As the worldwide recession kicks in, more and more people are losing their jobs and incomes. As well as having to continue to pay mortgages and debts they struggle to buy the necessities of life. Faced by an uncertain future it is not surprising that many of them are very anxious. How should Christians react to those who are experiencing such hardships?

What does the Bible say?

Let’s look at what the Bible has to say. The friendship between David and Jonathan is recounted in 1 Sam 18-20. We are told: “Jonathan became one spirit with David and loved him as himself…He swore eternal friendship with David because of his deep affection for him. He took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, together with his armour and also his sword, bow and belt.” This ideal of shared love being expressed in a community of goods was to come to fruition in the life of the early Church. When St. Luke described the first Christian community, he saw it as the fulfillment of the Old Testament ideal. United by their faith in Jesus, the first believers “were one in heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common” (Acts 4:32).

It is evident that Paul encouraged the better off members of the gentile Church to be generous to fellow Christians who were in need, especially those in Jerusalem. He promised: “You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God” (2 Cor 9:11-12). Sometime later the author of 1 Tim 6:17-18, who was well aware that the love of riches was the root of many evils, said: “As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share.”

The earth is the common possession of all

In the Post Apostolic era, the Fathers of the Church added another dimension to Christian thinking when they wrote about the tension between the right to the necessities of life and the right to private property. For instance, in the Didache 4:8 (150 A.D.) we read: “You shall not turn away from someone in need, but shall share everything with your brother or sister, and do not claim that anything is your own. For you are sharers in what is imperishable, how much more so in perishable things.”

St. Ambrose stated in Duties of the Clergy, 1. 132 (391 A.D.), “God has ordered all things to be produced so that there should be food in common for all, and that the earth should be the common possession of all. Nature, therefore, has produced a common right for all, but greed has made it a right for a few.” The implications of these teachings are outlined in par. 2403 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “The right to private property, acquired by work or received from others by inheritance or gift, does not do away with the original gift of the earth to the whole of mankind. The universal destination of goods remains primordial, even if the promotion of the common good requires respect for the right to private property and its exercise.” In other words the right of everyone to the fruits of the earth is prior to anyone’s right to private property.

Prayer Group generosity to man who lost the job

Many years ago I was a member of a Charismatic community group that tried to live like the community described in Acts 4:32-36. I wrote about it in an article entitled “Fasting From Criticism” in Goodnews, (Sept/Oct 2006). One thing I didn’t mention was the fact that the group was formed at a time of economic difficulty in Northern Ireland. At one point, a member, whose wife was also in our community group, lost his job. Although he was entitled to unemployment benefit and child allowances, he and his six children really did not have enough to live on. As a result the members of the group decided to make weekly financial contributions to supplement his income.

To do so required sacrifice and belt tightening by all of us. As far as I can remember the weekly payments were required for nearly a year. The couple who were being helped were amazed and edified by the generosity of the prayer group. When the man eventually got another job, he didn’t forget the kindness that he and his family had experienced. In thanksgiving, he founded a charity that collected thousands of pounds for people in need in other countries.

Sacrificial giving will bring benefits

I’m convinced that more and more of our fellow Christians will experience economic hardship as the economic downturn worsens. If we wish to live in accord with the urgings of God’s love within, we should be prepared to share what we can with those in need. This kind of generosity requires sacrifice by digging in to savings and cutting back on non essential spending, while trusting in Him who looks after the lilies of the field and the birds of the air (cf. Mt 6:26).

I can remember reading many years ago how John Wesley used to give a tenth of his income to his Church. When he grew wealthier as a result of book royalties and donations, instead of giving a tenth of his larger income, he continued to live on what he got as a young priest and gave all the rest to the Church. It may be that Christian groups and parishes should begin to ask their members to give such things as money, food, clothing and furniture to a contingency fund which could be used for the foreseeable future to help those in need, firstly, in their own midst, and if possible outside the community.

I am convinced that this kind of sacrificial giving will have many beneficial effects. Firstly, it will help those in need. Secondly, it will bear witness to the providential love of God in a practical and credible way. Thirdly, it will build and strengthen the bonds of unity. Fourthly, it will call down a spiritual blessing on those who give generously. As Deut 15:10-11 says, “Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbour in your land’.”

“You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us” (2 Cor 9:11)

Fr Pat Collins CM is a prolific writer and a respected retreat leader. He is based in Dublin, Ireland.