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Living in a 3rd world county can get kinda of tricky sometimes.
Quickly you find out 2
things; one that every moment is an opportunity to learn and secondly finding
time for school looks a lot different than the normal US classroom.
The other day I learned an economic lesson as well as what the Catholic Churches calls “social Justice” and the call, we all have to defend the poor. The Church teaches that all people of all nations have the right to the supplies, martials and goods of the earth, not just the educated or the rich. It brings to mind when Jesus says:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also.” Matthew 16:
19-21
Sure, man can own
private property and secure and store items for his needs and for his family
but that does not exempt him from helping his neighbors and the less fortunate.
My mom explained to me that Thomas Aquinas an
Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, Catholic priest, and Doctor of the Church
taught that though it is not contrary to the natural law for man to possess and
own private property and goods, but man should be careful and mindful not possess
private property in such a way that hinders others and makes them suffer.
So, in other words he
is saying, if man only stores up his riches and does not use his private
property (riches) for the good of all man, perhaps he is not acting as Jesus
desires of him.
You might ask how
this lesson turned in to math and economic class well you see we were on our
way from visiting Maritza and her children. Maritza is a single mom, and she is
really poor. We try to visit her every week. We bring her food, and we even
were able to help build her a house, because she lived in a small bamboo hut
with dirt floors and no running water or bathroom. I asked how Maritza makes
money, and she said that when she can find work, she works washing other people
clothes by hand, or in the corn fields. I was happy to hear that until I found
out how much she made.
Maritza can easily work 9 to 10 hours in the
corn fields a day and when she does, she makes 50 soles a day. That is the
equivalent of almost $17 USD a day. Quickly I drew a more concern face. I asked
my mother what people in the USA made and well she didn’t tell me; she told me
to find out on my own. So, I did what I do best, I sent a message to my aunt
and bothers and friends back in the states and asked them what they make so I
could get an idea.
This is where the
math comes in, I had to come up with an average salary between the people I
asked from the States. Of course, I was thinking the whole entire time that If
she would just let me google the average salary I would be done a lot quicker.
But of course, my mom had to turn it into an opportunity to learn. But here are
my figures I was given by those in the states of what they made an hour.
$24.00 + $11.00 + $15.00 + $28.00 + $19.00 =
$97.00
$97 ÷
5 = $19.40 on average
that is made per hour in the USA.
That is a huge difference from what Maritza
and others here in Peru make in an entire day!
So, after I went back
to my mom with the answer to the average hourly wage in the states. She
explained to me how as missionaries we are here to preach the Gospel and love
people like Jesus would and that includes fighting for social justice for those
who have no voice.
So
what happen next? You guessed it my next lesson was to find scripture that
speaks about the Preferential Option for the Poor and Vulnerable.
Here a
simple list of the scripture I found that instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.
You shall not oppress the poor or
vulnerable. God will hear their cry. Exodus 22:20-26
A portion of the harvest is set aside for
the poor and the stranger. Leviticus 19:9-10
The Lord hears the cry of the poor. Job 34:20-28
Speak out in defense of the poor. Proverbs 31:8-9
Don’t delay giving to those in need. Sirach 4:1-10
God is a refuge for the poor. Isaiah 25:4-5
True worship is to work for justice and
care for the poor and oppressed. Isaiah 58:5-7
What you do for the least among you, you
do for Jesus. Matthew 25:34-40
Jesus proclaims his mission: to bring
good news to the poor and oppressed. Luke 4:16-21
Blessed are the poor,
theirs is the kingdom of God. Luke 6:20-23
How does God’s love abide in anyone who
has the world’s good and sees one in need and refuses to help? 1 John 3:17-18
I guess you can guess
what my next subject was that day! Writing and English class. You must already
know that by now since you’re reading my latest assignment.
Just for fun, I want
to give you all a bit of homework!
What would the world
look like if everyone took at least one hour of their salary and used it for
the poor?
Do you think that a
family in the USA could live, or would they die if they donated an hour of their
wages to the poor?
Do you believe if
they did, God would reward them for their sacrifice beyond what they
sacrificed?
Do you think If man
lived today in the way that God created us, that the word “poor” would even
exist in our vocabulary today?
** I really pray the teacher
(AKA: mom) gives me an A+ on this assignment. What do you think?
“Therefore, everyone has the right to possess a sufficient amount
of the earth’s goods for themselves and their family. This has been the opinion
of the Fathers and Doctors of the church, who taught that people are bound to
come to the aid of the poor and to do so not merely out of their superfluous
goods.
Persons
in extreme necessity are entitled to take what they need from the riches of
others. Faced with a world today where so many people are suffering from want,
the council asks individuals and governments to remember the saying of the
Fathers: “Feed the people dying of hunger, because if you do not feed them you
are killing them,” and it urges them according to their ability to share and
dispose of their goods to help others, above all by giving them aid which will
enable them to help and develop themselves.” Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope), § 69
Thanks for spending time to find out what its like to be as a missiuonary kid!
Hugs and Love !!!!!
Gaberial Del Castillo
Age: 11
Mission Post: Cajaruro, Amazonas, Peru
