|
Where does our money
come from today?
Some things that have changed, and the resulting consequences.
6. Today, most of the
Brothers no longer live off the fruits of their labor. Some Provinces depend
more on profits that flow from the stock market than on the salaries that are
earned by the Brothers. And it is not at all unusual that inflation pressures
raise returns on stocks and increase their profitability.
New ways of generating
money and enlarging stock portfolios have produced a completely new environment
for our religious life. In many cases we have reached a level of security that we never dreamed
possible. Our spark of evangelical boldness and daring can easily be snuffed
out when money becomes "no problem." Without even realizing it
Brothers can get caught up in a "bourgeois" lifestyle, more in
keeping with the tenets of economic neoliberalism than with the teachings of
the Gospel.
Furthermore, easier access to money can raise questions
and heighten concerns for us in the area of formation. Now, beginning with
his first day in the Novitiate, a young man becomes part of a group of men who
have enviable economic resources. In most instances, what they have at their
disposal is more than that enjoyed by their families and the majority of the
population in their country. And these young religious will need to be very
alert to avoid the dangers that such an inheritance can pose to personal
integrity and the idealism of consecrated men-on-a-mission in the service of
needy youth.
And even in our latest
projects with the poor we ought to be very careful. In recent years, a sense of
solidarity has given rise to a number of new communities, to provide an
ecclesial presence in marginalized areas and to serve as a mission "ad
gentes." Frequently they lack sufficient resources and are supported by
their Province. There are two ways of looking at this. On the positive side,
the Province is showing its solidarity by redistributing the resources within
the Congregation. On the other hand, such new communities may reveal their
tenuous existence if the Brothers remain unable to support themselves by their
work. This reminds me of Father Champagnat's concern when he drew up contracts
that were reasonable but at the lowest possible cost for the localities
involved. We too will need to be creative in our solutions.
With money comes
power. The
temptations that Jesus endured are also our own. We know that the material
goods and power that a person wields are a two-edged sword. They are
valuable when used for good, but they can also corrupt us and take us away from
reality, especially from the harsh reality lived by that segment of society
comprised of people in dire poverty and distress. How easily we can take the
road toward a more professional world than an apostolic one. We can fall into
the temptation of pleasing authorities and wealthy benefactors, instead of
holding them accountable in terms of social justice and the common good. We can
fool ourselves, thinking and working as if the prosperity of our institutions
were the goal of our lives.
|