During this Lenten season, let us find time to reflect on whether, as followers of Christ, we are living as people of the Beatitudes. The corporal and spiritual works of mercy should be uppermost in our minds as we seek to live the Gospel. Reflect also on the words of our Holy Father in his Lenten Message for 2014.
The theme he has chosen is: “He became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (inspired by St Paul in his Second Letter to the Corinthians: cf. 2 Cor. 8:9). In his message, Pope Francis reminds us that there are many forms of poverty. He describes three types of destitution: “material destitution” that disfigures the face of humanity. We must confront abuses, discrimination and violations against human dignity which often cause the material poverty suffered by those who lack the basic rights to food, water, work, and development.
Secondly, there is “moral destitution” – being a slave to vice and sin, which can be considered “impending suicide” because it is often caused by a lack of jobs, and lack of access to healthcare and education. Many are in pain and have turned to alcohol, drugs, gambling, pornography or other vice. “How many people no longer see meaning in life or prospects for the future, how many have lost hope!” he says. They “no longer see meaning in life or prospects for the future”.
Thirdly, there is “spiritual destitution” which occurs when people believe they don’t need God and can make it on their own. He says such persons “are headed for a fall…God alone can truly save and free us…The Gospel is the real antidote to spiritual destitution”, and the greatest treasure of all is “boundless confidence in God” and the desire to always do his will.
As followers of Jesus, we must confront the material, spiritual and moral destitution of “our brothers and sisters, to touch it, to make it our own and to take practical steps to alleviate it”. I agree with him that “there is only one real kind of poverty: not living as children of God and brothers and sisters of Christ.”
As Christians, we are called to follow and imitate Jesus who sought out the poor and sinners; we are to open up “new paths of evangelisation and human promotion”. We must “proclaim the liberating news that forgiveness for sins committed is possible, that God is greater than our sinfulness, that he freely loves us at all times and that we were made for communion and eternal life”.
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“By loving and serving the poor,” he says, “we love and serve Christ,” but this requires personal conversion. He reminds us that “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.”
We are a people of hope and we are to offer real hope. We must address the spiritual, material and moral needs of each person. We too can make the world rich with God’s love and mercy. Let us work to promote social justice in our communities.
Our Catechism reminds us that “society ensures social justice when it provides the conditions that allow associations or individuals to obtain what is their due, according to their nature and their vocation. Social justice is linked to the common good and the exercise of authority…Social justice can be obtained only in respecting the transcendent dignity of man and woman…everyone should look upon his/her neighbour (without any exception) as ‘another self’…” (paras 1928, 1929, 1931).
The resources of our world are sufficient to meet all our needs, but not all our greed. Greed, individualism and selfishness have led us to this juncture in T&T and the world where we walk on the other side and ignore the plight of the poor. Pope Paul VI said there can be no peace without justice. We must work tirelessly for justice for the poor and excluded.
I end with Pope Francis’ powerful words: “Lent is a fitting time for self-denial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give up in order to help and enrich others by our own poverty. Let us not forget that real poverty hurts: no self-denial is real without this dimension of penance. I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt.”
So, my friends, let everything we do during this Lenten season be inspired by the Holy Spirit. Together, we can build a civilisation of love.
