Yesterday, the House passed H. Con. Res. 198 which expressed "the sense of Congress that the United States has a moral responsibility to meet the needs of those persons, groups and communities that are impoverished, disadvantaged or otherwise in poverty."

Now, as Congressional resolutions are non-binding, and many can border on the absurd, it might be easy to dismiss this move as an empty gesture. Of course, only time will tell if Congress will be able to move beyond disappointing gridlock of this last session, but I am optimistic.

The resolution was based on recommendations from the Center for American Progress' Task Force on Poverty so there's a good deal of intellectual heft coupled with the idealistic goal. And perhaps most importantly, the faith community is ready to rally behind this cause. Poverty is a top concern for people of faith of all stripes. No other theme is as common in Scripture as society's responsibility to care for the poor and people of faith have been calling for our government to heed this moral call for decades.

Hopefully this resolution represents the beginning of the last chapter of a great movement. People of faith have made fighting poverty a moral priority, and the House has just formally signaled its agreement with that framework. Now, let's all do our part to make sure Congress follows through on that promise--37 million Americans living in poverty shouldn't have to wait any longer.