16 COMMENTARY
June 19 , 2018 | The Valley Catholic
Vatican Challenges Us to Transform Our Greedy Financial System
By Tony Magliano
Internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist tmag @ zoominternet . net
Why are people poor ?
It ’ s not because there aren ’ t enough resources to go around . For one thing , the world produces enough food to adequately feed every single person . Well then what are the reasons ? Among the major reasons poverty exists are unemployment , underemployment , lack of health care and education , hunger , homelessness , undocumented immigration status , climate change and war .
But a strong case can be made that the tremendous income and wealth inequality that exists between the haves and the have-nots is the most serious reason poverty exists . It has such a powerful negative influence that it also greatly fuels all the other causes of poverty .
Just last year alone , four out of every five dollars of wealth generated globally flowed into the wallets of the richest one percent , while the poorest half of humanity received nothing .
Oxfam ’ s Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said , “ It reveals how our economies are rewarding wealth rather than the hard work of millions of people . ... The few at the top get richer and richer and the millions at the bottom are trapped in poverty wages ” ( https :// ti . me / 2DoaHEV and https :// bit . ly / 2zXLTWw ).
And in the U . S . wealth inequality is at near record levels ( htt ps :// bit . ly / 1tDx2te ).
“ Servant of God ” and co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement , Dorothy Day , said “ We need to overthrow this rotten , decadent , putrid industrial capitalist system .”
While not putting it as bluntly as Day , a new authoritative Vatican ethics in economics document , nonetheless , strongly challenges the grave moral injustices of the dominant global economic system that is increasingly putting profit before people . It states : “ No profit is in fact legitimate when it falls short of the objective of the integral promotion of the human person , the universal destination of goods , and the preferential option for the poor .”
Produced by the Holy See ’ s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , the document Oeconomicae et pecuniariae quaestiones , in quoting Pope Francis states , “ Today , with a view towards the common good , there is urgent need for politics and economics to enter into a frank dialogue in the service of life , especially human life .”
The document attempts to awaken consciences to the sad fact that “ the number of people who live in conditions of extreme poverty continues to be enormous ”
On Being the Beloved Disciple
767 million people according to The World Bank .
Reflecting on the recent Great Recession , the Vatican economics document laments the failure of political and economic leaders to develop a new economy based on people-centered ethical principles , joined to an “ appropriate regulation of the dynamics of the markets .” For it is clear that financial markets “ are not capable of governing themselves .”
Quoting Pope Francis , “ Money must serve , not rule !”
But when money rules , it devalues the dignity of the human person , the common good and human work , and pushes people even below the inhumane status of society ’ s exploited and oppressed , to no longer even being the underside of society , but now the outcasts of society – the “ leftovers .”
In opposition to this sinfully heartless situation the Vatican ’ s document on ethical economics urges us to “ construct a society that is a hospitable and inclusive dwelling place with room for the weakest , and where wealth is used for the benefit of all – places where it is beautiful for human beings to live and easy for them to have hope .” Let ’ s get to it ! Tony Magliano is available to speak at diocesan or parish gatherings . He can be reached at tmag @ zoominternet . net . Tune into Tony on Relevant Radio ’ s Bay Area Catholic , KSFB 1260 AM , June 23 at 3 p . m . ( Divine Mercy Hour ).
By Rev . Ron Rolheiser , OMI
Theologian , teacher , award-winning author , and President of the Oblate
School of Theology in San Antonio , TX
The Gospel of John presents us with a very powerful and rather earthy mystical image : As John describes the Last Supper scene he tells us that as they were at table the beloved disciple was reclining with his head against Jesus ’ breast .
The power of that image has , I believe , been better captured by artists than by theologians and biblical scholars . Artists and iconographers generally present the image to us in this way : The beloved disciple has his head leaning on Jesus ’ breast in such a way that his ear is directly above Jesus ’ heart but in such a way that his eyes are fixed outward looking at the world .
What a powerful image ! If you put your ear at just the right place on someone ’ s chest you can hear that person ’ s heartbeat . The beloved disciple then is the one who is attuned to the heartbeat of God and is looking out at the world from that vintage point .
Further , John gives us a series of other images to flesh out the implications of hearing God ’ s heartbeat .
First , the beloved disciple stands with Jesus ’ mother at the foot of the cross as Jesus is dying . What ’ s encapsulated in this image ? In Luke ’ s Gospel , Jesus admits that sometimes darkness seems to overpower grace and God seems powerless : Sometimes darkness just has its hour ! His death was one of those hours and the beloved disciple , like Jesus ’ mother , could do nothing other than stand in helplessness inside and beneath that darkness and injustice . There was nothing to
be done but to stand inside the helplessness . But , by standing there , the beloved disciple also stands in solidarity with the millions of poor and victimized all over the world who can do nothing against their plight . When one stands in helplessness when there ’ s nothing possible to be done one gives silent voice to human finitude , the deepest prayer possible at that moment . Then , afterwards , the beloved disciple takes the mother of Jesus into his home , an image that doesn ’ t need much elaboration .
However , a second image connected with the beloved disciple leaning on Jesus ’ breast does need some elaboration : As the beloved disciple reclines on the breast of Jesus an interesting dialogue takes place : Jesus tells his disciples that one of them will betray him . Peter turns to the beloved disciple and says to him : “ Ask him who it is ?” This begs the question : Why doesn ’ t Peter himself ask Jesus who it is who will betray him ? Peter would not have been sitting so far away from Jesus as to not be able to ask the question himself .
Moreover Peter ’ s question takes on its real significance when seen in its historical context . Scholars estimate that the Gospel of John was written somewhere between the years 90 – 100 AD . By then Peter had been Pope and had been martyred . What the Gospel is suggesting here is that intimacy with Jesus trumps everything else , including ecclesial office , including being Pope . Everyone ’ s prayer has to go through the beloved disciple . The Pope cannot pray as Pope but only pray as the beloved disciple ( which , like any other Christian , he can be ). He can offer prayers for the world and for the church as Pope , but he can pray personally only as beloved disciple .
Finally , the notion in the Gospel of John that intimacy with Jesus is more important the ecclesial office is further illustrated on the morning of the Resurrection . Mary Magdala comes running from tomb and tells the disciples that the tomb is empty . Peter and the beloved disciple set off at once , running towards the tomb . We can easily guess who will arrive there first . The beloved disciple easily outruns Peter , not because he ’ s perhaps a younger man but because love outruns authority . The Pope can also get there first , if he runs as the beloved disciple rather than as a pope .
It is commonly assumed that the beloved disciple was the Evangelist himself , John . That may in fact be correct , but that is not what the Gospel text wants you to conclude . The historical identity of the beloved disciple is deliberately left an open question because the Gospel wants that concept , to be the beloved disciple of Jesus , to be a designation that beckons and fits you - and beckons and fits every Christian in the world , including , hopefully too , the Pope himself .
Who is the beloved disciple ? The beloved disciple is any person , woman , man , or child who is intimate enough with Jesus so as to be attuned to the heartbeat of God and who then sees the world from that place of intimacy , prays from that place of intimacy , and sets off in love to seek the Risen Lord and grasp the meaning of his empty tomb .
Mystical images are best illuminated by other mystical images . With this in mind , I leave you with an image from the 4 th century Desert Father , Evagrius of Pontus : Breast of the Lord Kingdom of God Who rests against it A theologian shall be .