“No matter how well the economy performs, the health of our society can be judged by the treatment of its most vulnerable citizens.”
This important statement, universal in its applicability, is found at the beginning of the recently released document of the Australian Catholic Bishop’s Conference, A Rich Young Nation: The Challenge of Affluence and Poverty in Australia. As with the quote above, much of what is said in the text is of universal value and is not to be seen as limited to the Australian situation. Read the whole document here.
Below are some of the more significant quotes which attracted my attention in my first read of the document.
How we use the world’s resources and foster human development are concerns for every Australian. What values characterise our daily lives? Have we become obsessed with economic success and material acquisition? Do we recognise those in need and our obligation to do something about it?
The constant desire to produce and consume goods also places unsustainable demands on the earth’s resources and leads to the generation of pollution and waste. This cycle can undermine our responsibility to care for God’s creation now and for future generations.
None of us likes to believe that our lifestyle is in conflict with the greater public need. However, often there is resistance to reforms that would increase the distribution of wealth and opportunity to those in need because people believe that service to the community may reduce their personal wealth.
From the earliest days, the Christian community displayed this concern for the common good. The Acts of the Apostles shows how the community, united in the breaking of bread and prayer, gave practical expression to their faith by attending to the needs of the poor among them: ‘they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need’ (Acts 2:45). The early Church Fathers were unrelenting in this commitment to justice.
Poverty means much more than not being able to afford what is needed. In essence, poverty is an assault on the very relationship between humans – the interconnectedness – that is at the heart of Jesus’ teaching. It is for this reason that the Church has worked over so many years to improve the health, education and material welfare of families and entire communities.
Every person and every group in society must be able to meet their material needs and realise their potential in a social, economic and spiritual sense. We are called to realise that, just as it is in family life and among friends, so it is in the life of our community: if one person is disadvantaged or left behind, we are all diminished. We cannot survive without others and can only grow and achieve our potential in relationship with others.
To a consumerist society, the message of the Eucharist is countercultural. Where consumerism drives us on to acquire more and be forever concerned about material gain, in Christ we are offered a deeper fulfilment in relationship with him and one another. Christ calls us, as he did the rich young man in the Gospel of Mark, not to have more but to be more.
Look for a more thorough analysis of social justice and what is expected of Christians soon — when Pope Benedict’s newest encyclical, Love in Truth, is published at the end of the month.
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