ONE IN FIVE FAMILIES GO HUNGRY
HUNGER IS AGAIN ON THE RISE WITH THE SOCIAL WEATHER STATIONS SAYING A FIFTH OF ALL FILIPINO FAMILIES EXPERIENCE HAVING NOTHING TO EAT AT LEAST ONCE IN THE PAST 3 MONTHS.
A NEW SWS SURVEY, THE RESULTS OF WHICH WERE MADE EXCLUSIVE TO THE BUSINESS WORLD PUT THE HUNGER FIGURE AS OF JUNE THIS YEAR AT 20.3% EQUIVALENT TO AN ESTIMATED 3MILLION FAMILIES
THE RECORD HIGH OF 23.7% 4.3 MILLION FAMILIES RECORDED IN DECEMBER LAST YEAR
SEVERE HUNGER REFERRING TO THOSE WHO EXPERIENCED IT OFTEN OR ALWAYS WAS RELATIVELY STABLE AT 4.3% 790000 FAMILIES.
NATIONWIDE ALL THREE INDICATORS OVERALL MODERATE AND SEVERE HUNGER ARE ABOVE 10 YEAR AVERAGE
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
FROM JEAN PIERRE PREVOST
This Week in Focus
God provides more than we need
July 26, 2009 | Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
It’s hard to believe, but the statistics are just as shocking as they are dreadful: in our day and age, some 800 million people still suffer from malnutrition or starvation, and 18,000 children die from hunger every day. How can hunger remain such a glaring plague, when our society claims unparalleled living standards and unequalled sophistication in technology?
In biblical times, people struggled with famine and starvation, and we hear the prophets speak about the unequal distribution of wealth and food. Prophets like Amos, Isaiah and Jeremiah were quick not only to denounce such inequality and inequity, but also to propose alternatives based on commitment to social justice and compassion for the poor. And they didn't just talk about social justice and compassion. The prophet Elisha multiplied loaves, as did Jesus, for the starving crowds.
Through these prophets, we learn that our God is a life-giving God, who cares for hungering crowds. And when God gives, God always gives over-abundantly: “They shall eat and have some left.”
Be it through a prophet like Elisha or through God’s beloved son, Jesus, God always provides more than we need, for God wants us to be restored to our dignity as human beings and to fullness of life. We too, who are privileged to have all the food we need and more, can make a difference by sharing with the less fortunate.
Jean-Pierre Prévost
God provides more than we need
July 26, 2009 | Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
It’s hard to believe, but the statistics are just as shocking as they are dreadful: in our day and age, some 800 million people still suffer from malnutrition or starvation, and 18,000 children die from hunger every day. How can hunger remain such a glaring plague, when our society claims unparalleled living standards and unequalled sophistication in technology?
In biblical times, people struggled with famine and starvation, and we hear the prophets speak about the unequal distribution of wealth and food. Prophets like Amos, Isaiah and Jeremiah were quick not only to denounce such inequality and inequity, but also to propose alternatives based on commitment to social justice and compassion for the poor. And they didn't just talk about social justice and compassion. The prophet Elisha multiplied loaves, as did Jesus, for the starving crowds.
Through these prophets, we learn that our God is a life-giving God, who cares for hungering crowds. And when God gives, God always gives over-abundantly: “They shall eat and have some left.”
Be it through a prophet like Elisha or through God’s beloved son, Jesus, God always provides more than we need, for God wants us to be restored to our dignity as human beings and to fullness of life. We too, who are privileged to have all the food we need and more, can make a difference by sharing with the less fortunate.
Jean-Pierre Prévost
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