“Thinking of this immense multitude of the poor, the message of the Gospel is clear: let us not bury the wealth of the Lord. Let us spread charity, share our bread, multiply love. Poverty is a scandal.” - Pope Francis, Nov. 19, 2023
Do we really believe in a generous God? Most people will automatically agree. However, to actually believe in such a God requires an enormous leap of faith. Because belief in this kind of God implies that God is generous to all. All, not just our friends or people like us. All. And it implies that we are called to live lives of generosity.
If we believe in a generous God, we will work for the Common Good. Follow my logic.
A generous God would have created a world where there is enough for each of God’s children to be able to grow and thrive so that they could fulfi ll God’s plan for them. And we actually do live in such a world. There is enough. However, the distribution system is faulty, unjust. It is biased in favor of the small number of people who are already wealthy. One statistic: the wealthiest 10% of people own over 50% of the wealth.
I’m not saying that the resources and money in the world should be distributed equally among the 8 billion people currently inhabiting planet earth, but for purposes of analysis, let’s just do the math. (Remember, I was, at one time, a mathematician.) The sum of all the money in the world is about $82 trillion. That is 82 x 1012. There are 8 x 109 people, so that works out to just over $10,000 in cash for each person. $40,000 for a family of 4, and so on.
According to the World Bank, about 700,000 of us live in extreme poverty, surviving on around $2 per day. If you are one of them, your daily struggle to fi nd clean water and food is your major and perhaps only occupation. You lack real housing and sanitation. Never mind about healthcare or education. Think, for example, of the communities of people living in cardboard lean-tos on the streets of Mumbai.
This cannot be the plan of a generous God.
Belief in the Common Good is a belief that there is a way for everyone to have enough. Everyone can have enough to live a healthy life with food, water, housing, sanitation, health care, education and a way to participate in decision making. Everyone can thrive. There is enough. To quote Ghandhi, “The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.”
Richer countries, like the United States, have a leadership role to play in implementing the Common Good in their own county and on a global scale. This includes fi nancing and implementing programs to directly provide food, clean water, and other necessities. It also means looking to the future for the development of people through educational and economic opportunities. It means stopping the exploitation of the poorest of the poor, who will do anything to feed their families today.
The recent elimination of USAID and cuts to funds for Catholic Relief Services are a scandal. Steps to “save money” that result in misery and death are a scandal. Restrictions to SNAP (food stamps) and Medicaid in the United States hurt real people, most of whom are too young or too old or too sick to work. These cuts are not going to save the economy of the United States. These programs should actually be better funded.
The Gospel is clear. God is generous. God wants us to be generous.
We all need to speak out.
Jeanette Arnquist is a former Director of the Department of Life, Dignity & Justice for the Diocese of San Bernardino. She is retired and living in Tucson, Arizona where she remains active in social concerns ministries.