people."FAN extended an invitation to all candidates for national office to spend time with Franciscans working alongside the poor “in order to understand what real people are going through.” said Father Joe Nangle, O.F.M. "We ask our political leaders to not sow hatred of the poor, but to speak with compassion. Our national leaders should aim to follow the spirit of the Prayer of St. Francis, which is loved by people of all faiths: ‘Lord, make me a channel of your peace; Where there is hatred, let me sow love.’ ” Sources: An article by Deal W. Hudson for The Daily Beast and a pressrelease from Franciscan Action Network (franciscanaction.org)

Poor joe nangle patrick carolan united states catholic conference catholic social teaching mitt romney budget paul ryan republican party franciscan action network
Candidates trade barbs on campaign trail

23 Sep 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

While Jesus was encouraging his disciples to approach power with humility in Sunday’s gospel, they were busy arguing over which one “was the greatest.” The presidential candidates are back on the campaign trail this week, each one arguing that he would do greater things for the American people.In an unsettling development for Romney, a clandestine video recording was made public of a talk he gave to wealthy Florida donors at a private gathering in May in which he dismissed almost half of Americans as government-dependent “victims” who will support Obama in the November election. He characterized 47 percent of the electorate as people who "pay no income tax" and who can't be convinced to "take personal responsibility and care for their lives." He added, "My job is not to worry about those people."Two weeks before he faces Obama in the first of three debates, Romney and his team have decided to embrace the substance, if not the tone, of the comments and go on the offensive. "The question in this campaign is not who cares about the poor and the middle class. I do, he does. The question is who can help the poor and the middle class. I can, he can't and he's proven it in four years," Romney said Wednesday.For his part, the president rejected the idea that Americans oppose government assistance. There’s “nothing wrong” with giving “a helping hand,” he said, adding that Americans don’t want a president who is “writing off a big chunk of the country.” Sources: Articles by Lisa Lerer and Julie Hirschfeld Davis for Bloomberg,Alexandra Jaffe for The Hill, and Michael Hiltzik for the Los Angeles Times

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Florida governor takes sunnier view on healthcare reform

24 Feb 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

While he prayed on the mountain with the apostles Peter, John, and James, Jesus’ “face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white,” we hear in this Sunday’s recounting of the Transfiguration. Florida’s Republican Governor Rick Scott did a bit of transforming as well: The persistently vocal critic of President Obama’s healthcare reform did an about-face Wednesday and announced that he would expand his state’s Medicaid program to cover the poor—becoming the latest and most prominent Republican critic of the legislation to decide to implement one of its key provisions.It was a complete reversal for Scott, a former businessman who entered politics as a critic of Obama’s healthcare proposals. Florida was one of the states that sued to try to block the law. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that while the law was constitutional, states could choose not to expand Medicaid to cover the poor, Scott said that Florida would not expand its Medicaid programs.Scott said on Wednesday that he now supported a three-year expansion of Medicaid—through the period that the federal government has agreed to pay the full cost of the expansion and before some of the costs are shifted to the states. “While the federal government is committed to paying 100 percent of the cost, I cannot in good conscience deny Floridians that needed access to healthcare,'’ Scott said at a news conference.Scott added that the state would not create its own insurance exchange to comply with another provision of the law. But his reversal on Medicaid sent ripples through the nation, especially given the change in tone and substance since the summer, when he said that he would neither create an exchange nor expand Medicaid.“Floridians are interested in jobs and economic growth, a quality education for their children, and keeping the cost of living low,” Scott said in a statement at the time. “Neither of these major provisions in ObamaCare will achieve those goals, and since Florida is legally allowed to opt out, that’s the right decision for our citizens.”Homily hint: Poverty brings suffering; sickness brings suffering; and being poor and sick can bring a whole lot of misery, especially if one can’t afford to get care. The corporal works of mercy show us exactly where our priorities need to be, so perhaps as fiscal fighting continues in Congress we can look to the corporal works for an indication of where our nation’s budget priorities should be. Source: An article by Michael Cooper for the New York Times

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Pope Francis sets refreshing tone of humility and service

