In brief, as Christians, we are given a non-negotiable mandate to reach out to the poor with compassion and justice. Moreover, this mandate is just as non-negotiable as keeping the Ten Commandments, as is clear almost everywhere in Scripture. Here is the essence of that mandate:
- The great Jewish prophets coined this mantra: “The quality of your faith will be judged by the quality of justice in the land; and the quality of justice in the land will always be judged by how ‘widows, orphans, and strangers’ (biblical code for the weakest and most vulnerable groups in a society) are doing while you are alive.”
- Jesus not only ratifies this; he deepens it, identifying his very person with the poor. (“Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me”). He tells us that we will be judged for eternal life on the basis of how we treated the poor.
- Moreover, in both Testaments in the Bible, this is particularly true regarding how we treat foreigners, strangers, and immigrants. How we treat them is how we are in fact treating Jesus.
- Note that Jesus defines his mission with these words: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.” Hence, any teaching, preaching, or government policy that is not good news for the poor may not cloak itself with either Jesus or the Gospel.
- All people are obliged to come to the relief of the poor.
- The condemnation of injustice is a non-negotiable aspect of our discipleship.
- In all situations where there is injustice, unfairness, oppression, grinding poverty, God is not neutral. Rather God wants action against everything and everyone who deals injustice and death.
These principles are so very strong that it is easy to believe that Jesus can’t really be asking this of us. Indeed, if taken seriously, these principles would radically disrupt our lives and the social order. It would no longer be business as usual. Whether or not this upsets our security and comfort, God is always on the underside of history, on the side of the poor.[1]
[1] Excerpt from Fr. Ron Rolheiser’s reflection, “This is non-negotiable as a Christian: Help the poor, vulnerable” February 2025.