We promote an option for the poor in our school – because all life is sacred. God’s love is universal; he does not side with oppressors, but loves the poor and humble. In Luke’s Gospel, as Jesus begins his ministry, he states clearly those principles which will guide him. He talks about being ‘Good News’ for the poor, and throughout the Gospel demonstrates his compassion for and his involvement with those on the margins of society. He overturns convention: those who are poor are blessed.

This is our call today to hold a preferential option for the poor. “We may not always be able to reflect adequately the beauty of the Gospel, but there is one sign which we should never lack: an option for those who are least, those whom society discards”.

Pope Benedict in his encyclical Deus Caritas Est reminded us that caring for those who are poor is a defining characteristic of the church and that the definition of poor extends beyond those who lack physical wealth and extends to those in any form of need. The Psalmist reminds us that “God does not forget the cries of the poor” and neither should we.

"The Church's love for the poor ... is a part of her constant tradition. This love is inspired by the Gospel of the Beatitudes, of the poverty of Jesus, and of his concern for the poor. "Those who are oppressed by poverty are the object of a preferential love on the part of the Church which, since its origin and in spite of the failings of many of its members, has not ceased to work for their relief, defence, and liberation."