Pope and Doctor, Saint Leo I, recommended some remedies to help us meet the challenges of the power of evil, its temptations, and its many enemies that confront us. He informs us that those who will clash with visible or invisible forces must arm himself with 1) persistence and perseverance in prayer; 2) fasting; and 3) almsgiving.
Through our weakness we sin but we will be pardoned for our sins and obtain forgiveness when we exercise the above three golden remedies. Charities in almsgiving covers a multitude of sins; fasting is the one special mortification that the devil or evil is defenseless against; genuine prayer will united us to God in love and empower us to keep our wills united with the holy will of God amidst repeated failures.
Due to the wars, terrorists and immense problems that Leo faced he strongly advocated the below works of mercy toward others to show true Christianity:
CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY:
To feed the hungry;
Give drink to the thirsty;
Clothe the naked;
Shelter the homeless;
Visit the sick;
Visit the imprisoned;
Bury the dead.
SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY:
To counsel the doubtful;
Instruct the ignorant;
Admonish sinners;
Comfort the afflicted;
Forgive offenses;
Bear wrongs patiently;
Pray for the living and the dead.
One continent of the world, in particular, to seriously consider Almsgiving is Africa, although, everyone has their favorite charities.
The below statistics are fairly recent and will allow one to see how their poverty, the country's economy, and the children's many sicknesses, diseases and misfortunes are causes for
humanitarian need and concern. Almsgiving in this area is vitally important for life and survival despite the many other problems the African people are experiencing today.
· Over 12,000,000 adults have died of AIDS and 13,200,000 children have been orphaned.
· It is estimated that the African economy loses more than $12 billion USD a year because of malaria although significant gains were report last week (1/08)
· Wood and other biomass generate 90 to 98% of household energy in most African countries.
· About 65% of Africa's agricultural land suffers from soil degradation.
· Africa has the highest deforestation rate in the world, and lost 13 million acres (5.3m hectares) of forest each year in the 1990s.
· Almost half of all Africans live on less than $1 (USD) a day --- the number of people living in poverty grew from 220,000,000 in 1990 to 300,000,000 in 1998.
· Africa's share of world trade fell from 2.7% in 1990 to 2.1% in 2000. A 1% increase in Africa's share of world trade would generate five times more than the continent receives in aid and debt relief.
· Over the last decade, Africa's annual percentage growth rate for exports was 3.8%, as compared to a world average growth rate of 6%.
· The consumption expenditure for the average African household is 20% less than it was 25 years ago.
In Sub-Saharan Africa:
· About a third of the population is undernourished.
· Sub-Saharan Africa has the world's highest proportion of people living in poverty, about 48%.
· Estimated 24,500,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS.
It has almost 90% of the world's fatal Malaria cases. About 500 million people get malaria each year and about 1 million die, the vast majority African children younger than 5. Worldwide, about 2.37 billion people in 87 countries are at risk of the disease, which is casused by a parasite called plasmodium that is passed from person to person my misquitoes. The world's richest charity, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is leading the charge in eradicating Malaria worldwide. (David Brown, Wash. Post 4/26/08)
· About 30% of children die or are disabled due to acute respiratory infections -- 60% are caused by air pollution.
· Fewer than one in five people have electrical power.
· Over 500,000,000 people depend on firewood as basic fuel, leading to deforestation and soil erosion.
Other Statistics:
· The population of Africa is expected to reach 1.3 billion in 2025. The countries with the largest populations are Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Africa. Roughly 45% of Africans are under the age of 15.
· An estimated 2,000 languages and dialects are spoken in Africa, some by a few million people, others by only a few thousand.
· Christianity is growing in a very large number of African countries. At present, there are more than 325 million Christians in Africa, including 123 million Catholics. Islam is the second most widespread religion in Africa, with more than 300 million Muslims. Traditional religion -- also sometimes called Animism -- is still practiced by more than 15% of Africans.
Active African Almsgiving Petition Now, as your means allow.
Support the Poor, Inc., is a non-profit charitable organization which was established in 2006 in the State of Maryland. As the name indicates, the purpose for this organization is to give meaningful support to the poorest of the poor particularly in Africa and the Caribbean. The birth of this organization was established by Dr. Mary Wandia who has been helping orphaned children in Africa for many years. Support the Poor, Inc., is a 501 ( c )( 3 ) tax exempt. Contributions are fully tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Documents and information submitted to the State of Maryland under the Maryland Charitable Solicitation Act are available from the office of the Secretary of State. For donations or more information, please write, call, or email: President Dr Mary Wandia; P.O. Box 80; Clarksville, MD. 21029; Phone 443-538-5553; email: support the poor@comcast.net
The background music is Andrea Bocelli's "Ave Maria".
