Pax Christi Minnesota

Thoughts from Tim Haskamp…

Penny Lernoux was a tireless advocate of the poor in Latin America. She wrote several books, the most famous being Cry of the People, where she speaks of how “powerful people and institutions oppress the powerless.”  Before she died of cancer at the young age of 49, she spoke of learning of her powerlessness with her illness connecting it with the powerlessness of the poor.  At the same time it was a cleansing and healing experience for her because she felt the ultimate powerlessness of Christ.  She worked closely with the Maryknoll missionaries who helped invigorate her faith.  It was the missionaries who introduced her to the “sounds, smells, hopes and sufferings of the poor.” Penny stated that, “only by entering into the world of the poor, can you begin to understand what it is like to be powerless, to be like Christ.”

We are filled with so many riches today. What is our connection to the poor and powerless?

Cloud of Witnesses, edited by Jim Wallis and Joyce Hollyday