“Listen to the cry of the poor”

THE encyclical letter of Pope Leo XIII which speaks of Rerum Novarum, examines the situation of the poor and workers that leads us to understand whether people are poor or rich. God treats us equally. It is noted that, “common good is the end of society; all have the right to participate in society” (RN#71).

I would dwell my reflection on this idea that ‘material goods are not people’s end’. Nowadays, there is a tendency for us to accumulate many things because of power and somehow mislead our understanding about the truth of Christian life. Some of us rely on the influence of material possessions and forget the responsibility as Christians. We are used to unceasingly seek for different gadgets, fashionable outfits, and enormous properties, though wealth helps us to make our life easier. However, it does not help the poor people. In fact, it aggravates the problem of poverty. The rich becomes richer, and the poor becomes poorer. As Christians, we are called to be responsible not just for ourselves, but for other people, too. Indeed, ‘True dignity resides in moral living, people of virtue will have eternal happiness (RN# 37,42).’

Based on my experience, I observed that many people really work hard for their loved ones. By seeing, I am challenged to concretize my faith experience into real-life situations. Sometimes, even if I tend to step backward when I see beggars, I still share because charity is what is counted. I believe that it is not a matter of our achievement, but a listening heart to the cry of the poor. Perhaps, the end is to contribute something for the common good which will eventually lead me to eternal happiness. (Argie Ybañez)