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May
21, 2007 
VOL.
45, NO. 10Oakland,
CA
COMMENTARY
Poverty is a major threat to the common good
The challenging choice: making money or doing good?
Poverty is a major threat to the common good
The common
good in America is being threatened, and many of us don’t even know
it. We may have some inkling, but our awareness of the peril is not at
the top of our minds – nor is the role we can play in overcoming
the danger
The threat’s effects are insidious and the evidence is everywhere.
And I am not talking about terrorism, a challenged education system or
high summer gas prices.
The threat to the common good is poverty.
Experiencing the poor and homeless on the street is very common, and often
uncomfortable and awkward. For many, we also experience the poor while
volunteering at some sort of assistance program.
But many of us do not realize that we also meet the poor when we eat at
a restaurant, visit the local retail store, talk to a service rep, stay
in a hotel, or see children walking to school.
These are the working poor and their children.
From the parable of the Good Samaritan we are taught that any person in
need is our neighbor. The message is clear, but where do we take it from
there?
Our response varies from the not so good – ignoring the panhandler
– to the positive – volunteering at a dining room or writing
Congress.
As Christians we simply cannot disregard the fundamental command to feed
the hungry, clothe the naked and welcome the stranger. How far that duty
extends varies based on our abilities, resources, and individual invitations
from God.
Catholic Charities around the nation have begun a campaign to urge policy
makers to reduce poverty in half by 2020. “Poverty in America: A
Threat to the Common Good” explores our moral and ethical response
to the poor, the scope and nature of poverty, and policy solutions. (Visit
www.catholiccharitiesusa.org.)
In California, Catholic Charities agencies are expanding the discussion
by incorporating ideas from “Deus Caritas Est,” Pope Benedict’s
first encyclical on love and charity.
“Poverty in California: Our Catholic Response” explores the
particular needs and solutions to poverty in our state and the role of
the laity in achieving a just state. (Visit www.cccalifornia.orgfor
a copy.)
These campaigns highlight national and statewide conditions of poverty.
In your own neighborhood there might be particular issues that demand
attention. Local affordable housing questions or issues with wages and
working conditions may pique your interest.
Every person – no matter where they are in life – has an inherent
worth and dignity. It is often easier to recognize it in the struggling
single mother than it is with the homeless mentally disabled person on
the corner.
Both need someone to stand up for them.
California has nearly 5 million people below the federal poverty line.
That number would be much higher if official statistics took into account
the higher cost of living in the Golden State.
How do you know how you can help, or even where to start?
One of my wife’s favorite sayings is, “The world only had
one Savior, and it wasn’t YOU.” That’s why it is important
to work on an issue you are passionate about, but also recognize that
the Holy Spirit calls each of us to different roles.
An able young person might be called to build houses. The corporate executive
may be asked to volunteer management skills for a non-profit. The busy
parent is called to raise children with Christian values.
Supporting recognized charities is critical. It is through the work of
organizations like Catholic Charities, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul,
and countless other faith-based and non-sectarian groups that a tremendous
amount of life-changing and effective charity takes place.
But all those groups combined don’t come close to matching the power
and resources of the government and that’s why it is critical to
advocate for the poor and vulnerable in our city halls, county offices,
Sacramento and Washington, D.C.
Plus it doesn’t take much more than a phone call, first-class stamp
or e-mail access to make your concern for the poor and vulnerable known
to elected officials.
Whatever the issue – be it hunger, health care, housing, etc. –
it is right and natural , says Pope Benedict, for the Catholic laity to
let their officials know of the needs of the poor.
As the Good Samaritan parable tells us, those in need are our neighbor.
And advocacy is one of the many ways we can help.
(Steve Pehanich is the executive director of Catholic Charities of
California. Contact him at spehanich@cacatholic.org)
The challenging choice: making money or doing good?
A graduating
senior from a Catholic university was interviewing with a prestigious
business firm for a position. The youthful company recruiters explained
that the work was challenging, and demanded about 70 hours a week, but
that the compensation was outstanding.
After many hours in the elegant office setting, the graduate asked the
interviewers if they enjoyed their work. The pause was awkward. Gradually
came the truthful reply that the work wasn’t very enjoyable or meaningful,
but that the salary and “perks” were considerable.
At that point the graduating senior decided that he would not accept the
position.
He had a sense of vocation. He was seeking work that would reach into
the deeper values he had learned, something that would provide a sense
of meaning.
He desired more than a job that would pay the bills and carry a handsome
salary.
He recognized that his ambitious recruiters had more than a job; they
had made a commitment to a career. But he was seeking more than a career,
more than financial security. He wanted work that would have meaning and
make a difference for the common good.
Any solid education, especially a Catholic education, and a sound family
faith formation would inspire such a decision.
Especially at graduation time is one’s attention directed to such
a demanding decision, such a critical choice.
Before Christianity, Socrates raised the question, “What ought I
to do?” The liberal arts tradition, Western education, and Christian
humanism have always spotlighted this concern.
Christian spirituality frames the question in terms of vocation: “What
am I called to become?” Graduates faced with multiple career options
often falter and allow other influences such as family expectation, the
opinion of peers, and the voices of the marketplace to dictate the shape
of their lives.
Usually the course of career choice follows the pattern: figure out the
lifestyle you want, estimate the level of income you need, and find a
job that yields those results. There probably isn’t a worse way
to discover a meaningful life.
It involves a faulty logic that runs backwards. It assumes that work is
only a means to a financial end. Completely ignored is the possibility
that work can be worthwhile because it calls on our unique talents and
can actually make a difference in our world.
One young attorney lamented, “I hate spending 60 hours a week making
rich people richer.”
Christianity offers a different “take” on vocation and advises
us to use our eyes of faith to determine our personal calling, to discover
our gifts and aspirations and apply them to the important needs of our
world.
In the spirit of the Gospel, an authentic calling reaches beyond personal
fulfillment to a concern for justice and peace that addresses the fulfillment
of the needs of others, even if they are strangers. God calls each to
heal, serve, and create.
Champions of the laity, like Blessed William Joseph Chaminade and others
of the 19th and 20th centuries, and especially the Second Vatican Council,
insist that the concept of vocation extends to all the baptized. All are
equally called to holiness and to service for the realization of God’s
reign in this world.
Dedicated followers of Christ follow the example of the Mother of Christ
to pay close attention to the actual needs of the world and the Church
in order to translate their desires into practical service.
Christ’s life made it clear that his followers should take their
cues from the people they serve and not from their own needs.
Our Christian faith leads us to understand that the human desire to serve
reflects Christ’s compassion. It is God’s desire for us to
be concerned for healing the world in the circumstances of our family,
job, and community. This is where we find God, and where God finds us.
There is no standard blueprint for life. We learn “on the job”
to discern God’s will in our earthly pilgrimage. The result is that
we eventually end up not with a road map but with a compass.
Our continuing challenge is: How can I sustain a vocation while pursuing
a career?
We are called to educate ourselves to solidarity. The Bible’s concern for justice is rooted in love of neighbor and the realization of God’s covenant with humanity.
Consequently
people of faith pay special attention to the suffering children of God.
When God’s spirit works in the depths of our being in order to help
us become aware of our gifts and hopes, that same Spirit works through
our experience to indicate what the world needs from us. The Spirit helps
us to see problems that our talents are uniquely suited to address.
Without the light of faith and the honest awareness that we have been
gifted by God, the world’s needs may seem an overwhelming burden.
In that case, our talents and aspirations would be wasted on mere success.
(Marianist Brother John Samaha is a former catechist who served on the
religious education staff of the Oakland Diocese. Now retired, he lives
in Cupertino.)
