In the epistle assigned for the coming Sunday in our three year lectionary, Paul writes these words about those who have decided to provide for their own needs out of the wealth of others.
Ephesians 4:28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
Thieves are told to work with their own hands so that they can meet others needs with their own wealth. It is simply consistent with the life they had been given in Christ Paul reveals.
A passage like this is easy to not meditate upon personally if you are not a thief by trade. One can just say, “Yep, those lazy thieves should get a job and then help people instead of hurting them.â€
But I would suggest there I a principle here we should not miss, a principle that is not only for career thieves, but for all of us who only making thievery a hobby. The idea is this: we should work in order to be able to share with those in need.
We often speak about reasons to work hard. But most often those reasons could be summarized as this, “Work hard for you.†Basically, the outcome of work is assumed to be personal betterment. We work to better us and ours.
This passage reminds us that we should also considering working for the sake of charity and mercy. And this not just as an afterthought when we happen to have extra. But we should work intending to help others, those who have need, particularly within the faith. That way there will be no need among the people of God (Acts 2:45) and those outside will say, “See how they love one another.†(John 13:35)
We have learned in our economic system to guard what is ours. We do not want anyone to take anything from us. Especially those of us who tend to lean right politically often shout with the passion of a child in the mist of a tantrum, “Mine.â€
And while one can certainly question whether the government should be taking from one to give to another, there is no question that the church must always be teaching, “Work in order that you might share.â€
Do not simply earn money for you. But think about how you could help others with the wealth God entrust to you. The career thief, you, and I should all do this as a way of clothing ourselves with the new man raised up in us through Baptism.
Phil,
A few things:
1) You wrote: ‘One can just say, “Yep, those lazy thieves should get a job and then help people instead of hurting them.‒ This assumes that people steal for wont of necessity. This is rarely the case. Most people steal simply because they can. Even St. Augustine in his Confessions says that one of his youthful pranks was to steal pears from a nearby orchard. He didn’t want the pears (he fed them to the pigs) but he did it for one reason–because he could. Offering a program for thieves to earn their keep honestly will not do the trick. People like to take things and cause destruction for the sheer joy of it. Only true repentance of the heart can cleanse that, not by offering them a few bucks.
2) What about the work I do to provide for my family? I don’t work at a job I don’t like so that I can go out and spend money on books and other things. If a person works hard at a job and even puts in overtime to provide for his family, he’s often labeled as greedy. Let’s say that person made $100,000 a year so his family could be provided for. He’s labeled as greedy. No one needs $100,000 surely. What if he has a kid in college or a special needs kid that requires greater medical care? We look at only the amount of money one earns and if it is a certain amount, the person must be greedy.
3) Our economic system is not about guarding what is ours. Capitalism is by far the most generous system in existence. I would encourage you to actually read Adam Smith (and not go off summaries by disgruntled leftists). Capitalism, no other system, has provided the means of gaining and sustaining wealth for all peoples who have the desire. It may not always work (one’s idea may not be as good as another’s in the marketplace), but the alternatives are far worse.
4) I’d also remind you that at least two of the 10 commandments specifically guard one’s private property. Thou shalt not covet.
5) It is our Christian duty to give. I could point to any number of the fathers where that is made the case, especially St. John Chrysostom. However, that it should be coerced or that it should be done at the expense (no pun intended) of our family is where the line should be drawn. I don’t see you drawing any line here and that worries me.