THROUGH UNTRUE Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. Today's gospel reading is about the story of The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). This has always been used to illustrate the Christian attitude towards the poor and the marginalized. Our "neighbor" is the person who needs assistance. And you prove yourself a Good Samaritan when you come to his aid. Consequently, many people consider working directly with the poor as the most notable form of Christian apostolate or social advocacy. But the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II) declared that the best way to help the poor is not just by alleviating their poverty but also by showing preferential reliance on them. Many politicians have grasped the wisdom of this PCP II injunction and use it to their advantage. They know that millions of voters are poor, so they show preferential reliance on them during election time. They make the poor feel important and give them dole-outs every now and then. But while they project the image of being "neighborly" to their poor constituents, many of them actually suck the government dry of its resources, leaving nothing for those who voted for them. Sadly, the poor seem to acquiesce to such manipulation. For, nothing is more empowering than the sense of being a victim. Being poor can be the right disadvantage. Many poor people use poverty as a blanket justification for any wrongdoing. When they commit a crime, they would say: “Why punish me? I am simply a victim of poverty.” Sister Souljah, an African American singer, expresses this twisted rationalization when she raps:

“I am poor; I want what’s good for me and for my class And if my survival means your total destruction, so be it. After all, you built this wicked system. They say two wrongs don’t make a right But it damn sure makes it even.”

Giant media network, as well as national and international relief agencies also show preferential reliance on the poor to promote their humanitarian image. Starving street children, emaciated mothers, and bone-weary fathers living in squalid, dilapidated shanties, are periodically shown on television to elicit our compassion and sympathy. Inevitably, we reach out for our wallets, checkbooks, or credit cards to prepare our donation. Helping the poor this way looks very simple: share your money and resources and you help solve hunger and misery. The added benefits are, you appease your conscience and become a Good Samaritan. The problem of poverty is not that simple. The gross depiction of the miseries of the poor by the media and relief agencies makes us forget that the flip side of hunger is greed; the other side of starvation is the affluence and abundance of the covetous rich. The story of The Good Samaritan is not just about helping the poor, but about the need to confront the real cause of poverty. Many people point to capitalism, imperialism, or globalization as the culprit. But, as Jesus had taught us, it is human selfishness that has created the wide chasm between the rich and the poor. Selfishness is not the monopoly of the rich. Like everyone else, the poor are capable of goodness; they are also capable of evil. There is nothing inherently virtuous about being poor, just as there is nothing inherently vicious about being rich. The Church's poverty alleviation programs, the businessmen’s much-publicized corporate social responsibility (which some use as a tax shield), as well as the dole outs of politicians, social welfare agencies, giant media networks, and relief agencies can never eradicate poverty. We must rather heed Christ's insistence on INNER CONVERSION as the basis of social transformation.