Man is a social creature and embedded in his psyche is an intense desire for relationships. We yearn to be part of something greater and more significant than ourselves. We desire deep connections with family, friends and society: bonds that fulfill our desire to love and be loved. Despite divisive inequalities undermining social trust, we learn that making community is a symbiotic inter-dependence essential to our development and happiness. Children instinctively know their wellbeing is connected to their family. Adolescents bond with peers and other adults expanding into broader community life. Adulthood teaches us to inter-weave our talents with complementing ones. Partnerships are formed to elevate us through social cohesion, as we gradually shed the illusion of self-sufficiency. In short, man is created to love others and his community is a training ground to hone the skills required to establish Justice and Peace.
Christian fraternity enkindles a yearning for wholeness which cannot be attained individually, because we are all members of a kinship that reaches beyond ourselves. Only by engaging with society does the soul find fulfillment, growing deeper roots which otherwise feel alienated and disconnected. The awareness grows that with our right to be sustained by society, comes the duty to nourish others with our talents and resources. It should be noted that anything worth doing is done for others, because everything done for others is invested in our own wellbeing. Let’s strengthen the tapestry of humanity – of which we are just a short strand – by showing care for every individual who is connected and inter-twined with us across diverse barriers.
The Option for the Poor instructs us to give generously to the marginalized, by liberating the destitute and afflicted who also long to be a meaningful and productive part of our community. Whatever the social, racial, ethnic or economic differences, we are one People of God. Only by changing our inner attitude, can we change the outer aspects of our relationships with others. St. Augustine, who sold his chalice to feed the poor, reminds us that the abundance of the rich is the necessity of the poor, and God is inseparable from the poor. Riches, intelligence and talents are personal gifts for the benefit of mankind. Never hesitate to assist your neighbour, since everything you have is a loan that will be claimed back. With the timeless expression: “Whatever you do for one of the least of mine, you do it for me”, Christ revealed he was a community champion, tirelessly advocating for a caring society that empowers the helpless. Superficially the divine purpose seems paradoxical: God bestows wealth on the Rich, so the Rich may in turn bestow it on the Poor … or else we are just like black light bulbs that illuminate nobody.
In the 4th century the great Augustine wrote: “Keep enjoying your expensive foods, because you are in the habit of them, because if you change your habits you get sick. Keep enjoying your luxury, but give the poor their necessity. The poor man looks to you, you look to God. The poor looks to a hand that was made as he was. You look to a hand that made you. But it didn't only make you, it also made the poor man. God gave you both this life as the same road to travel along. You have found yourselves companions and enjoy this road. The poor carries nothing, while you carry more than you need. You are overloaded, so give him some of what you’ve got. At a stroke, you can feed him and lessen your load. So give to the poor. I’m begging you! I’m warning you! I’m commanding you! I’m ordering you! Give to the poor whatever he needs.”
