August 17th  “Thinking of the gospel about the householder who went out to find labourers for his vineyard also makes me think of some of the people you find standing around on street corners. Some men are looking for garden or building work, but you might find women and girls as prostitutes, soliciting to earn money that way.  Sometimes girls are begging and using babies or   looking out for sugar daddies.”  “There are plenty of drug peddlers too, and other petty criminals.” “Beggars, street-kids and homeless people also form part of this sub-culture, living a degrading life that is far removed  from the possibility of earning a decent living.   Everyone was encouraged to go and discuss these issues further with their children at home. 

The kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard.  Matt 20:1-16.     Pope Francis:    Let us open our eyes and see the misery of the world, the wounds of our brothers and sisters who are denied their dignity and let us recognise that we are compelled to heed their cry for help.  May their cry become our own and together may we break down the barriers of indifference that too often reign supreme and mask our hypocrisy and egoism. FM15. We were created with a vocation to work.  The goal should not be that technological progress replace human work. Work is a path to growth, human development and personal fulfillment.  Helping the poor financially must always be a provisional solution.LS128