24 Mar 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Palm Sunday the church marks a momentous event in Jesus’ ministry: his humble yet memorable entrance into Jerusalem as a multitude waits to greet him. This past Tuesday leaders from around the world and some 200,000 well-wishers crowded St. Peter’s Square in Rome to witness Pope Francis’ memorable yet humble entrance into the Petrine ministry. Francis called on the church to defend the poor and the weak and protect the environment.The Mass formally installing Francis as head of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics was much simpler and an hour shorter than the baroque splendor of his predecessor Benedict's inauguration in 2005, Vatican observers noted. Every detail down to the plainer vestments seemed designed to deemphasize a regal style that some say came to characterize the papacy of Benedict XVI.In his homily, delivered on the steps of the giant St. Peter's Basilica, Francis, 76, said the church's mission is one of respect and service, “. . . respecting each of God's creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about.”In another of the various signs that Francis intends to maintain a simpler lifestyle than previous popes, he is still staying at the Vatican hotel where he lived during the conclave. He has not moved into a large suite reserved for him, and a spokesman said it is not clear when he will move into the Apostolic Palace.Before the Mass the pope toured St. Peter's Square in an open white jeep, abandoning the bullet-proof Popemobile often used by Benedict and John Paul II. He stopped frequently to greet those in the huge, flag-waving crowd, kissing babies and getting out to bless a disabled man."I am among you as the one who serves,” Jesus reminds his disciples at their final meal together as recounted in the Palm Sunday Mass gospel. On Tuesday Argentinean Cardinal Leonardo Sandri said of Francis, “For me this is a call to humility and service to others that will mark his papacy ... This is a new breeze of fresh air that is blowing through the church and the name of that breeze is 'Francis.' ”Homily hint: It’s more than a bit premature to judge a papacy by its first week, but early signals do suggest Pope Francis intends to set a markedly different tone for his papacy, emphasizing not only service to the poor and humility for those in high offices but also the importance of the prayers of the entire church for the success of its mission. Ask how your faith community would like to respond to the pope’s request for supportive prayers. Source: An article by Philip Pullella, Catherine Hornby, and Tom Heneghan for Reuters

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Obesity declines among lower-income families' children

11 Aug 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival," Jesus says in the Sunday gospel, singling out "the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance." Better stewardship of food in the fridge and on the table on the part of parents has contributed to a decline in the obesity rate among preschool-age children from poor families in the past three years, federal health officials said Tuesday.Children from poor families have had some of the nation’s highest rates of obesity. One in eight preschoolers in the United States is obese. Among low-income children it is one in seven. The rate is much higher for blacks (one in five) and Hispanics (one in six). The new findings represent the first time a major government report has shown a consistent pattern of decline for low-income children after decades of rising rates.“We’ve seen isolated reports in the past that have had encouraging trends, but this is the first report to show declining rates of obesity in our youngest children,” said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which prepared the report. “We are going in the right direction for the first time in a generation.”The cause of the decline remains uncertain, but researchers offered theories, including an increase in breast-feeding, a drop in calories from sugary drinks, and changes in the food offered in federal nutrition programs for women and children. In interviews, parents suggested that they have become more educated in recent years and are more aware of their families’ eating habits and of the health problems that can come with being overweight.Homily hint: The good news that obesity rates are falling for children from poorer families demonstrates that public education campaigns do make a difference. Years ago schools and families did not think twice about offering all sorts of unhealthy snacks to children. Nowadays wiser stewardship is prevailing, and kids are benefiting. Source: An article by Sabrina Tavarnise for the New York Times

obesity centers for disease control and prevention childhood obesity poor children poor families thomas r frieden preschool aged children
Obesity declines among lower-income families' children

11 Aug 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival," Jesus says in the Sunday gospel, singling out "the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance." Better stewardship of food in the fridge and on the table on the part of parents has contributed to a decline in the obesity rate among preschool-age children from poor families in the past three years, federal health officials said Tuesday.Children from poor families have had some of the nation’s highest rates of obesity. One in eight preschoolers in the United States is obese. Among low-income children it is one in seven. The rate is much higher for blacks (one in five) and Hispanics (one in six). The new findings represent the first time a major government report has shown a consistent pattern of decline for low-income children after decades of rising rates.“We’ve seen isolated reports in the past that have had encouraging trends, but this is the first report to show declining rates of obesity in our youngest children,” said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which prepared the report. “We are going in the right direction for the first time in a generation.”The cause of the decline remains uncertain, but researchers offered theories, including an increase in breast-feeding, a drop in calories from sugary drinks, and changes in the food offered in federal nutrition programs for women and children. In interviews, parents suggested that they have become more educated in recent years and are more aware of their families’ eating habits and of the health problems that can come with being overweight.Homily hint: The good news that obesity rates are falling for children from poorer families demonstrates that public education campaigns do make a difference. Years ago schools and families did not think twice about offering all sorts of unhealthy snacks to children. Nowadays wiser stewardship is prevailing, and kids are benefiting. Source: An article by Sabrina Tavarnise for the New York Times

obesity centers for disease control and prevention childhood obesity poor children poor families thomas r frieden preschool aged children
Some kids resist healthier school lunches

