<\/p>\n
by CAPP-USA<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n5 Radical Lessons from Pope Leo XIV\u2019s Dilexi Te that Flip the Script on Wealth, Poverty, and Faith.<\/span><\/p>\nMost of us think of charity as optional. A kind gesture. A good habit. A \u201cnice to have\u201d in a decent life.<\/span><\/p>\nBut what if that view is not just incomplete\u2014but wrong?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n![\"Giving](\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/A-poor-man-holds-a-sign-asking-for-kindness-in-a-subway-station.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Giving to the poor is not optional. Is the theft to hold onto what we don’t need.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
What if, in some cases, keeping your surplus wealth is actually a form of theft?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nDilexi Te<\/a> (\u201cI Have Loved You\u201d) is Pope Leo XIV\u2019s first Apostolic Exhortation\u2014a formal teaching letter addressed to the entire Church\u2014focused on poverty, justice, and what faith actually demands of us.<\/span><\/p>\nHere are five surprising\u2014and perhaps jarring\u2014insights from the text that challenge the very foundation of how we think about wealth.<\/span><\/p>\n1. Keeping What You Don\u2019t Need Is Stealing<\/span><\/h2>\n
This may be the most radical claim in the text: Not giving to the poor isn\u2019t just uncharitable\u2014it\u2019s stealing<\/strong>. Drawing on the early Church Fathers, the Pope reminds us of the<\/span>\u00a0universal destination of goods<\/a>. If you possess more than you need for a dignified life while your neighbor lacks the essentials, that surplus doesn\u2019t truly belong to you. As Saint John Chrysostom famously put it:<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cNot giving to the poor is stealing from them, defrauding them of their lives, because what we have belongs to them.\u201d (Pope Leo XIV, 42)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\nIn a world obsessed with absolute property rights, this reframes charity from a \u201cpaternalistic kindness\u201d into an act of justice.<\/span><\/p>\n2. The Church\u2019s Treasure Isn\u2019t in a Vault<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>We often measure the success of an organization by its balance sheet or its physical assets. In the third century, the Roman authorities made the same assumption. When they demanded that Saint Lawrence hand over the \u201ctreasures of the Church,\u201d they expected chests of gold.<\/span><\/p>\nInstead, Lawrence presented the city\u2019s poor, the sick, and the suffering.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nThis isn\u2019t just an uplifting historical anecdote; it\u2019s a direct challenge to our modern value system. It suggests that the true wealth of our community isn\u2019t found in our stock portfolios or the prestige of our institutions, but in our most vulnerable members. They are the \u201ctreasures\u201d because they are a \u201cmirror\u201d of Christ and the presence of the divine is uniquely accessible through service to them.<\/span><\/p>\n3. Who\u2019s Really Teaching Whom?<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>In the standard \u201cnon-profit\u201d model, there is a clear giver (who has the answers) and a clear receiver (who has the problems). Dilexi Te<\/em> completely flips this script.<\/span><\/p>\nIt argues that those living in poverty are not passive objects of our aid\u2014they are active agents who have much to teach us. Their resilience and their reliance on faith offer a \u201cmysterious wisdom\u201d that those of us insulated by comfort often lack.<\/span><\/p>\nThe takeaway<\/strong>: We aren\u2019t just called to \u201chelp\u201d the poor; we are called to be evangelized<\/em> by them. Genuine charity becomes a mutual relationship where the person \u201cgiving\u201d often ends up receiving the greater spiritual lesson. Not giving to the poor also means not receiving from them.<\/span><\/p>\n4. Poverty Evolves: What Counts as \u201cPoor\u201d Today?<\/span><\/h2>\n
What does it mean to be poor today? It\u2019s not just about a fixed dollar amount. The text argues that poverty is dynamic<\/em>\u2014it\u2019s measured by what a person needs to participate in society:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n- Then<\/strong>: A century ago, lacking electricity wasn\u2019t \u201cpoverty.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- Now<\/strong>: Lacking digital access or reliable energy can mean exclusion from modern life.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Today, lacking reliable internet access can mean exclusion from education, employment, healthcare, and even basic civic participation. In this sense, digital access is no longer a luxury\u2014it is part of the conditions for human dignity.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nBy defining poverty as being \u201cexcluded from the minimum acceptable way of life,\u201d the Church forces us to look at the concrete historical period we live in. It keeps our understanding of justice relevant in a rapidly changing world.<\/span><\/p>\n5. Faith Without the Poor Is Empty Talk<\/span><\/h2>\n
