November 7, 2025

Overview: The government shutdown, which continues, is now the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Exacerbating the crisis, SNAP benefits are severely limited, even with court  decisions this week requiring the use of a SNAP contingency fund for those in need. CCUSA has launched an emergency food appeal to help lessen the impact on individuals and families who rely on SNAP funds to make ends meet. You can donate here.

Economy: The Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly jobs report and figures for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims have not been released because of the government shutdown.

Human dignity and the preferential option for the poor: The Catholic Church is celebrating a Jubilee Year, which began on Christmas Eve 2024 and will conclude on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 2026. This year's Jubilee theme is "Pilgrims of Hope." The Holy See also designated a number of Jubilee Days throughout 2025 to recognize and celebrate different groups of people and various ministries in the Church. The Jubilee of the Poor will be held on Sunday, November 16, 2025, which is also the ninth World Day of the Poor. In honoring the preferential option for the poor and vulnerable during the Jubilee Year, we are celebrating the dignity of each person and the contributions each person makes to this world. Additional resources can be found on the USCCB website.

Love for the Lord, then, is one with love for the poor. The same Jesus who tells us, "The poor you will always have with you" (Mt 26:11), also promises the disciples: "I am with you always" (Mt 28:20). We likewise think of his saying: "Just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me" (Mt 25:40). This is not a matter of mere human kindness but a revelation: contact with those who are lowly and powerless is a fundamental way of encountering the Lord of history. In the poor, he continues to speak to us. From Dilexi te, Apostolic Exhortation of the Holy Father Leo XIV to all Christians on love for the poor, October 4, 2025, No. 5

Q. November 9 is the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. What distinguishes it among the other basilicas there?

Please send your answers to [email protected]. 

Previous question and answer:

Q. Can anyone name a connection between the NFL and All Saints Day (November 1)?

A. Thanks to Bill Rosanelli for being first with the right answer: The New Orleans Saints take their name from All Saints Day, due in part to the large Catholic population of New Orleans.

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