IF we are truly Christian, we should
have true and abiding
compassion toward everyone, especially the poor and the needy. But we
have to understand that compassion should have a universal coverage.
It should not be limited to the sentimental aspects of things, nor to
relieving the economic and material needs of people alone.
It should cover the whole range of human needs in their
proper order of importance, foremost of which is our need for God. We
have to learn to distinguish between the pressing and precious needs
of man, and to cope with the tension that sometimes arises in our
effort to put these two kinds of needs together.
The material needs of man may be pressing and urgent, but
these should not detract us from giving priority attention to the
precious spiritual needs of man to relate himself with God and others
in true love, irrespective of whether he is rich or poor, a prince or
a pauper.
It’s true that looking after the pressing material needs
of people can already be an overwhelming task. This should not be
attended to on an ad hoc basis alone, giving dole-outs and temporary
relief. This has to be given stable and effective solutions, like
creating jobs, enabling poor people to find work through education and
continuing training, especially considering that the world economy is
rapidly evolving, etc.
But over and above this concern is the care of the more
important necessity of man—his spiritual life, his relation with God
that should be developed according to God’s love and concern for
everyone, and thus, his relation with everybody else. Christ himself
gave more importance to forgiving sins than to curing the paralytic.
(cfr Mk 2,1-12)
In this concern, we have to understand that the poor may
not be the one who are economically poor. They can be the richest, the
most educated, the most famous and powerful, but who happen to be
farthest from God. They can turn out, in that context, to be the
poorest of the poor, the lost sheep that have strayed farthest from
God.
They pose as the most difficult challenge in our duty to
show compassion, to reflect in our life God’s love for all. Are we in
the first place aware of this reality? Are we up to the challenge? Do
we know how to tackle this problem?
Do we know, for example how to deal with an unbeliever, an
atheist or agnostic? Or a smart alecky fellow who actually has great
potentials to help but is oblivious of his duty to be concerned with
the lives of others?
We have to be wary of the subtle temptation to classify
people without knowing how to put them together in one communion as we
all ought to be, with God as the principle, end, pattern and power for
that communion.
Everyone should be concerned for the common good, both
temporal and eternal, material and spiritual, and should know how to
work together in solidarity and subsidiarity.
In other words, we might be giving good attention to
people of Class D and E, but at the expense of neglecting those of
Class A, B and C. Worse, we might be giving help to those of Class D
and E but without involving in some organic way those of Class A, B
and C.
We have to be wary of falling into the tricks of some
ideologies that like to put people in classes and in conflict with one
another. While these ideologies have always some good and valid points
to offer, we should be quick to recognize when their excesses and
extremist doctrines and practices start to emerge.
When we hear nice slogans, like we should be a Church of
the Poor and for the Poor, and that we are in some Year of Mercy, let
us not forget the proper understanding of what poor really means, and
how mercy and compassion should be pursued.
We have to broaden our attitudes, banking them on our
faith first of all before taking due considerations of whatever help
some ideologies can offer us, whether they are right-leaning or
left-leaning, of the capitalist system or the socialist. We have to
have a good grasp of the social doctrine of the Church that thanks to
God is already quite developed and clear.
We should be wary of things that would stir up our
emotions and feelings such that we follow the playbooks of these
ideologies that are already detached or even opposed to our faith and
true charity. In this, we have to help one another.
compassion toward everyone, especially the poor and the needy. But we
have to understand that compassion should have a universal coverage.
It should not be limited to the sentimental aspects of things, nor to
relieving the economic and material needs of people alone.
It should cover the whole range of human needs in their
proper order of importance, foremost of which is our need for God. We
have to learn to distinguish between the pressing and precious needs
of man, and to cope with the tension that sometimes arises in our
effort to put these two kinds of needs together.
The material needs of man may be pressing and urgent, but
these should not detract us from giving priority attention to the
precious spiritual needs of man to relate himself with God and others
in true love, irrespective of whether he is rich or poor, a prince or
a pauper.
It’s true that looking after the pressing material needs
of people can already be an overwhelming task. This should not be
attended to on an ad hoc basis alone, giving dole-outs and temporary
relief. This has to be given stable and effective solutions, like
creating jobs, enabling poor people to find work through education and
continuing training, especially considering that the world economy is
rapidly evolving, etc.
But over and above this concern is the care of the more
important necessity of man—his spiritual life, his relation with God
that should be developed according to God’s love and concern for
everyone, and thus, his relation with everybody else. Christ himself
gave more importance to forgiving sins than to curing the paralytic.
(cfr Mk 2,1-12)
In this concern, we have to understand that the poor may
not be the one who are economically poor. They can be the richest, the
most educated, the most famous and powerful, but who happen to be
farthest from God. They can turn out, in that context, to be the
poorest of the poor, the lost sheep that have strayed farthest from
God.
They pose as the most difficult challenge in our duty to
show compassion, to reflect in our life God’s love for all. Are we in
the first place aware of this reality? Are we up to the challenge? Do
we know how to tackle this problem?
Do we know, for example how to deal with an unbeliever, an
atheist or agnostic? Or a smart alecky fellow who actually has great
potentials to help but is oblivious of his duty to be concerned with
the lives of others?
We have to be wary of the subtle temptation to classify
people without knowing how to put them together in one communion as we
all ought to be, with God as the principle, end, pattern and power for
that communion.
Everyone should be concerned for the common good, both
temporal and eternal, material and spiritual, and should know how to
work together in solidarity and subsidiarity.
In other words, we might be giving good attention to
people of Class D and E, but at the expense of neglecting those of
Class A, B and C. Worse, we might be giving help to those of Class D
and E but without involving in some organic way those of Class A, B
and C.
We have to be wary of falling into the tricks of some
ideologies that like to put people in classes and in conflict with one
another. While these ideologies have always some good and valid points
to offer, we should be quick to recognize when their excesses and
extremist doctrines and practices start to emerge.
When we hear nice slogans, like we should be a Church of
the Poor and for the Poor, and that we are in some Year of Mercy, let
us not forget the proper understanding of what poor really means, and
how mercy and compassion should be pursued.
We have to broaden our attitudes, banking them on our
faith first of all before taking due considerations of whatever help
some ideologies can offer us, whether they are right-leaning or
left-leaning, of the capitalist system or the socialist. We have to
have a good grasp of the social doctrine of the Church that thanks to
God is already quite developed and clear.
We should be wary of things that would stir up our
emotions and feelings such that we follow the playbooks of these
ideologies that are already detached or even opposed to our faith and
true charity. In this, we have to help one another.
Take a look around.
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