Thursday, December 18, 2925: Dear Ones -- a note from Sister Emily TeKolste, SP, from NETWORK Catholic Lobby

Every Sunday, a group in my community gathers at a local park to share hot meals and a few other food items to help folks through the week. The park is across the street from a federally subsidized affordable housing project for seniors and people with disabilities, so the residents often stop by for food, as do others in the community.

A few weeks ago, when President Trump was withholding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to build pressure and block access to affordable health care, one woman asked about her benefits. She said she had cancer, and SNAP was her only form of "income" since she can’t get disability for cancer. 

On a recent Sunday, a young couple, that included a woman who was eight-and-a-half-months pregnant, stopped by. They recently lost their housing. There wasn't room in any of the local shelters for them, so they spent their time walking around the city, finding warmth in the library when it was open and sleeping under a carport. I think of the Holy Family, seeking shelter as Mary was about to give birth.

In his letter on love for people impacted by poverty, Dilexi Te, Pope Leo XIV cites the New Testament Letter to James, reminding us that our love for others must be concrete: 

“If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?” 

But the pope goes further into the church’s social justice tradition and starkly reminds us that this is a matter of justice, not benevolence or altruism: 

“Everyone has the right to possess a sufficient amount of the earth’s goods for themselves and their family… Persons in extreme necessity are entitled to take what they need from the riches of others.” 

The vivid language of “the right to possess” and “entitled to take what they need from the riches of others” is a shock to our capitalist system in the U.S., but it speaks to the radical transformation of the Incarnation, of God’s ways entering the world. 

Take Action with NETWORK

There’s a chance to stop attacks on SNAP. Democrats in the House and Senate have just introduced a bill endorsed by NETWORK with broad support from organizations across the country, the Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act of 2025, endorsed by NETWORK with broad support from organizations across the country. This bill will that will reverse the SNAP cuts enacted in the Big Brutal Budget law passed earlier this year. The shutdown showed us how painful it is when families are denied SNAP. Congress needs to hear from you.

Send a Letter to Congress using this link

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/restore-snap-funding?source=network_advent_email&link_id=1&can_id=0d5b1f13b986ee8a3e8dbe1230f90fb9&email_referrer=email_3022161&email_subject=advent-week-4-with-network-we-love-by-feeding&

With the arrival of a joyful season that so many people associate with warmth, large gatherings, and an abundance of food and treats, may we also hunger for justice as we welcome Jesus at Christmas.

In hope, 

Sister Emily TeKolste is a NETWORK organizer and native of Indiana

Sr. Emily TeKolste, SP / Grassroots Mobilization Coordinator