The final point is the most foundational: You cannot separate your relationship with God from your relationship with the poor. Not giving to the poor means not giving to God. “To the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me.” (Mt 25:45)<\/span><\/p>\nDilexi Te<\/em> warns that when we ignore the cry of the poor we will eventually \u201cdrift into a spiritual worldliness camouflaged by religious practices.\u201d (Pope Leo XIV, 113)<\/a><\/span><\/span> Without action, our faith becomes \u201cempty talk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nAs Pope Francis puts it: there is an inseparable bond<\/strong>. (Pope Leo XIV, 36)<\/a><\/span><\/span> This isn\u2019t about adding social work to your to-do list; it\u2019s about realizing that justice for the poor is the primary way we live out our faith in the real world.<\/span><\/p>\n\nThe takeaway: We aren\u2019t just called to \u201chelp\u201d the poor; we are called to be evangelized by them.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nConclusion: A Dream That Can Come True?<\/span><\/h2>\n
The text ends with a reflection on the Good Samaritan. We don\u2019t get to choose if we encounter the \u201cbeaten man\u201d on the side of the road; we only get to choose how we respond.<\/span><\/p>\nAfter reading this, the question is no longer theoretical. We are already in the story.<\/span><\/p>\nThe wounded man is not hypothetical. He exists\u2014in our city, our parish, our daily life.<\/span><\/p>\nThe only question is:<\/span><\/p>\nDo I pass by\u2014or do I stop?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/2025\/10\/dilexi-te-summary\/” button_text=”A Dilexi Te Summary” button_alignment=”center” module_class=”hover-btn-border” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”30px” button_text_color=”#054368″ button_border_width=”0px” button_border_radius=”0px” button_font=”|600||on|||||” button_icon=”5||divi||400″ button_on_hover=”off” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”on” button_text_color__hover=”#054368″][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ 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module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”|||” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_css_slide_image_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_css_slide_image_phone=”width: auto;||margin: 0 auto !important;”][et_pb_slide heading=”Three Key Principles” button_link=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/catholic-social-teaching-principles\/” image=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Three-Principles.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” image_alt=”Three circles containing symbols of the three principles of catholic social teaching: human dignity, subsidiarity, and solidarity.” image_tablet=”” image_phone=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/3-Key-principle-icons-resized.png” image_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ header_font=”||||||||” background_color=”#ffffff” button_on_hover=”on” z_index=”0″ overflow-x=”hidden” 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Catholic social teaching is built on three foundational principles –\u00a0<\/strong>Human Dignity<\/strong>,\u00a0Solidarity\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Subsidiarity.\u00a0<\/strong>Human Dignity, embodied in a correct understanding of the human person, is the greatest. The others flow from it. Good governments and good economic systems find ways of fostering the three principles.<\/p>\n[\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide heading=”Human Dignity” button_link=”\/human-dignity\/” image=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Human-Dignity.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”4.19.0″ header_font=”||||||||” background_color=”#ffffff” button_on_hover=”on” link_option_url=”\/human-dignity\/” custom_css_slide_image=”width: 200px !important;||margin: 0 auto !important;” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on”]<\/p>\n
This means a correct understanding of the human person and of each person\u2019s unique value. All Catholic social teaching flows from this: the inherent dignity of every person that comes from being made in God\u2019s image.\u00a0<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide heading=”Solidarity” button_link=”\/solidarity\/” image=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Solidarity.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”4.19.0″ header_font=”||||||||” background_color=”#ffffff” button_on_hover=”on” link_option_url=”\/solidarity\/” custom_css_slide_image=”width: 200px !important;||margin: 0 auto !important;” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on”]<\/p>\n
Solidarity is not \u201ca feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of others. It is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good\u201d. (Pope St. John Paul II, 38)<\/a> Love of God and love of neighbor are, in fact, linked and form one, single commandment.<\/p>\n[\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide heading=”Subsidiarity” button_link=”\/subsidiarity\/” image=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Subsidiarity.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”4.19.0″ header_font=”||||||||” background_color=”#ffffff” button_on_hover=”on” link_option_url=”\/subsidiarity\/” custom_css_slide_image=”width: 200px !important;||margin: 0 auto !important;” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on”]<\/p>\n
