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Question 102

Hi, Father how are you? I have a question. The gospels teach us that God provides for all our needs if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. If that is the case, why is there so much poverty and unemployment in the world? If someone is poor but a believer will God eventually lead them out of that situation? 

 

Answer to Question 102

 

Christ didn't say that if we first seek the kingdom of God that he would make us rich or that he would find us employment. He said that he would provide what thing we have need of. But what does this mean, what do we actually have need of? 

We should not worry about everything that has to do with our worldly existence, but only seek the kingdom of God, and his righteousness. That is all that we should strive and pray for, everything else will be provided for if we believe in Christ’s words. We should therefore seek for God’s love, because the kingdom of God is love. Prayer is the means by which we ask God to help us love him and this is what we mean when we ask for God’s mercy. 

But how many of us have enough faith to put all our trust in God that he will provide for us? How many of us actually seek the Kingdom of God? It is one thing to read it in the Gospels, but quite another to believe it with all our heart that we totally devote our lives to God. 

When we ask for God’s mercy we are asking him to heal our existence in such a way as to allow him to find rest within our own hearts and bring about a union with his love. This is what we must first and foremost ask of God. When this happens then God offers us whatever else we might have need of. If fact, when this primary need has been satisfied then all other needs seem to fade away, they are not important to us anymore. We see things in a different light and even our infirmities are not seen as a burden but as a blessing.

So what do we have need of in this life? We need a roof over our head, but this could easily be provided for with a hut, but would we be satisfied living in a hut without the luxuries of our modern life. The answer for most people is no, we want large houses with central heating, air condition, 50inch TV, our computers, our iphones, nice furniture, a comfortable bed, electrical appliances, hot and cold water, and the list can go on and on. Do we need these things to live? If we do then how did our grandparents live contently without them? Do we need luxury cars or could we just as easily get around with a bicycle? Do we need to save for the future? If we had trust in God we would let the future take care of itself for as Christ said “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.” What about clothing? It wouldn’t be right to go about naked, but neither do we need to buy the most expensive brand names because it says something about our social standing. And what about our food? Do we need to have meat everyday and cook expensive meals? Do we need to spend hundreds on eating out in restaurants? What has happened to simple but nutritious meals like our grandparents lived on. They survived mainly on faggi, Louvia, fasoles, rivifthia and other pulses, but for many people these are not good enough for their stomachs. 

Let’s now look at poverty in the world. There are many people that are starving, but God did not create this poverty man did. Poverty stricken countries are the result of wars and governments that want to spend millions on weapons rather than help its people live respectable lives. Poverty can be easily overcome overnight if we all contribute to helping these countries. Imagine if all the people of the western world contributed a hundred pounds a year for such causes with the money invested in long term solutions. But we are not Christian enough to help our brothers in need; we have no love for those we cannot see. Out of sight out of mind. Then we have the homeless. How many of us have thought to give a homeless person a bed for the night and a hot meal. Hospitality was once a Christian obligation, but today we fear to let some stranger into our homes lest they kill us during the night. 

So the answer to your question is what do you expect that God should provide when we don’t fulfil our duty of loving one’s neighbour.