Lineamenta on Participation of the Poor in the Church

ACTIVE PRESENCE AND PARTICIPATION OF THE POOR IN THE CHURCH

God calls us all to a universal love that permeates all our actions of transforming our society and to recognize each one’s contribution in building up the Kingdom of God. Christ, the one Mediator, established and ceaselessly sustains His Church as visible structure of that Kingdom that recognizes the importance of the majority who are poor to become principal agents in fulfilling her mission on earth. “Just as Christ carried out the work of redemption in poverty and under oppression, so the Church is called to follow the same path in communicating to men the fruits of salvation”(LG, 8). St Paul points out, “Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty”(2 Cor 8:9). Hence, “Each one should give what he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver. And there is no limit to the blessings which God can send you—he will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance, and still have something to spare for all sorts of good works”(2 Cor 9:7-8). This is how to be an active “Church of the poor.” PCP II states: “The ‘Church of the poor’ will also mean that the Church will not only evangelize the poor, but that the poor in the Church will themselves become evangelizers. Pastors and leaders will learn to be with, work with, and learn from the poor.
A ‘Church of the poor’ will not only render preferential service to the poor but will practice preferential reliance on the poor in the work of evangelization”(PCP II, 132). This preferential reliance on the poor in the work of evangelization and mission affirms the capacity and power of the poor to transform a society and to bring qualitative growth in the Church. By no means this position of the Church on preferential option for the poor discriminates and excludes the rich. Rather, this means a deeper immersion of the rich into the saving action of Christ in history that breaks barriers between poor and rich, between marginalized societies and powerful cultures. This is the radical meaning of following the Lord Jesus. When a rich young man asked how to inherit eternal life, Christ said, “Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come and follow me”(Mk 10:21). Christ calls for the re-alignment of His Church to a new world order where the deep-rooted causes of poverty, societal violence and injustice are faced firmly with relevant and collective response. Equipped with the proper analysis of these deep-rooted causes, the Church condemns the social order which Pius XI called, the “international imperialism of money” where profit is considered the key motive for economic progress, competition the supreme law of economics, and private ownership of the means of production an absolute right that has no limits or carries no social obligation. In this context, the Church sees the poor and the rich working hand in hand for the transformation of society for the well-being of the Church and humankind. The Lord Himself renews His invitation to all, especially the poor, for active presence and participation in all activities of the Church, to come closer to God and to be His co-workers in various forms and methods of the Church’s apostolate which is constantly attuned to the needs of times (AA, 31).


Questions for small group discussion:

1.How far are the poor actively involved in the apostolate of our parish? Why? Why not?
2. Are there parish programs/activities that make them main agents of evangelization?
3. Are there parish programs/activities that bond the rich and the poor to work together for the well being of the Church and of the people?