A Time to Remember

November is a time in which we remember. All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Remembrance Day. It is a time to reflect on the past and plan for the future. Pope Francis has marked the Sunday before the last Sunday of the year as World Day of the Poor. The theme for this year is “For the Poor you have always with you”.

These words of Jesus spoken to his disciples is often misunderstood. In these words, He was reminding us of the words of Moses in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 15. Here is what is found there. “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.” The disciples would have known that this is what Jesus meant.

He also wants us to understand that He was present in the poor. We are called to the poor by the Holy Spirit acting in us, because we see ourselves in them as well. The poor have much to teach us. They know the suffering Christ through their own sufferings. This is something that some Vincentians do not understand. They see themselves as Christ going to the poor. This is good. But they often do not see Christ walking with the poor in their struggles. They do not see Christ reaching out to us to experience Him.

The pandemic has affected all of us, especially the poor. It has also shown the other types of poverty such as mental illness, domestic violence, housing issues. The world is looking for hope. Christ is looking to us to provide that hope. We do this by our home visits, our stores, food banks and our social justice actions.

Poverty is a systemic sin and all Christians have a responsibility to partner with the poor to end poverty once and for all. Martin Luther King Jr said “True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that (what) produces beggars needs restructuring.” It is shown when we realize that many things have caused a person to beg at a stop light. Restructuring the way that we live is what is needed. In this way we bring the kingdom of God to them. What God demands of his followers is justice, not charity. If justice would prevail then poverty would not exist.

But for that to happen there must be a change of heart, a change of attitude in all of us. Many have been fighting for “a living wage” for those in need. When it was implemented many of the companies cut staff hours to compensate. They did not adjust their prices to allow them to stay open. When asked why, they said that their customers would not accept the increase cost. They would not shop at their businesses.

We need a change in society. Those in need must be seen as part of us, not those who live on the margins of society who we see only when we look that way. Poverty can and must be ended. If we truly want to see God’s kingdom on earth, then this must be done. Why? Because there is no poverty in the kingdom.

Deacon John Girolami