Why are there poor? - A Vincentian perspective?
“Why are there poor people? Where do the poor come from? Fr. Jaime Correa, CM tackles these issues in “Poverty as a Mystery“. His final section on the Vincentian Tradition is especially insightful.
Of Christian tradition he writes, “Despite many statements to the contrary, it must be affirmed that traditional Christian thinking has never held that caring for those in need was only the object of private charity but also the responsibility of public authority. Once again Thomas Aquinas is a witness to this fact. In his work De Regimine Principum he states:Those who govern are to care for those in need at the expense of the public treasury (Book II, q. 15).
We can see that the mystery of poverty, (always mindful of the place it has held in the Christian tradition, that is, the privileged place of the exercise of true charity), is now also viewed as a problem of social organization and a responsibility of public authority (representatives of society) who ought to guard the common good, the good of all people.”
Vincent de Paul fully embraced the Christian tradition. At a time when civil authorities were inclined to resolve the problem of increased urban poverty through the so called General Hospitals (public buildings that housed beggars and those unable to find work), Vincent distanced himself from this practice because of his conviction that the poor are the living image of Jesus Christ. Therefore the poor cannot be denied their freedom by the force of law. Rather, the poor are to be treated with respect and compassion because, like Christ, the poor are our lords and masters.
At a time when the majority of people began to consider the poor as a problem of public order that could be resolved by establishing better structures, Vincent, in his thinking, is another witness to the long Christian tradition. This secular vision of poverty is not a sign that points toward the God of Jesus Christ and does not lead people to look at the need for conversion as a result of personal and social sin. Poverty is simply a problem of social engineering and therefore does not involve charity toward one’s neighbor. There is no reason to commit one’s self with those who work on behalf of the poor (for example, the bureaucrats of the various social service agencies).
That which could be said to be most characteristic with regard to Vincent’s position is not, however, so original. All of his ideas could be found in the Christian tradition as it was formulated up to that time. Even the expression cited above (the poor are our lords and masters), which is generally viewed as proper to him, is found in the Rule of the Order of Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem (XII century).
Vincent was innovative as he confronted the situation of poverty that afflicted the various social groups (peasants, slaves, abandoned children, people displaced by war …). He sought to resolve these situations with new forms of assistance that involved all the members of society. Vincent did not view poverty as a problem that afflicted isolated individuals who had to be helped one by one.
With regard to that which we have referred to as structures that provided assistance, Vincent proved to be very original in his approach in this area. We highlight here the following:
- A careful study of the reality which one is attempting to remedy/resolve.
- The mobilization and organization of volunteers from every social class.
- Bringing together in a systematic manner private and public resources.
- A careful and responsible administration of said resources.
- The distribution of these resources according to the individual needs of those who are poor.
- Use of the printed word in order to inform the public about the needs of people.
- Collaboration with social and religious institutions without excluding those groups with whom one might have strong disagreements (Jansenists).
- The creation of new groups in the Church: groups of priests, laity, celibate women living in community, single, married and widowed lay people … groups organized to serve the poor.
Finally we want to address an issue that is raised by many experts who know Vincent de Paul. We refer to the question of whether Vincent was aware of the fact that the massive poverty that existed at that time was the result of political-social structures and therefore, did he look for political-social solutions or did he focus on individual, organized assistance.
We must give a definitive “yes” to both of these questions. We are not going to present all the details here but we are going to refer to an event this is especially revealing. At a time when the heightened rivalry between the municipal authorities of Paris and the Prime Minister, Mazarin, had created a situation of scarcity and hunger that especially affected the poor living in the capital, Vincent approached Mazaran and boldly asked him to resign. One can see that this is a clear case (and not the only case) in which Vincent attempted to remedy with natural means the evils that were inflicted on the poor through bad public policy.
Two centuries after Vincent de Paul, Blessed Frederic Ozanam was inspired by the same Christian vision of the poor. He viewed the mystery of poverty as one that speaks to people in a direct way about Jesus Christ. Ozanam is not original in this nor did he pretend to be so. He followed a line of thought that originated with Christ himself. Like Vincent de Paul, Frederic’s faith was not only inspired by this idea but was centered on it:what are we to do as true Catholics but that which is most pleasing to God? We are to assist our neighbor as Jesus did since they are our lords and masters!
Ozanam’s idea with regard to charity gives it a true perspective: the center and the motivating factor of all Christian life.
As a Christian, Ozanam was inspired by the Vincentian charism. We believe that we can state without hesitation that Frederic, more than anyone else since the time of Vincent’s death, not only knew how to take up and prolong the Vincentian charism but was able to formulate it in a new way and adapt it to the problem of social organization that arose from the industrial revolution and the French revolution … a form of social organization that we are still confronting … but we will develop this point in a later work.
We have already stated that Ozanam was inspired by the Vincentian vision of the poor. He is noted for his personalized interest in and concern for “this specific, distinct, poor person”. At the same time he is also noted for his broader perspective which led him to seek to resolve concrete needs that went hand in hand with the renewal and transformation of society: we are too young to intervene in the social struggle. Are we then to remain passive in the midst of a world that suffers and cries out? No! we have a path that will prepare us for our mission. Before being concerned about doing good on a societal level, we can attempt to do good for some individuals …before renewing France we can alleviate the situation of some individual poor persons.
Final Point
Today, as ever before, in order to be Christian one must begin with that which the Lord spoke about: conversion (ark 1:15). In order to be a person who is inspired by the Vincentian charism, we must begin in the same way as Vincent de Paul and Blessed Frederic Ozanam did, namely, we must begin with conversion and with dedicating our life to the poor, thus prolonging the mission of Jesus Christ.
For some individuals, for those who experience the call, evangelical poverty leads them to a radical detachment from material possessions in order to serve the poor (Luke 14:33; 18:22). Not everyone is called to follow Jesus Christ in this way but we are all called to engage in a process of conversion and we are all called to place our life and our abilities (and this includes our material possessions) at the service of the poor.
For those who know how to read the Scriptures and are able to put aside their prejudice with regard to the social classes, this option for the poor is very clear in the gospel. We have been reminded about this option by the Second Vatican Council and by the body of the Church’s social doctrine that began more than a hundred years ago with the publication of the encyclical of Leo XIII, Rerum novarum.
Remember the wonderful story of Zachaeus in the gospel of Saint Luke: today salvation has come to this house (Luke 19:1-10) … Jesus spoke these words after Zachaeus expressed his intention to make amends for the injustices he had committed, namely, behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor.
Frequently and with great reason it is said that the world does not need more words and discourses but needs action in order to find solutions to the sufferings of humankind. Thus Christian faith becomes credible to the world only when men and women can see that those who follow the Lord are ministering with the poor in the same way that Jesus died … in fact, there is no greater proof of their faith: this is how all will know that you are my disciples (John 13:35).
The Church is firmly committed to this cause, for she considers it her mission, her service, a proof of her fidelity to Christ, so that she can truly be the “Church of the poor” (John Paul II, Laborem exercens, #8).
Tags: poverty, Vincentian