VITH WORLD DAY OF THE POOR
November 13 2022, XXXIII Sunday in ordinary time
Jesus Christ became poor because of you (cf. 2 Cor 8:9)
1. “Jesus Christ [...] became poor because of you” (cf. 2 Co 8, 9). It is with these words that the Apostle Paul addresses the first Christians of Corinth, to give a foundation to their commitment to solidarity with their brothers in need. La World Day of the Poor comes back again this year as a healthy provocation to help us reflect on our lifestyle and on the many current forms of poverty.
A few months ago, the world emerged from the storm of the pandemic showing signs of economic recovery that would have relieved millions of people impoverished by the loss of their jobs. A perspective of serenity opened up, which, without forgetting the pain of losing loved ones, promised to finally be able to return to direct interpersonal relationships, to meet again without constraints or restrictions. And now a new disaster has appeared on the horizon, destined to impose a different scenario on the world.
The war in Ukraine has come on top of the regional wars that, in recent years, have caused death and destruction. But here, the framework is presented in a more complex way because of the direct intervention of a “superpower” that intends to impose its will against the principle of self-determination of peoples. Scenes of tragic memory are repeated and, once again, the mutual blackmail of certain powerful people is covering the voice of humanity that calls for peace.
2. How many poor people does the absurdity of war create! Everywhere you look, you can see how violence affects the defenseless and the weakest; deportations of thousands of people, especially boys and girls, to uproot them and impose another identity on them. The words of the Psalmist in the face of the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of young Jews are becoming current again: “On the banks of the rivers of Babylon/we were sitting and weeping/remembering Zion./In the willows around/we hung our harps/we hung our harps, /this is where our victors/asked us for songs,/and our torturers, happy tunes/[...] How to sing Would we be a song of the Lord/on a foreign land? ” (Ps 137, 1-4).
Millions of women, children and the elderly are forced to brave the danger of bombs by seeking refuge in neighbouring countries as displaced persons. Those who remain in conflict zones live every day with fear and lack of food, water, medical care and, above all, medical care and, above all, medical care. In these circumstances, the reason is clouded and it is ordinary people who suffer the consequences, adding to the already high number of poor people. How can we give an adequate response capable of bringing relief and peace to so many people left at the mercy of uncertainty and precariousness?
3. The 6th World Day of the Poor takes place in this very contradictory context, with the invitation — taken from the Apostle Paul — to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus who, “from being rich, became poor because of you, so that you might become rich because of his poverty” (2 Co 8, 9). During his visit to Jerusalem, Paul met Peter, James, and John who asked him not to forget the poor. The community of Jerusalem, in fact, was in serious difficulties because of the famine that had hit the country. And the Apostle immediately took care of organizing a large collection in favor of these poor people. The Christians of Corinth were very sensitive and available. On Paul's instructions, each first day of the week, they collected what they could save and they were all very generous.
As if time had never passed since then, every Sunday, we too, during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, perform the same gesture by sharing our offerings so that the community can provide for the needs of the poorest. It is a sign that Christians have always carried out with joy and a sense of responsibility, so that no brother or sister lacks what is necessary. The story of Saint Justin, who, in the second century, described to the Emperor Antonin the Pious the Pious the Sunday celebration of Christians, already testified to this: “On the day that is called “the day of the sun”, everyone, in the cities and in the countryside, meets in the same place: we read the memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets, as long as time allows. [...] Then takes place the distribution and sharing of things are dedicated to each and their portion is sent to the absent through the ministry of deacons. Those who are in abundance, and who want to give, freely give everyone what they want, and what is collected is given to the one who presides. He assists orphans, widows, the sick, the poor, the needy, prisoners, foreign guests, in short, he helps all who are in need” (First Apology, LXVII, 1-6).
4. Returning to the Corinth community, commitment began to falter after initial enthusiasm, and the initiative proposed by the Apostle lost momentum. This is the reason that prompted Paul to write with passion to relaunch the collection: “Go to the end of the project: as you put your heart into making this decision, so you will go to the end, according to your means” (2 Co 8, 11).
I am thinking right now of the availability of entire populations that, in recent years, have opened their doors to welcome the millions of refugees from wars in the Middle East, Central Africa and now in Ukraine. Families have opened their homes widely to make room for other families, and communities have generously welcomed many women and children to offer them the dignity they deserve. However, the longer the conflict lasts, the more its consequences worsen. Host peoples are finding it increasingly difficult to ensure the continuity of relief; families and communities are beginning to feel the weight of a situation that goes beyond the emergency. It is time to not falter and to renew the initial motivation. What we have started must be completed with the same responsibility.
