It's quite appropriate that Pope Francis' message for the lenten season 2014 is based on the verses drawn from Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, "He became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich" (cf. 2 Cor 8:9).
Yes, "by his poverty you might become rich". This is no mere play on words or a catch phrase. Rather, it sums up God’s logic, the logic of love, the logic of the incarnation and the cross, Pope Francis said on Tuesday.
The pontiff's explanation: we might think that this “way” of poverty was Jesus’ way, whereas we who come after him can save the world with the right kind of human resources. This is not the case. In every time and place, God continues to save mankind and the world through the poverty of Christ, who makes himself poor in the sacraments, in his word and in his Church, which is a people of the poor. God’s wealth passes not through our wealth, but invariably and exclusively through our personal and communal poverty, enlivened by the Spirit of Christ.
Pope had mentioned about poverty and poor in several other papers and letters in the last one year, thus making a sustained attempt to bring the church closer to the poor. Following in the footsteps of Jesus, Christians are called to confront the poverty of our brothers and sisters, to touch it, to make it our own and to take practical steps to alleviate it, the Holy Father says.
Vatican explains it further. Destitution is not the same as poverty. Destitution is poverty without faith, without support, without hope. Pope says there're three types of destitution: material, moral and spiritual.
1. Material destitution is what is normally called poverty, and affects those living in conditions opposed to human dignity: those who lack basic rights and needs such as food, water, hygiene, work and the opportunity to develop and grow culturally. In response to this destitution, the Church offers her help, in meeting these needs and binding these wounds which disfigure the face of humanity. When power, luxury and money become idols, they take priority over the need for a fair distribution of wealth. Our consciences thus need to be converted to justice, equality, simplicity and sharing, Vatican says.
2. Moral destitution is slavery to vice and sin. How much pain is caused in families because one of their members – often a young person - is in thrall to alcohol, drugs, gambling or pornography! How many people no longer see meaning in life or prospects for the future, how many have lost hope! And how many are plunged into this destitution by unjust social conditions, by unemployment, which takes away their dignity as breadwinners, and by lack of equal access to education and health care. In such cases, moral destitution can be considered impending suicide, Pope says.
3. Spiritual destitution is what we experience when we turn away from God and reject his love. If we think we don’t need God who reaches out to us though Christ, because we believe we can make do on our own, we are headed for a fall. God alone can truly save and free us, Pope says.
Vatican has come down on the rich-poor divide many times. The need to resolve the structural causes of poverty cannot be delayed, not only for the pragmatic reason of its urgency for the good order of society, but because society needs to be cured of a sickness which is weakening and frustrating it, and which can only lead to new crises. Welfare projects, which meet certain urgent needs, should be considered merely temporary responses, says the Evagelii Gaudium.
Vatican also attacked capitalism while expressing its concern about the poor. As long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation and by attacking the structural causes of inequality, no solution will be found for the world’s problems or, for that matter, to any problems. Inequality is the root of social ills, it says.
The exhortation also asks everyone to hear the cry of the poor. Pope quoted the bishops of Brazil as saying: “We wish to take up daily the joys and hopes, the difficulties and sorrows of the Brazilian people, especially of those living in the barrios and the countryside – landless, homeless, lacking food and health care – to the detriment of their rights. 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." The situation is even worse in a country like India. If you compares the living standards and per capita income of Brazil and India, you can easily make out that Indians are poorer than Brazilians. One can hope this lenten message will help in ameliorating our spiritual and living standards.
Yes, "by his poverty you might become rich". This is no mere play on words or a catch phrase. Rather, it sums up God’s logic, the logic of love, the logic of the incarnation and the cross, Pope Francis said on Tuesday.
The pontiff's explanation: we might think that this “way” of poverty was Jesus’ way, whereas we who come after him can save the world with the right kind of human resources. This is not the case. In every time and place, God continues to save mankind and the world through the poverty of Christ, who makes himself poor in the sacraments, in his word and in his Church, which is a people of the poor. God’s wealth passes not through our wealth, but invariably and exclusively through our personal and communal poverty, enlivened by the Spirit of Christ.
Pope had mentioned about poverty and poor in several other papers and letters in the last one year, thus making a sustained attempt to bring the church closer to the poor. Following in the footsteps of Jesus, Christians are called to confront the poverty of our brothers and sisters, to touch it, to make it our own and to take practical steps to alleviate it, the Holy Father says.
Vatican explains it further. Destitution is not the same as poverty. Destitution is poverty without faith, without support, without hope. Pope says there're three types of destitution: material, moral and spiritual.
1. Material destitution is what is normally called poverty, and affects those living in conditions opposed to human dignity: those who lack basic rights and needs such as food, water, hygiene, work and the opportunity to develop and grow culturally. In response to this destitution, the Church offers her help, in meeting these needs and binding these wounds which disfigure the face of humanity. When power, luxury and money become idols, they take priority over the need for a fair distribution of wealth. Our consciences thus need to be converted to justice, equality, simplicity and sharing, Vatican says.
2. Moral destitution is slavery to vice and sin. How much pain is caused in families because one of their members – often a young person - is in thrall to alcohol, drugs, gambling or pornography! How many people no longer see meaning in life or prospects for the future, how many have lost hope! And how many are plunged into this destitution by unjust social conditions, by unemployment, which takes away their dignity as breadwinners, and by lack of equal access to education and health care. In such cases, moral destitution can be considered impending suicide, Pope says.
3. Spiritual destitution is what we experience when we turn away from God and reject his love. If we think we don’t need God who reaches out to us though Christ, because we believe we can make do on our own, we are headed for a fall. God alone can truly save and free us, Pope says.
Vatican has come down on the rich-poor divide many times. The need to resolve the structural causes of poverty cannot be delayed, not only for the pragmatic reason of its urgency for the good order of society, but because society needs to be cured of a sickness which is weakening and frustrating it, and which can only lead to new crises. Welfare projects, which meet certain urgent needs, should be considered merely temporary responses, says the Evagelii Gaudium.
Vatican also attacked capitalism while expressing its concern about the poor. As long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation and by attacking the structural causes of inequality, no solution will be found for the world’s problems or, for that matter, to any problems. Inequality is the root of social ills, it says.
The exhortation also asks everyone to hear the cry of the poor. Pope quoted the bishops of Brazil as saying: “We wish to take up daily the joys and hopes, the difficulties and sorrows of the Brazilian people, especially of those living in the barrios and the countryside – landless, homeless, lacking food and health care – to the detriment of their rights. 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." The situation is even worse in a country like India. If you compares the living standards and per capita income of Brazil and India, you can easily make out that Indians are poorer than Brazilians. One can hope this lenten message will help in ameliorating our spiritual and living standards.
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