Subsidiarity \u201cis a fundamental principle of social philosophy, fixed and unchangeable, that one should not withdraw from individuals and commit to the community what they can accomplish by their own enterprise and industry. So, too, it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and a disturbance of right order to transfer to the larger and higher collectivity functions which can be performed and provided for by the lesser and subordinate bodies\u201d. (Pope Pius XI)<\/a><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_slide][\/et_pb_slider][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” admin_label=”Image & Text” module_id=”newsletter” module_class=”mosaic_width” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ background_color=”#eb7525″ z_index=”950″ display_conditions=”W3siaWQiOiI2MmUwMjk2ZS1lYmY5LTQwYWYtYmM0Mi0zZmEzYzUyNGNlYTEiLCJjb25kaXRpb24iOiJwYWdlIiwiY29uZGl0aW9uU2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiZGlzcGxheVJ1bGUiOiJpc05vdCIsImR5bmFtaWNQb3N0cyI6W3sibGFiZWwiOiJDYXJpdGFzIGluIFZlcml0YXRlIiwidmFsdWUiOiI0NzIxNCJ9XSwicG9zdFR5cGVMYWJlbCI6IlBhZ2VzIiwiYWRtaW5MYWJlbCI6IlBhZ2VzIiwiZW5hYmxlQ29uZGl0aW9uIjoib24ifSwib3BlcmF0b3IiOiJPUiJ9XQ==” custom_margin=”||” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”0px||0px||false|false” animation_direction=”left” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_module=”45073″ saved_tabs=”all” locked=”off” collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ make_equal=”on” module_class=”mosaic_width” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ custom_margin=”||” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” animation_style=”fade” animation_delay=”200ms” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ module_class=”ds-vertical-align” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Playfair Display||||||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” header_font=”||||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#eb7525″ header_2_text_color=”#ffffff” header_3_text_color=”#ffffff” header_3_font_size=”30px” header_4_font=”Playfair Display|700|||||||” header_4_text_color=”#ffffff” header_4_font_size=”32px” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”||” custom_padding=”||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
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Most of us think of charity as optional. A kind gesture. A good habit. A \u201cnice to have\u201d in a decent life.<\/span><\/p>\n But what if that view is not just incomplete\u2014but wrong?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Giving to the poor is not optional. Is the theft to hold onto what we don’t need.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n What if, in some cases, keeping your surplus wealth is actually a form of theft?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Dilexi Te<\/a> (\u201cI Have Loved You\u201d) is Pope Leo XIV\u2019s first Apostolic Exhortation\u2014a formal teaching letter addressed to the entire Church\u2014focused on poverty, justice, and what faith actually demands of us.<\/span><\/p>\n Here are five surprising\u2014and perhaps jarring\u2014insights from the text that challenge the very foundation of how we think about wealth.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNot giving to the poor is stealing from them, defrauding them of their lives, because what we have belongs to them.\u201d (Pope Leo XIV, 42)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n In a world obsessed with absolute property rights, this reframes charity from a \u201cpaternalistic kindness\u201d into an act of justice.<\/span><\/p>\n Instead, Lawrence presented the city\u2019s poor, the sick, and the suffering.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n This isn\u2019t just an uplifting historical anecdote; it\u2019s a direct challenge to our modern value system. It suggests that the true wealth of our community isn\u2019t found in our stock portfolios or the prestige of our institutions, but in our most vulnerable members. They are the \u201ctreasures\u201d because they are a \u201cmirror\u201d of Christ and the presence of the divine is uniquely accessible through service to them.<\/span><\/p>\n It argues that those living in poverty are not passive objects of our aid\u2014they are active agents who have much to teach us. Their resilience and their reliance on faith offer a \u201cmysterious wisdom\u201d that those of us insulated by comfort often lack.<\/span><\/p>\n The takeaway<\/strong>: We aren\u2019t just called to \u201chelp\u201d the poor; we are called to be evangelized<\/em> by them. Genuine charity becomes a mutual relationship where the person \u201cgiving\u201d often ends up receiving the greater spiritual lesson. Not giving to the poor also means not receiving from them.<\/span><\/p>\n By defining poverty as being \u201cexcluded from the minimum acceptable way of life,\u201d the Church forces us to look at the concrete historical period we live in. It keeps our understanding of justice relevant in a rapidly changing world.<\/span><\/p>\n Dilexi Te<\/em> warns that when we ignore the cry of the poor we will eventually \u201cdrift into a spiritual worldliness camouflaged by religious practices.\u201d (Pope Leo XIV, 113)<\/a><\/span><\/span> Without action, our faith becomes \u201cempty talk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As Pope Francis puts it: there is an inseparable bond<\/strong>. (Pope Leo XIV, 36)<\/a><\/span><\/span> This isn\u2019t about adding social work to your to-do list; it\u2019s about realizing that justice for the poor is the primary way we live out our faith in the real world.