5. Solidarity, in fact, is precisely this: sharing what little we have with those who have nothing, so that no one suffers. The more the sense of community and communion as a way of life grows, the more solidarity develops. Moreover, it should be considered that there are countries where, during these decades, there has been a significant increase in well-being for many families, who have achieved a secure life. This is a positive result of private initiative and laws that have supported economic growth, combined with a concrete incentive for family policies and social responsibility. The legacy of security and stability achieved can now be shared with those who have been forced to leave their homes and countries in order to save themselves and survive. As members of civil society, let us keep alive the call for the values of freedom, responsibility, fraternity and solidarity. And as Christians, let us always find in charity, in faith and in hope the foundation of our being and of our action.
6. It is interesting to note that the Apostle does not want to coerce Christians by forcing them to work of charity. In fact, he writes: “This is not an order that I am giving” (2 Co 8, 8). On the contrary, he intends to “verify the authenticity” of their love by caring for and caring for the poor (cf. ibid). The basis of Paul's request is certainly the need for concrete help, but his intention goes further. He invites us to collect money so that it may be a sign of love, as Jesus Himself testified. In short, generosity towards the poor finds its strongest motivation in the choice of the Son of God who wanted to make himself poor himself.
In fact, the Apostle is not afraid to affirm that this choice of Christ, his “emptiness”, is a “grace”, even “the liberality of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2). Co 8, 9), and only by welcoming it can we give a concrete and coherent expression to our faith. The teaching of the entire New Testament finds its unity around this theme, which is also reflected in the words of the Apostle James: “Put the Word into practice, do not just listen to it: that would be deluding you. For if someone listens to the Word without putting it into practice, he is comparable to a man who observes his face in a mirror as it is, and who immediately leaves, forgetting what he was like. On the contrary, whoever looks at the perfect law, that of freedom, and who sticks to it, whoever listens to it not to forget it, but to put it into practice in his actions, he will be happy to do so” (Jc 1, 22-25).
7. Faced with the poor, we do not make rhetoric, but we roll up our sleeves and we put faith into practice through a direct involvement that cannot be delegated to anyone. Sometimes a form of laxity can take over, leading to inconsistent behaviors, such as indifference to the poor. It also happens that some Christians, through excessive attachment to money, get bogged down in the misuse of goods and assets. These are situations that demonstrate weak faith and weak, short-sighted hope.
We know that the problem is not money itself, as it is part of people's daily lives and social relationships. Rather, what we need to think about is the value that money has for us: it cannot become an absolute, as if it were the main purpose. Such attachment prevents one from looking realistically at everyday life and blurs the eye by preventing one from seeing the needs of others. Nothing more harmful can happen to a Christian or to a community than to be dazzled by the idol of wealth that ends up leading to a fleeting and failing vision of life.
It is therefore not a question of being helpful to the poor, as is often the case; on the contrary, it is necessary to commit ourselves so that no one lacks what is necessary. It is not activism that saves, but the sincere and generous attention that allows me to approach a poor person as well as to a brother who reaches out, bringing me out of the torpor into which I fell. Therefore, “no one should say that they stay away from the poor because their lifestyle choices make them pay more attention to other tasks. This is a frequent excuse in academic, business, professional, and even ecclesial settings. [...] No one can feel exempt from concern for the poor and for social justice” (Exhort. ap. Evangelii gaudium, no. 201). It is urgent to find new ways that can go beyond the idea of these social policies “designed as a policy. worms The poor, but never with The poor, never Of poor, and even less included in a project bringing together peoples” (Enc. Fratelli tutti, no. 169). Rather, we should tend to adopt the attitude of the Apostle who could write to the Corinthians: “It is not a question of making yourself uncomfortable by relieving others, it is a question of equality” (2 Co 8, 13).
8. There is a paradox that is difficult to accept, today as in the past, because it clashes with human logic: poverty makes you rich. Recalling the “grace” of Jesus Christ, Paul wants to confirm what he himself preached, namely that true wealth does not consist in accumulating “treasures on earth, where moths and worms devour them, where thieves break through walls to steal” (Mt 6, 19), but is found in a mutual love that makes one another bear each other's burdens so that no one is abandoned or excluded. The experience of weakness and limitations that we have experienced in recent years, and now the tragedy of a war with global repercussions, must teach us one decisive thing: we are not in the world to survive, but so that everyone can live a dignified and happy life. The message of Jesus shows us the way and makes us discover that there is a poverty that humbles and kills, and that there is another poverty, his, that liberates and makes you serene.
