I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Food

This essay explore not only how the Church Fathers of early Christianity perceived poverty, it also tries to show how early Christians responded to poverty. The Church Fathers did not see poverty as a curse. Poverty can be a blessing in disguise. However, the reality of poverty was regarded as evidence of the presence of injustice, and it had to be redressed. The Church Fathers did not just talk about poverty, they saw it the responsibility of Christians to share what they had with the poor. As an act of obedience to Jesus' teaching, many Church Fathers actually sold all they had and gave it to the poor, some even fasted to save some resources for the hungry. Poverty was not an issue for reflection, it was a test of obedience.