01 Sep 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

During a meal at the home of a leading Pharisee, Jesus advises those present on a new set of dining protocols not likely to win favor with the other attendees. After only one year,some schools around the country are dropping out of the healthier new federal lunch program, complaining that many students turned up their noses at government protocols that mandate meals packed with whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.Federal officials say they don't have exact numbers but have seen isolated reports of schools cutting ties with the $11 billion National School Lunch Program, which reimburses schools for meals served and gives them access to lower-priced food.The new guidelines set limits on calories and salt, phase in more whole grains, and require that fruit and vegetables be served daily. Dr. Janey Thornton, deputy undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, which oversees the program, said she is aware of reports of districts quitting but is still optimistic about the program's long-term prospects."The vast majority of schools across the country are meeting the updated meal standards successfully, which is so important to help all our nation's children lead healthier lives," Thornton said. "Many of these children have never seen or tasted some of the fruits and vegetables that are being served before, and it takes a while to adapt and learn."Not every district can afford to quit. The program provides cash reimbursements for each meal served: about $2.50 to $3 for free and reduced-priced meals and about 30 cents for full-price meals. That takes the option of quitting off the table for schools with large numbers of poor youngsters.Homily hint: As educational leaders and other public officials work to encourage good nutritional habits, a home remedy to poor eating habits also exists—the family meal. Families that make eating together at least once a day a goal will reap nutritional as well as many other benefits. Opening the meal with a prayer links the meal to our spiritual heritage. Source: An article by Carolyn Thompson for the Associated Press

nutrition school lunches poor children national school lunch program janey thornton
Idolizing money idles workers

29 Sep 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The prophet Amos quoted in this Sunday’s first reading has no patience for the complacent rich, who "shall be the first to go into exile.” Pope Francis warned business leaders against the idolatry of money as he traveled last Sunday to one of Italy's poorest regions to offer hope to the unemployed and entrepreneurs struggling to hang on."Where there is no work, there is no dignity," Francis said, leaving aside his prepared remarks to speak spontaneously to thousands of people in Cagliari, the capital of the island of Sardinia, telling them he knew well what it was like to suffer from financial crisis and retelling the story of his young Italian immigrant parents’ struggle in Argentina in the 1930s. “They lost everything. There was no work."Francis said while it was easy for a priest to come and tell the poor to have courage, he really meant it. Amid shouts of, "Lavoro! Lavoro! [Work! Work!]," he called for dignified work for all.Sardinia, known for its pristine beaches and swank vacation homes, has been particularly hard hit by Italy's economic crisis, with businesses closing and more and more of the island's families forced to seek charity. Unemployment is nearing 20 percent, with youth unemployment at 50 percent.Francis told the Sardinians, some of whom wore hardhats from their defunct factory jobs, that the economic problems were the result of a global economic system "that has at its center an idol called money."Homily hint: Most folks are struggling to get by in a rugged economic climate they didn’t create but have to cope with. It takes a visionary leader such as Pope Francis to shine the light of the gospel on the situation. Encourage your community to bring gospel values into the workplace so that the system may serve humanity instead of the other way around. Source: An article by Gianfranco Stara and Nicole Winfield for the Associated Press

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Martyred archbishop hailed by pope

08 Feb 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

All that Saint Paul does he does “for the sake of the gospel,” we hear in this Sunday’s reading from 1st Corinthians. Pope Francis Tuesday affirmed that assassinated Salvadoran Archbishop Romero died for the sake of gospel values, not political ideology. The designation of Romero’s martyrdom opens the door toward beatification and possible sainthood for the iconic figure of the bloody civil wars that tore Central America apart and deeply divided the Catholic Church in Latin America a generation ago. Homily hint: Monseñor Romero, as he was affectionately known by his flock, led a deeply divided church and nation that suffered great violence and repression. He lost his life standing up for gospel values and speaking out for the poor in his charge. He serves as an inspiration for pastoral leaders everywhere. For more on Romero’s martyrdom, see: Pope Francis Declares Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero A Martyr; Archbishop Oscar Romero declared a martyr by Pope Francis

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