Poverty that kills is misery, the daughter of injustice, exploitation, violence and the unjust distribution of resources. It is desperate poverty, with no future, because it is imposed by a culture of rejection that offers no prospects or solutions. It is poverty that, while it imposes a condition of extreme poverty, also affects the spiritual dimension, which, even if it is often overlooked, nevertheless exists and matters. When the only law becomes that of calculating gain in the end, there are no longer any obstacles to the logic of exploiting people: others are only means. Fair pay, fair working hours no longer exist, and new forms of slavery are created, suffered by people who have no alternative and who must accept this poisonous injustice in order to earn a minimum for their subsistence.
Poverty that liberates, on the other hand, is the one that comes before us as a responsible choice to alleviate the burden and focus on what is essential. In fact, we often encounter that feeling of dissatisfaction that many people experience because they feel that they are missing something important, and they go looking for it like wandering people, without an aim. Eager to find what can satisfy them, they need to be oriented towards the small, the weak, the poor to finally understand what they really need. Meeting the poor allows us to put an end to a lot of anxieties and inconsistent fears, to achieve what really matters in life and that no one can steal from us: true and free love. The poor, in reality, before being the object of our alms, are subjects that help us to free ourselves from the bonds of worry and superficiality.
A father and doctor of the Church, Saint John Chrysostom, in his writings where there are strong denunciations against the behavior of Christians towards the poorest, wrote: “If you do not believe that poverty produces wealth, think of your Master, and you will no longer have doubts. Because if he had not become poor, you would not have become rich. Surprisingly, however, that poverty has enriched wealth! Here, by the word “wealth”, Paul means the science of godliness, the purification of our sins, justice, sanctification, and the innumerable goods that God has given us” (Homilies on the Second Letter to the Corinthians, 17, 1).
9. The text of the Apostle to which this refers 6th World Day of the Poor presents the great paradox of the life of faith: the poverty of Christ enriches us. If Paul was able to give this teaching — and the Church disseminated and witnessed it over the centuries — it is because God, in his Son Jesus, chose and followed this path. If he made himself poor for us, then our life itself is illuminated and transformed, and acquires a value that the world does not know and cannot give. The wealth of Jesus is his love that is not closed to anyone and goes out to everyone, especially those who are marginalized and deprived of what is necessary. Out of love, he stripped himself and assumed the human condition. Out of love, he became an obedient servant, until he died and died on the cross (cf. Ph 2, 6-8). Out of love, he made himself “the bread of life” (Jn 6:35), so that no one lacks the necessities and can find the food that nourishes for eternal life. Even today, it seems difficult, as it was then for the disciples of the Lord, to accept this teaching (cf. Jn 6:60); but the word of Jesus is clear. If we want life to prevail over death and for dignity to be delivered from injustice, the path is his: it consists in following the poverty of Jesus Christ, sharing life for love, breaking the bread of his existence with brothers and sisters, beginning with the brothers and sisters, beginning with the last, those who lack what is needed, so that equality is achieved, so that the poor are freed from misery and the rich from vanity, both without hope.
10. On 15 May last, I canonized Brother Charles de Foucauld, a man who, being born rich, gave up everything to follow Jesus and become poor with him and brother to all. His life as a hermit, first in Nazareth and then in the Saharan desert, made of silence, prayer and sharing, is an exemplary testimony of Christian poverty. It will be good for us to meditate on his words: “Do not despise the poor, the little ones; not only are they our brothers in God, but they are those who most perfectly imitate Jesus in his external life: they perfectly represent Jesus to us, the Worker of Nazareth. They are the elders among the elect, the first called to the Cradle of the Savior. They were the usual company of Jesus from birth to death. Let us honor them, let us honor in them the images of Jesus and his holy parents [...]. Let us take for ourselves [the condition] that he took for himself [...] .Let us never stop being poor in everything, brothers of the poor, companions of the poor, let us be the poorest of the poor like Jesus, and like him, and like him, let us love the poor and surround ourselves with them” [1]. For Brother Charles, these were not only words, but a concrete lifestyle that led him to share with Jesus the very gift of life.
That this 6th World Day of the Poor become a graceful opportunity to examine our personal and community conscience and ask ourselves if the poverty of Jesus Christ is our faithful companion in life.
Rome, Saint-Jean-du-Lateran, June 13, 2022, Memory of Saint Anthony of Padova.
FRANÇOIS
[1] Meditation n. 263 on Lc 2, 8-20: C. de Foucauld, God's goodness. Meditations on the Holy Gospels (1), Nouvelle Cité, Montrouge 1996, pp. 214-216.
(Source)
