In that public speech, Jesus also gave a warning to the rich that they have already received their consolation. In a parable, Jesus also warned his followers against greed and the reliance on riches when he narrated the story of the man who had his life taken away from him when he tried to secure wealth for himself (O'Brien & Shannon 71). The story of Lazarus and the rich man is also used as a warning against excessive riches. The pope John Paul II used this parable as a warning to the rich and prosperous. He warned them not to be blind to their great poverty despite their numerous possessions.
The Roman Catholic Church has adopted practices pertaining to poverty with the most common being the vow to poverty. According to St. Thomas, poverty has no goodness in itself. However, it is good in the sense that it helps to remove the hindrances that are found in the search for spiritual perfection. According to the Catholic Church, poverty is therefore not a virtue on its own. The results that emanate from poverty are the ones that are glorified and promoted. It is practised under a vow and those who practise it publicly admit to having taken the vows. This vow of poverty therefore forms a critical part of the rituals of the Catholic Church (Caffara 93). Missionaries and priests give up their advantages and possessions voluntarily and devote their entire lives to the service of God. The renunciation of private property, by catholic priests and missionaries, was introduced by the Frias Minor in the year 1260. It was then enhanced by the other founders who established groups on the basis of poverty with the two most instrumental figures in this vows of poverty being St. Francis and St. Dominic.
Poverty has been used by the Roman Catholic Church as a basis for their preferential treatment for the poor. In a letter, named economic justice for all, the United States...
The bishops challenged the leaders to assess the implications of their lifestyles, the social institutions and policies formulated to the poor. The bishops cited the way Jesus treated and spoke for the poor as the guideline for how the leaders should fight for, and defend the poor in the society. The bishops laid emphasis to the fact that the poor should be empowered in all their aspects of life. They also stressed that the poor should be allowed to take part in the decisions involving their country's economy so as to be responsible for their economic development (O'Brien & Shannon 96).
It is evident from the above discussion that the Catholic Church has a very firm stand on the issue of poverty and how the poor should be treated. To those people who are willing to take up vows of poverty so as to serve God; the church encourages them and cites examples in the Bible (Peace 56). To the poor people in the society; the Catholic Church demands that they should be accorded their dignity and treated with respect. They should also be given an equal chance to participate in their countries economic development. Therefore, poverty should not be used as a tool for discrimination in the society (Peace).
Works Cited
Caffara, Carlo. Living in Christ: Fundamental Principles of Catholic Moral Teaching. San Francisco::
Ignatius Press, 1987, Print
Hollenbach, David and R. Bruce Douglass. Catholicism and Liberalism. New York: Cambridge
University Press, 1994.Print
O'Brien, D.J. And T.A. Shannon. Catholic Social Thought: The Documentary Heritage . Maryknoll,
NY: Orbis Books, 1992.Print
Peace, Pontifical Council for Justice and. The Social Agenda. Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2000.Print