<\/span><\/p>\n The takeaway: We aren\u2019t just called to \u201chelp\u201d the poor; we are called to be evangelized by them.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n After reading this, the question is no longer theoretical. We are already in the story.<\/span><\/p>\n The wounded man is not hypothetical. He exists\u2014in our city, our parish, our daily life.<\/span><\/p>\n The only question is:<\/span><\/p>\n Do I pass by\u2014or do I stop?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/2025\/10\/dilexi-te-summary\/” button_text=”A Dilexi Te Summary” button_alignment=”center” module_class=”hover-btn-border” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”30px” button_text_color=”#054368″ button_border_width=”0px” button_border_radius=”0px” button_font=”|600||on|||||” button_icon=”5||divi||400″ button_on_hover=”off” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”on” button_text_color__hover=”#054368″][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ 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button_alignment=”center” module_class=”hover-btn-border” _builder_version=”4.19.0″ custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”30px” button_text_color=”#054368″ button_border_width=”0px” button_border_radius=”0px” button_font=”|600||on|||||” button_icon=”5||divi||400″ button_on_hover=”off” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”on” button_text_color__hover=”#054368″][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Widget of Issues ” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”0px|0px|0px|0px||” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” saved_tabs=”all” locked=”off” collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_5,3_5,1_5″ use_custom_gutter=”on” module_class=” et_pb_row_fullwidth” _builder_version=”4.13.0″ width=”100%” width_tablet=”100%” width_phone=”” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” max_width=”100%” max_width_tablet=”100%” max_width_phone=”” max_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_margin=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_css_main_element=”width: 100% !important;” make_fullwidth=”on” global_module=”31023″ saved_tabs=”all” collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_slider show_image_video_mobile=”on” module_class=”three-principles” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ header_font=”Open Sans|700|||||||” header_text_color=”#084369″ header_font_size=”24px” header_line_height=”1.5em” body_text_color=”#084369″ width=”100%” width_last_edited=”off|desktop” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”|||” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_css_slide_image_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_css_slide_image_phone=”width: auto;||margin: 0 auto !important;”][et_pb_slide heading=”Three Key Principles” button_link=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/catholic-social-teaching-principles\/” image=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Three-Principles.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” image_alt=”Three circles containing symbols of the three principles of catholic social teaching: human dignity, subsidiarity, and solidarity.” image_tablet=”” image_phone=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/3-Key-principle-icons-resized.png” image_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ header_font=”||||||||” background_color=”#ffffff” button_on_hover=”on” z_index=”0″ overflow-x=”hidden” overflow-y=”hidden” link_option_url=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/catholic-social-teaching-principles\/” custom_css_slide_image=”width: 300px !important;||margin: 0 auto !important;” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on”]<\/p>\n Catholic social teaching is built on three foundational principles –\u00a0<\/strong>Human Dignity<\/strong>,\u00a0Solidarity\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Subsidiarity.\u00a0<\/strong>Human Dignity, embodied in a correct understanding of the human person, is the greatest. The others flow from it. Good governments and good economic systems find ways of fostering the three principles.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide heading=”Human Dignity” button_link=”\/human-dignity\/” image=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Human-Dignity.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”4.19.0″ header_font=”||||||||” background_color=”#ffffff” button_on_hover=”on” link_option_url=”\/human-dignity\/” custom_css_slide_image=”width: 200px !important;||margin: 0 auto !important;” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on”]<\/p>\n This means a correct understanding of the human person and of each person\u2019s unique value. All Catholic social teaching flows from this: the inherent dignity of every person that comes from being made in God\u2019s image.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide heading=”Solidarity” button_link=”\/solidarity\/” image=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Solidarity.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”4.19.0″ header_font=”||||||||” background_color=”#ffffff” button_on_hover=”on” link_option_url=”\/solidarity\/” custom_css_slide_image=”width: 200px !important;||margin: 0 auto !important;” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on”]<\/p>\n Solidarity is not \u201ca feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of others. It is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good\u201d. (Pope St. John Paul II, 38)<\/a> Love of God and love of neighbor are, in fact, linked and form one, single commandment.