What does the Church have to say with this?
Good morning to all of you! Today, we are going to be tackling the Social Doctrine of the
Church that is - Option for the Poor and
Vulnerable. But first I’m going to start by asking you a question: is it wrong to have lots of possessions?
To start off, we are going to find out what our topic is trying to tell us. Option for the poor and vulnerable is a basic moral test on how our most vulnerable members are faring
(should we say, succeeding) in a society marred by deepening divisions between the rich and the poor. In this case, we have hope that the needy will get the opportunity of sufficient goods. Our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25: 31-46) and it tells us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.
The story of the Last Judgment conveys a message that tells us that doing good to others does good to Him too. People who are like the Good Samaritan will inherit the
Kingdom of God and have eternal life. Why?
They are the ones who helped the poor and vulnerable without asking for anything back.
They are the people who are genuine. Now you may be asking why the poor? As we go back to the Bible, Jesus was one of the poor people. He was a carpenter's son. But he continued to help the poor and vulnerable.
He wanted to help them build the Kingdom of
God. As to describe it, it has liberation and no poverty.
The Church's love for the poor is a constant tradition. As said in the Beatitudes of the poverty of Jesus and His concern for the poor, the Church sees Christ made in the promotion of justice. We are obliged to provide justice for all the means for the poor.
As said By Blessed Paul IV, on the
Development of Peoples, no.23; "the earth belongs to everyone, not the rich". This means that everyone has the right to possess a sufficient amount of the earth’s goods for themselves and for their family. Let me emphasize the word "sufficient" because many fortunate people tend to not understand the meaning of limited goods. Do you think it's the cause of two of the seven deadly sins, which are gluttony and greed?
Now you may be wondering the purpose of having an option for the poor and vulnerable.
First, it enables the poor to become active participants in the life of society. Second, it enables fortunate people to share and contribute to the common good. Keep in mind that “Option for the poor “ by definition is the deprivation and powerlessness of the poor that wounds the community as a whole, which means the suffering of the poor tells us the measure of how far we are from being a true community of persons and we could only fix this by us having great solidarity with the poor and among the poor themselves.
Poverty has been a problem in the Philippines for a long time now. In fact according to
Philippine Statistics Authority, the Philippines is 26% poor and it has affected the country as a whole. And as I said in my definition of an option for the poor, it wounds the community as a whole. In Wisdom literature, the word poverty is described as a negative consequence of idleness (no employment) and lack of industriousness. In the Social
Doctrines, it is a symbol of human situation before God, from whom comes every good as a gift to be administered and shared.
Do you see what I mean? This doctrine challenges us to be a defender of the poor and be a promoter of justice just like Jesus.
Having mercy and compassion towards our neighbor gives us a new manner of social life filled with justice, solidarity and sharing.
Don’t worry to lose your wealth because God will provide you more with real wealth such as love, family and friends - things that really matter the most.
Wealth is a good that comes from God and is to be used by its owner and made to circulate so that even the needy may enjoy it. Wealth can always be back to you because there is plenty of left in this world. As said in
Luke 6: 38, "For the measure you give will be the measure you get back". And to answer our first question a while ago, (Is it wrong to have lots of possessions?) the answer is no, because there is nothing wrong with owning a lot of possessions. It is only wrong when he/she do not share it with others. As stated in our definition of wealth a while ago, it is a good also to be enjoyed by the needy.
I would like to end my speech with this quote: “Poverty takes on the status of a moral value when it becomes an attitude of humble availability and openness to God, of trust in Him." To summarize, the Church calls us to bring justice to the needs of the poor and vulnerable to help heal our community for the betterment of the Kingdom of God.
Thank You!