By Argosy S. Nazareno
Not so long ago, I had the privilege of becoming a knight of the altar. Every time I go to the convent, I noticed several things.The rooms were air-conditioned with lots of appliances. If we talk of food, it was superb. We had eggs, sausage, chorizo on mornings; fish, vegetables, chicken, pork for lunch and dinner. We had plenty of rice there. We never run out of abundant supply of water.
Whenever I look at the collection baskets being passed around (twice in many Sunday Masses) these days, or at the envelope that contains the stipend for the priest, and then see the lifestyle of some priests, or the cars they drive, the restaurants they frequent, and the gadgets they’re so busy with—Jesus, forgive me!—I can’t help but ask: Where does all the collection money go? Do the collections still go where they’re supposed to go? To the Diocese? To the poor?
Pope Francis wants the Catholic Church to become a Church of the Poor.What does he really mean by that? In our society of today we have to ask the basic question: why are the poor, poor?They are not poor because they are lazy and don’t want to work. That is what the rich usually say about the poor people. Clearly, that is not true. They are poor because they are exploited by the rich.It is our challenge to make the poor aware of this fact. Usually the poor don’t realize that they are oppressed and exploited by the rich. That is why they have to organize themselves into unions that will make them strong enough to oppose this oppression and exploitation.
According to the social doctrine of the Church issued by the Second Vatican Council the workers have the basic right to organize themselves and demand a just wage from their employer. This right was abolished in our Constitution by Marcos, when he declared martial law, and this right has never been restored. Instead, we have a system of contractual labor and placement agencies that continues again the oppression and exploitation of the poor.
The Church is supposed to be for the poor. Whatever amount is collected during the offertory, this is appropriated for the projects of the parish and the maintenance of its facilities; provide for the needs of the parish priest and his assistants and staff; support the Diocese; and, of course, help the poor.
Is the Church too rich now to care for the poor? If you haven’t seen yet the “gap” between the lifestyle of many priests and the poor, well maybe you’ve got to touch the fabric of the clothes they’re wearing. There you will see the difference. No need to mention the food on the priest’s table and the poor man’s.
For centuries, the relationship between the Church and the poor, the parish priest and the poor parishioner, still follows the “above and below, superior-inferior” model: Like the priest enjoys the spotlight in a feast while the poor people are left in the sides. Isn’t this true until now? Yes it is. Priests preach about equality, but they don’t do anything to those who are deprived of what they are enjoying now; they say they empathize with the poor and how they promise to help them in whatever way they can in their sermons. But have they helped?
Of course, I admire secular and missionary priests who are really true to their mission. They are the ones who really help the poor in many ways. But the proud priests who think of nothing but self-gain, fame and recognition, and even wealth? The poor themselves know a bad priest from a good one.
The Catholic Church has not protested enough against this and that is why she did not become a Church of the Poor but a Church of the rich. But we Catholics and Christians must continue to protest against this abuse of the poor and even the rich among us have to show their concern and responsibility toward the poor. In this way they can belong also to the Church of the Poor.
Not so long ago, I had the privilege of becoming a knight of the altar. Every time I go to the convent, I noticed several things.The rooms were air-conditioned with lots of appliances. If we talk of food, it was superb. We had eggs, sausage, chorizo on mornings; fish, vegetables, chicken, pork for lunch and dinner. We had plenty of rice there. We never run out of abundant supply of water.
Whenever I look at the collection baskets being passed around (twice in many Sunday Masses) these days, or at the envelope that contains the stipend for the priest, and then see the lifestyle of some priests, or the cars they drive, the restaurants they frequent, and the gadgets they’re so busy with—Jesus, forgive me!—I can’t help but ask: Where does all the collection money go? Do the collections still go where they’re supposed to go? To the Diocese? To the poor?
Pope Francis wants the Catholic Church to become a Church of the Poor.What does he really mean by that? In our society of today we have to ask the basic question: why are the poor, poor?They are not poor because they are lazy and don’t want to work. That is what the rich usually say about the poor people. Clearly, that is not true. They are poor because they are exploited by the rich.It is our challenge to make the poor aware of this fact. Usually the poor don’t realize that they are oppressed and exploited by the rich. That is why they have to organize themselves into unions that will make them strong enough to oppose this oppression and exploitation.
According to the social doctrine of the Church issued by the Second Vatican Council the workers have the basic right to organize themselves and demand a just wage from their employer. This right was abolished in our Constitution by Marcos, when he declared martial law, and this right has never been restored. Instead, we have a system of contractual labor and placement agencies that continues again the oppression and exploitation of the poor.
The Church is supposed to be for the poor. Whatever amount is collected during the offertory, this is appropriated for the projects of the parish and the maintenance of its facilities; provide for the needs of the parish priest and his assistants and staff; support the Diocese; and, of course, help the poor.
Is the Church too rich now to care for the poor? If you haven’t seen yet the “gap” between the lifestyle of many priests and the poor, well maybe you’ve got to touch the fabric of the clothes they’re wearing. There you will see the difference. No need to mention the food on the priest’s table and the poor man’s.
For centuries, the relationship between the Church and the poor, the parish priest and the poor parishioner, still follows the “above and below, superior-inferior” model: Like the priest enjoys the spotlight in a feast while the poor people are left in the sides. Isn’t this true until now? Yes it is. Priests preach about equality, but they don’t do anything to those who are deprived of what they are enjoying now; they say they empathize with the poor and how they promise to help them in whatever way they can in their sermons. But have they helped?
Of course, I admire secular and missionary priests who are really true to their mission. They are the ones who really help the poor in many ways. But the proud priests who think of nothing but self-gain, fame and recognition, and even wealth? The poor themselves know a bad priest from a good one.
The Catholic Church has not protested enough against this and that is why she did not become a Church of the Poor but a Church of the rich. But we Catholics and Christians must continue to protest against this abuse of the poor and even the rich among us have to show their concern and responsibility toward the poor. In this way they can belong also to the Church of the Poor.
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