Helping The Poor Starts With You And Me
Jesus’ Gospel calls Christians to work to make our world a better place for everyone because each person is created in God’s image, thus enjoying dignity. Our dignity is not given us by society’s standards, but is bestowed upon us by God Himself. In justice Christians must help the poor by changing society’s unjust structures keeping people impoverished and by changing their own living habits.
Pope Francis writes forcefully, “…the planet belongs to all mankind and is meant for all mankind; the mere fact that some people are born in places with fewer resources or less development does not justify the fact that they are living with less dignity. It must be reiterated that the more fortunate should renounce some of their rights so as to place their goods more generously at the service of others. …we need to broaden our perspective and to hear the plea of other peoples and other regions than those of our own country. We need to grow in solidarity…. In all places and circumstances, Christians, with the help of their pastors, are called to hear the cry of the poor” (Evangelii Gaudium 190-191).
He writes how the Brazilian bishops taught about Christians’ daily duty to take up the needs of the poor. “Seeing their poverty, hearing their cries and knowing their sufferings, we are scandalized because we know that there is enough food for everyone and that hunger is the result of a poor distribution of goods and income. The problem is made worse by the generalized practice of wastefulness” (E.G. 191).
Our pope is really “pushing the pedal to the floor” by challenging Christians to look at the satisfaction (and often, over-satisfaction) of their personal needs while others go without. A personal example may suffice.
After attending a national assembly of priests in June 2014, I realized I am guilty of the sin of gluttony. I am not “addicted” to food (calling everything an “addiction” downplays one’s personal responsibilities). I justified my behavior with the attitude that “I simply enjoy eating.” While devouring my “3-story” breakfast plate, it hit me how I eat more than I need to sustain my life – my weight was a testimony to this, evident to all! Gluttony remains one of the seven deadly sins.
My overeating has multiple moral ramifications. First, eating too much food puts me into a sleep-induced state (like lying around watching a football game after stuffing ourselves on Thanksgiving Day), not allowing me to devote more time to the Lord’s service. Second, overeating has health risks. We are to care for our health as best we can. Third, overeating makes me insensitive to the needs of those who go to bed hungry each night in our own communities and throughout the world. Fourth, my overeating deprives the poor of food. There are many other reasons why gluttony is sinful.
My remedy to overeating was to cut back on the amount of food I eat each day, trying to be aware of what I actually need to sustain my life. It is a matter of becoming more conscious of what I eat. I now eat less – benefiting from a weight loss of 40 pounds since January. I also now donate a percentage of my income to organizations that feed the poor. These are personal steps anyone can do.
I remember celebrating a school Mass while at St. Theresa Parish in Evansville. One third-grader asked during the homily, “If God loves people so much, why are so many people starving to death in Ethiopia … why doesn’t God do something?” My response – after a quick prayer -- “Maybe God is waiting for you and me to help them.”
