Superfluous Wealth
49. We must repeat that the superfluous goods of wealthier nations ought to be placed at the disposal of poorer nations. The rule, by virtue of which in times past those nearest us were to be helped in time of need, applies today to all the needy throughout the world. And the prospering peoples will be the first to benefit from this. Continuing avarice on their part will arouse the judgment of God and the wrath of the poor, with consequences no one can foresee.
Even for those who disbelieve God, there can be no doubt that the poor have often risen up in revolution against unjust greed. Looking honestly at human history, we can’t deny it. One rich person might rejoice at seeming to have escaped the consequences of avarice, but there are always children and grandchildren.
If prosperous nations continue to be jealous of their own advantage alone, they will jeopardize their highest values, sacrificing the pursuit of excellence to the acquisition of possessions. We might well apply to them the parable of the rich man. His fields yielded an abundant harvest and he did not know where to store it: “But God said to him, ‘Fool, this very night your soul will be demanded from you . . .’ ” (Luke 12:20)
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The image is of Lady Justice at the Central Criminal Court of London.
Catholic Sensibility 