Asking and Giving

People ask God for many things: faith, wisdom, health, and, perhaps in this economy, jobs. And people also ask the government for many things: money, medical care, protection of the environment, and yes, jobs. And, presently there are debates in Washington about what the government WILL be providing – whether asked for or not.

Who to ask, what to ask for, and who should provide what, and when: at first glance, these seem like simple concepts, but they are not so simple, and you need more consideration than just a glance at them. So let’s consider some things, and perhaps decide NOT what God or Washington can do, but what WE can do.

What would you think of a billionaire who asked for money so he could buy a new plane? What would you think of a neighbor who asked you to mow his lawn – while he sat on the porch drinking beer? In considering the one asking for help, certainly we believe that his request must be something for which he has some reasonable level of “need”, and also a certain inability to provide it for himself. Insofar as we look to God for an example, we read his response in Isaiah: “He will satisfy your NEEDS” (IS58:11). If a man is poor and asks for money we may judge him as worthy of our help, as would be the man with broken legs who asks us for help with his lawn. The Catholic Church agrees with this concept of a worthy asking. But recognizing that people may always want/ask for more, it defines the asking/giving relationship in terms of what is proper for the responder to give, whether a neighbor, a government, or even God. It teaches the principle of subsidiarity: “a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to co-ordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good.” (CCC 1883). Putting it simply and personally, things should be done at the lowest level possible, federal to state, government to community to individual: it is your function and duty to do it yourself if you can. Further, for individuals your first source of help should be your neighbor (whether you pay him for his help, or not), then seek the help of God or government. The Catholic Church does not agree that we should be asking God or government to give us EVERYTHING, nor that they should choose to provide us everything.

OK, I can see my responsibilities in this principle as an asker, but what of my responsibilities as a neighbor who might give help? In particular, what if my neighbor seems to need help, but he’s not asking ME. The principle of subsidiarity seems to say I shouldn’t “interfere”. How do I offer help – in a loving way, to “love my neighbor as myself”?

Wake up!! Did the definition of subsidiarity put you to sleep? Have you forgotten everything Christ showed us on love of neighbor? How do I offer help?? What would Jesus be saying to do now, today, if He were a member of our parish, or our church community? The obvious: To pray and give money?? Perhaps, but certainly more. This is the time to live out his parables, to be what He created and formed us to be. This is not a time of despair, but of opportunity to live out our faith life. If our neighbor needed a job, Jesus would expect us to hire him – even if for only some part-time work we could have done – not charity, but the dignity of working for his money. He would expect us to use this economic crisis as a time to give example to our children on how to love their neighbors, especially those that can’t work, creating our own living parables for them. He would view this time as an opportunity for us to step up and act as a leader, to be an imitator of Christ: to re-read his parables about the role of a father, and to live them out in our families and our communities. When there are so many people in our country asking for and needing help, there is really only one thing we as loving neighbors should be asking:

“Lord, what would you have me do?”