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide heading=”Subsidiarity” button_link=”\/subsidiarity\/” image=”https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Subsidiarity.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”4.19.0″ header_font=”||||||||” background_color=”#ffffff” button_on_hover=”on” link_option_url=”\/subsidiarity\/” custom_css_slide_image=”width: 200px !important;||margin: 0 auto !important;” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on”]<\/p>\n Subsidiarity \u201cis a fundamental principle of social philosophy, fixed and unchangeable, that one should not withdraw from individuals and commit to the community what they can accomplish by their own enterprise and industry. So, too, it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and a disturbance of right order to transfer to the larger and higher collectivity functions which can be performed and provided for by the lesser and subordinate bodies\u201d. (Pope Pius XI)<\/a><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][\/et_pb_slider][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” admin_label=”Image & Text” module_id=”newsletter” module_class=”mosaic_width” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ background_color=”#eb7525″ z_index=”950″ display_conditions=”W3siaWQiOiI2MmUwMjk2ZS1lYmY5LTQwYWYtYmM0Mi0zZmEzYzUyNGNlYTEiLCJjb25kaXRpb24iOiJwYWdlIiwiY29uZGl0aW9uU2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiZGlzcGxheVJ1bGUiOiJpc05vdCIsImR5bmFtaWNQb3N0cyI6W3sibGFiZWwiOiJDYXJpdGFzIGluIFZlcml0YXRlIiwidmFsdWUiOiI0NzIxNCJ9XSwicG9zdFR5cGVMYWJlbCI6IlBhZ2VzIiwiYWRtaW5MYWJlbCI6IlBhZ2VzIiwiZW5hYmxlQ29uZGl0aW9uIjoib24ifSwib3BlcmF0b3IiOiJPUiJ9XQ==” custom_margin=”||” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”0px||0px||false|false” animation_direction=”left” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_module=”45073″ saved_tabs=”all” locked=”off” collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ make_equal=”on” module_class=”mosaic_width” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ custom_margin=”||” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” animation_style=”fade” animation_delay=”200ms” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ module_class=”ds-vertical-align” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Playfair Display||||||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” header_font=”||||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#eb7525″ header_2_text_color=”#ffffff” header_3_text_color=”#ffffff” header_3_font_size=”30px” header_4_font=”Playfair Display|700|||||||” header_4_text_color=”#ffffff” header_4_font_size=”32px” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”||” custom_padding=”||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ module_class=”ds-vertical-align” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.21.0″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n1. Keeping What You Don\u2019t Need Is Stealing<\/span><\/h2>\n
This may be the most radical claim in the text: Not giving to the poor isn\u2019t just uncharitable\u2014it\u2019s stealing<\/strong>. Drawing on the early Church Fathers, the Pope reminds us of the<\/span>\u00a0universal destination of goods<\/a>. If you possess more than you need for a dignified life while your neighbor lacks the essentials, that surplus doesn\u2019t truly belong to you. As Saint John Chrysostom famously put it:<\/span><\/p>\n2. The Church\u2019s Treasure Isn\u2019t in a Vault<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>We often measure the success of an organization by its balance sheet or its physical assets. In the third century, the Roman authorities made the same assumption. When they demanded that Saint Lawrence hand over the \u201ctreasures of the Church,\u201d they expected chests of gold.<\/span><\/p>\n3. Who\u2019s Really Teaching Whom?<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>In the standard \u201cnon-profit\u201d model, there is a clear giver (who has the answers) and a clear receiver (who has the problems). Dilexi Te<\/em> completely flips this script.<\/span><\/p>\n4. Poverty Evolves: What Counts as \u201cPoor\u201d Today?<\/span><\/h2>\n
What does it mean to be poor today? It\u2019s not just about a fixed dollar amount. The text argues that poverty is dynamic<\/em>\u2014it\u2019s measured by what a person needs to participate in society:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n
Today, lacking reliable internet access can mean exclusion from education, employment, healthcare, and even basic civic participation. In this sense, digital access is no longer a luxury\u2014it is part of the conditions for human dignity.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n5. Faith Without the Poor Is Empty Talk<\/span><\/h2>\n
The final point is the most foundational: You cannot separate your relationship with God from your relationship with the poor. Not giving to the poor means not giving to God. “To the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me.” (Mt 25:45)<\/span><\/p>\n\n
Conclusion: A Dream That Can Come True?<\/span><\/h2>\n
The text ends with a reflection on the Good Samaritan. We don\u2019t get to choose if we encounter the \u201cbeaten man\u201d on the side of the road; we only get to choose how we respond.<\/span><\/p>\nSign Up For Our Newsletter:<\/h4>\n