Feast and the Poor
Feast and the Poor
First, I would like to congratulate my Muslim brothers on the blessed Eid al-Adha, in which they remember how our father Abraham, the father of fathers and prophets, was ready to offer his son as a sacrifice to the Lord in obedience to His command, as his love for God was stronger for him than his love for his son, the fruit of his heart. Thus giving all generations a wondrous example and an unparalleled model in sacrifice and in obedience to God.
It is a profound lesson for us—may we emulate it in giving, sacrifice, and offering. And although we are not in circumstances where we can emulate our father Abraham, at the very least we must do what we can in the realm of sacrifice—giving the best of what we have in remembrance of what our father Abraham did.
As an example of this, we sacrifice part of our enjoyment and our money for the sake of our poor brothers, who have the right to rejoice in the feast just as the rest of the people rejoice, even if to a lesser degree.
We include them in the joy of the feast, in its delight, and in its food as well, so that they may practically feel that it is for them a day of celebration. And we do not leave them comparing their misery with the wealth of others, lest they be overcome by feelings of disappointment and sadness on a joyful occasion!
And our compassion for them on the feast day will lead us to continue this compassion always, in a practical way that relieves their hardships. And when I mention the poor, I also mention the needy and the destitute, and above all the “impoverished”… All these four categories require care and concern, as well as a compassionate heart and a generous hand.
The poor are those who live on a financial and social level below the ordinary, yet they suffice themselves with the little they have—in hardship, but in contentment—and they manage themselves in tightness and by pressing upon their expenses…
As for the needy, they are poor and do not find sufficiency at all, and they lack the necessities of life—either generally throughout all their days or in special circumstances.
No matter how much one of them suffices with his weak income, he becomes needy when his daughter marries, or when he falls ill, or when one of his family members becomes ill, or in paying school fees for one of his children… and similar circumstances in which he becomes needy, whatever his monthly salary may be… Here he is forced to borrow and cannot repay what he owes. And the time comes when no one agrees to lend to him, and he may be forced to write cheques without any balance, or to write promissory notes, and the problems that await him in that.
What is the state of such people on the feast day? The needs of the feast increase them in poverty upon poverty, and want upon want! Either they do not celebrate the feast, or they borrow in shame, or the rich show mercy to them in some way…!
As for the impoverished, they are those who have absolutely no income… Those whose unemployment has scattered them without work may fall under this category, becoming burdens on others and weights upon their poor families…
What do such people also do on feast days?! Do these days become days of misery for them more than for others?! Do they end up at charity banquets?!
And are they not in need of these banquets all the days of their lives?!
There are two other types of needy families: One of them is the “modest families,” who live in poverty but are ashamed to reveal their poverty, and do not like anyone to know anything about their want… preferring to endure their need in silence… The feast passes by them without their announcing their need, and God knows how they spend it!
The second type of needy families is the families that cannot provide for their young children, so they release them homeless in the streets—those whom we refer to as “street children.” The press has been concerned with publishing about them these days, saying that their number may sometimes reach two million!
What is the fate of these as well on the feast day, as in the rest of the days? Are they forced into begging, or into crime? Or are they used by certain gangs?!
There is another group of poor—(the sons and daughters of orphanages). And these are in a better condition than others, as there are charitable associations that care for them, and the Ministry of Social Affairs also supervises their care… But on the feast day they need a different kind of care. They need affection and love, a family atmosphere, and a feeling of their self-respect and of others’ respect for them. They need their clothing to vary, so that they do not all have one uniform distinguishing them, causing some to say of them: “These are the children of the orphanage,” which affects their psychological state, especially the older ones among them. They also need gifts on the feast day so that the day becomes distinct for them from the rest of the days.
Another group that needs care on feast days is the group of the disabled and those with infirmities, especially those who are mentally disabled. There are now charitable organizations that care for such people in general aspects of their lives. However, on feast days they need special care from those whose goodwill allows them to dedicate themselves to these individuals on the feast day, without forgetting them due to family concerns. They need on the feast day to feel that they are the object of others’ attention, and that what they suffer from disability has not caused a disability in their caregivers or their loved ones from caring for them as well. They are in need of psychological fulfillment.
The feast day ought to be a day of joy for everyone, where no one is overlooked, so that all are equal in joy: the poor, the needy, the destitute, the impoverished, as well as the children of orphanages, the street children, and all the disabled. Likewise, attention must be given to those in prisons by visiting them and providing them with some of what they need—and even more, to caring for their families. Perhaps the prisoner had been the sole provider for his family, and when he entered prison the family became without a provider, requiring someone to take responsibility for supporting and caring for them and protecting them in the harsh circumstances they have begun living through after the imprisonment of their provider.
On the feast day, it is not fitting that every person cares only for himself—how he might enjoy the day—without turning toward others who are in need. And if he cannot care for them directly, then let him care for them indirectly by means of someone else who can perform this task. And may God make it a happy feast for all, for God Himself cares for everyone and commands us to fulfill this duty. And every year, may you all be well, and may all of Egypt be well.
An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, published in Akhbar Al-Youm Newspaper on 30-12-2006.
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