It is now the last week before my country goes to the elections. The big issue is selling part of the state assets — the ruling party wants to keep a controlling interest in what we call “State owned enterprises” and the socialists want to keep them.
It’s got dirty and ugly, but that is politics. At the same time one of the mainstream media released a report on child poverty. I’m cynical about the timing of this — and comparing NZ, which has a middle income, with Sweden and Japan, which do not.
Today’s reading however confronts us on our greed.
1Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. 2Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation — 3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
23Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26But Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”
27Then Peter said in reply, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.
I do not think that Jesus was saying it is a sin to be rich. The poor will always be with us, as will the rich, There is a limit to how much income redistribution a nation can do without removing the motivation to work.
But there is no moral value in your wealth. It is a tool. Like beauty, intelligence, skill… it is a talent to be used. Sacrificed if needs be.
Coming back to the report about poverty — the issue here is not income as such. it is that the state provided houses are 50 years old — the legacy of the last depression, when the social democratic (Labour) party built then by the bushel — and they are not insulated, nor weatherproof, nor large enough. The rent on them is expensive. Families are sleeping 4 or 5 to a room… and the cold, combined with a low nutrient diet, has led to the recurrence of the diseases in the slums such as rheumatic fever.
People like me live in insulated homes and heat them. Poor people do not: unlike Canada, there is no minimum temperature for houses — and social welfare does not pull children from unhealthy homes.
It is clear that we should help the poor. And there are policies that are in place (that all groups in NZ — from left to right agree with). There is a social safety net.
But we do not count being rich as a sign of blessing. Rather count it as a need to serve others.