TURN TOWARD THE POOR

In all societies throughout the world the dynamic is the same: the competent look after themselves and cannot see who  invisible  or who is pushed aside to the margins. The challenge placed before Christianity by Pope Leo is to pay attention to the little ones who are forgotten. We are not asked to move into some Third World country but to look around to those who live in our neighborhood.

 

In every society there are blind spots. In e very family there are blind spots. We want to be very aware of the difficulty that most people have with taking ownership of their own blind spots; their own negatives biases. 

 

Our Christianity is a very compassionate religion. It is never a  “God-and-me” event. The closer we draw toward God (i.e., the divine), the closer we will draw to our fellow human being. Our faith does not ask whether the poor are worthy, living up-right lives and are nice persons. It sees all human beings of precious dignity and worth. No one is every born second-class. 

 

When we open ourselves to recognizing who is poor in our midst, we are very surprised how challenging this proves to be in our approach to others. Naming the poor who live close to us can be very upsetting at times.

 

When we speak about the poor we must always add “the poor with their many faces.” Poverty is not just the homeless people in our large cities or only on the East Side of Vancouver.

 

The poor are always very close to us.

 

The poor is your aged Mother who suffers dementia and can no longer be cared for by a family member. She is in a care home and does not recognize any of her children anymore.  Any chance for a conversation is very, very limited. This is why you are encouraged to visit your aged Mother with someone else. With another person you can have some conversation and will not get bored so quickly. The poor of this society live in care homes.

 

The poor person is your nephew struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. His life is on the edge of total collapse. He will lose his wife and family, his house and his job. The addiction has so messed up any sense of responsibility and ability to sustain a meaningful relationship. He is a blood relative and you feel very deeply for a messed-up life. The face of the poor is right within our families.

 

Your co-worker, aged thirty-four, has just received a cancer diagnosis. This has hit him like a punch in the stomach. He is windless and feels knocked down by his own body. The proposed treatments appear very difficult for this person. 

 

When we turn and walk with our neighbor who is suffering, confused and needing support, we are turning toward Christ.  Joining in supporting the poor with their many faces, is joining to support Christ. Our faith clearly links our human compassion with the divine compassion. Reaching out to the ‘other’ is reaching out to Christ, to the divine heart.