The needy are appointed stewards for us for the storing of treasures with God

[WeRSauron]

I opened the Catechism of the Catholic Church to a random section,and in it the Catechism quotes St. Augustine:

All that the wicked do is recorded, and they do not know. When “our God comes, he does not keep silence.”. . . he will turn towards those at his left hand: . . . “I placed my poor little ones on earth for you. I as their head was seated in heaven at the right hand of my Father–but on earth my members were suffering, my members on earth were in need. If you gave anything to my members, what you gave would have reached their Head. Would that you had known that my little ones were in need when I placed them on earth for you and appointed them your stewards to bring your good works into my treasury. But you have placed nothing in their hands; therefore you have found nothing in my presence.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church. New York: Image Books, 1995; p. 294. This is in portion 1039, in Chapter V (The Last Judgment) of Article 12 of Part One of the Catechism.

I thought that quote was simply beautiful. It was very moving and powerful to me: how, according to this view, we need the needy more than they need us, that they are agents of God.

Quite revelant for today’s world (and liturgically relevant, as we are in the Days of Awe and Repentance between the New Year and the Day of Atonement).

WRS

[Boyo_Jim]

What a load of claptrap bullshit. This is all about keeping the poor quiet as they are jerked around by the rich. After all, the poor (and the meek, remember them?) will get their reward in the afterlife or on judgement day or whatever, so they shouldn’t worry about how they’re getting screwed over in this life.

[silenus]

Hey, WeRSauron…I liked it, even if others don’t. Nice find.

[Dragwyr]

Even if you are atheist, agnostic, or any other faith, you should at least be able to take the message from it that we should be nice to those that are in need.

[Ferret_Herder]

@Boyo Jim

What a load of claptrap bullshit. This is all about keeping the poor quiet as they are jerked around by the rich. After all, the poor (and the meek, remember them?) will get their reward in the afterlife or on judgement day or whatever, so they shouldn’t worry about how they’re getting screwed over in this life.

Actually, if you read the quote closely, you’ll see that God is condemning those who did not help the poor while still living. “But you have placed nothing in their hands; therefore you have found nothing in my presence.”