Franciscans and the Economy:
Growing Rich in the Sight of God  (Lk 12:21b)
by Larry Janezic, OFM
FAN Issue Advocate

A Franciscan view of what many are calling “issue number one,” economic recovery, must be a response to the radical mandate of the Gospel.  A reflection on the parable of the rich fool (Lk 12:16-21) invites us, in the spirit of Vatican II's Gaudium et Spes, to read the signs of the times and to interpret them in the “light of the Gospel” (G.S. #4).  This parable challenges us to look suspiciously at the motive of the rich man and with awe at the outcome of the story.  The moral is that motivation grounded in fear and greed is foolish because (as we used to say in our family) "you can’t take it with you" when you die. 

Such wise advice, in our Franciscan view, is an invitation to radical renunciation and exuberant fraternal love.  A Franciscan lifestyle witnesses by counter-distinction to a life of excess, a life spent trying to store up blessings “in reserve.” It is spiritual richness that ultimately matters.

The Franciscan view cherishes life in fraternity.  We live in the company of brothers and sisters and we strive to bring that sense of relationality to all.  David B. Couturier, OFM Cap, in The Fraternal Economy, illustrates that an economic system can be fraternal. He points to the possibility of an economy based on relationality, in distinction from an economy driven by self-interest.  A core insight is that the economy is about social relations.  In so doing, he calls for a renewal in professed religious life by highlighting the statements of the Minister General of the Capuchin Franciscan Order, John Corriveau.  Religious life can model such an economy through life in community, solidarity and care of the poor.

David Couturier’s powerful suggestions were written years before the Wall St. bailout. Yet they can be readily applied to our economic situation today by helping to rehabilitate our understanding of economic stabilization.  The parable of the rich fool makes the same case.  True stability occurs when those who are most adversely affected by the condition of the economy receive consideration and relief.  The Franciscan view promotes the well-being of all by remembering the most vulnerable of the world.  We are challenged by the question of excess in our lives and motivated by fraternal love.
 
As the discussions continue on a social policy level, most likely in a "lame duck" session of the 110th Congress,  Franciscan Action Network will be advocating  for  policies that address the realities of the most vulnerable, those who struggle to care for their families and keep their homes, those who rent, and  those who are unemployed.  We see increases in benefits for the most vulnerable among the ways to help stimulate the economy.  Care for the struggling and the vulnerable is growing rich in the sight of God.