EDGE: April 26

The Vulnerable and Poor:  Preferential Treatment

OBJECTIVE:

To examine the Catholic social teaching about our preferential option for the poor and vulnerable

OVERVIEW:

This may be one of the toughest sessions of the semester.  Most of us realize that we are supposed to be charitable and to help those in need.  This Catholic social teaching, however, calls us to put the needs of the poor and most vulnerable members of society first.  John Paul II wrote:  “By virtue of her own evangelical duty, the Church feels called to take her stand beside the poor, to discern the justice of their requests and to help satisfy them” (On Social Concerns).  The Church calls on all of us to embrace this preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, to embody it in our lives and to work to have it shape public policies and priorities.  A basic moral test for any community is how the poor and vulnerable are treated.  This is not only in reference to our willingness to provide for the needs of the poor, but also the protection of the vulnerable so that all people have access to a share in the common good.

While the common good embraces all, those who are weak, vulnerable and most in need deserve preferential concern.  In other Edge sessions this semester, the issues of human dignity, respect for life and respect for creation were discussed.  These sessions looked into specific Catholic social teachings regarding the respect of life and creation.  In this session, the focus is on giving preferential treatment to the poor and to the vulnerable.  Vulnerable refers to the unborn, persons with disabilities, those who cannot defend themselves, the elderly and terminally ill and victims of injustice and oppression.

The Church believes strongly in our duty to stand beside the poor and to seek ways to help and defend the poor and vulnerable.  In the Catechism it states:

“The Church’s love for the poor…is a part of her constant tradition.”  This love is inspired by the Gospel of the Beatitudes, of the poverty of Jesus, and of his concern for the poor.  Love for the poor is even one of the motives for the duty of working so as to “be able to give to those in need.”  It extends not only to material poverty but also to the many forms of cultural and religious poverty” (2224).

The Scriptures, both in the New and Old Testament, remind us of our duty to care for the poor and vulnerable.  In the book of Exodus, the Israelites were given a strong warning:  “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.  You shall not afflict any widow or orphan…If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor, and you shall not exact interest from him” (Exodus 22: 21-22, 25).  God promises swift judgment upon those who oppress the poor and vulnerable.  Similarly, we see that at the Last Judgment (Matthew 25: 21-46), that we will be judged according to our care for the poor and vulnerable.  Jesus identified Himself in this judgment as the one who is poor, naked, homeless, etc.  We are the body of Christ and we are called “to bring glad tidings to the afflicted…to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim a year of the Lord’s favor” (Isaiah 61: 1-2).

Summary Challenge (Points to Remember):

1.  The Catholic Church calls us to stand with the poor and vulnerable members of our society.

2.  The poor and weak are the ones in most need.  In addition to these corporal works of mercy, we also have the spiritual works of mercy that remind us to help teach those who do not know the faith, forgive others willingly, counsel those who doubt, etc.

3.  The Catholic Church continues to challenge us to respond to the Gospel by better understanding the works of mercy and our Catholic social teachings.

4.  The Catholic social teachings help us to reflect on how we are living out the works of mercy and how to better put them into practice.

Luke 4: 16 – 22a

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”

Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”  And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.