April 14, 2023

Inside this issue

• CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly
• Faith and the Common Good
• Trivia
• Connections

  CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly  
 
Overview: Congress is on Easter recess this week, but the CCUSA Social Policy team still made visits to the Hill to inform congressional staffers of the work of Catholic Charities. 

Economy: In the week ending April 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 239,000, an increase of 11,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 228,000. The 4-week moving average was 240,000, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 237,750.

This file photo shows a view of The Catholic University of America's campus from the bell tower of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. (OSV News photo/CNS file, Bob Roller)

Payday lending: According to a 2023 survey by Lifeway Research, more than 3 in 4 Christians believe it is a sin to lend money in a way that hurts the borrower financially. Still, 1 in 3 people have used payday loans themselves. Join the Center for Public Justice on Thursday, April 20, 12-1 pm ET, for a webinar titled “Christians and Payday Loans: How Should the Church Respond?” Co-sponsored by the National Association of Evangelicals and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the webinar will analyze the key findings of a recent online survey conducted by Lifeway Research in partnership with the Faith for Just Lending Coalition. The survey examined the experiences and views of 1,000 Christians from 27 states about payday loans.
 
Top

  Faith and the Common Good  
 
“If it’s just a symbol, to hell with it.”

The quote is from Flannery O’Connor whose Catholic faith suffused her fiction. The quote comes from a letter in which Flannery describes a conversation about the Eucharist at a dinner party in 1950 among some “Big Intellectuals.” One of them – out of deference to Flannery? – had just paid the Almighty a compliment about his gift: “It’s a symbol, and a pretty good one at that.”

Flannery’s words stopped the conversation. What to say when a believer speaks the truth and has the life to back it up?

Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory baptizes Andre Gouyet during the Easter Vigil April 8, 2023, at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington. (OSV News photo/Mihoko Owada, Catholic Standard)

Catholics don’t believe in symbols. We believe that God became incarnate in the person of Jesus; that Jesus lived, died, and resurrected; that he is alive now - Alleluia! - and present to us through the Holy Spirit. We believe that we participate in Jesus’ life by heeding his words and eating his body and blood. All of this, in fact, is what Easter reveals to us. Plenty of mystery here, but no metaphors.

Easter is the central mystery of our faith, when we recall all the truths that give us hope and all the gifts that were poured out upon the world when Jesus triumphed over sin and death.

We are in the Easter season now. We have left behind the austerities of Lent, and we celebrate our faith with intense purpose and in a grander style, similar to the way people celebrate significant anniversaries or birthdays. It is also a time when we remember to bring our faith to bear on every moment of our lives throughout the year.

We make the effort to understand the faith passed on to us from Jesus and his apostles. We do not re-write the faith to make it palatable to our personal opinions and prejudices, but we try to yield to the model of Jesus. Ultimately, understanding comes by putting Christ’s faith into practice, trusting in Jesus’ words.

Faith is to be lived. Flannery O’Connor ended her letter most humbly, remarking that her comment at the dinner party “was all the defense I was capable of,” but she added that, for her, the Eucharist “is the center of existence for me; all the rest of life is expendable.”

May we practice the same Easter faith as Flannery as we strive to bring Jesus to every encounter and every moment of service.
 
Top

  Trivia  
 
Q. On April 14, 1865, what event stunned the United States?

Please send your answers to [email protected]. 

Last week's question and answer:

Q. What do palm branches symbolize?

A. Thanks to Michael Granger, chief operations officer at Catholic Charities, Diocese of Lubbock, for being first with the right answer: Palm branches symbolize victory and peace.
 
Top

  Connections  
 
Please share the weekly with your friends, family and networks so that we can build a movement of solidarity for those most in need!

Text "CCUSA" to #50457 to receive our action alerts! 

You can also access advocacy opportunities through our advocacy and policy page.

Stay connected with our work to end poverty: Follow us on Twitter: @EndPoverty.   

If you would like to help further Catholic Charities' commitment to alleviating, reducing, and preventing poverty, you can contribute here.
 
Top

You are currently subscribed to a mailing list of Catholic Charities USA. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here.