Neighbors must be prepared to provide monetary relief to the poor.

“At the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns. And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.” Deuteronomy 14.28 29

Every three years the communities of ancient Israel replenished their “community chests” of goods. At least some of these resources were made available for the needs of the poor. These may have been more along the lines of the “hand-outs” we typically see today in large cities where, through soup kitchens and clothes closets, the poor are provided for on a short-term basis.

Such hand-outs must not be the only means of meeting the needs of the poor; nor should they be the first line of defense. As we have seen, helping the poor to find meaningful and productive work is the first obligation of any community toward its poor neighbors.

Short-term loans could also be used to care for those who had fallen on hard times (Ex. 22.25, 26). These appear to have been personal loans between friends or family members – close neighbors – and were to be repaid without interest and in a timely manner. Those who were loaning to the poor should not seek to “make money” from the distress of their neighbors.

Neighbor-love requires that communities accept responsibility to care for the needs of the poor among them. Public policies should be adopted to encourage the practices we have outlined in this and previous installment. However, public policies transgress the bounds of justice when they (1) treat the poor indiscriminately, on the basis of income or wealth only, (2) deny the dignity of the poor by failing to create opportunities for work, (3) make the poor dependent on government largesse, (4) transgress the property rights of the non-poor, or (5) create a class of people who make their living on the poor.

Subscribe to Crosfigell, the devotional newsletter of The Fellowship of Ailbe. Sent to your desktop every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Crosfigell includes a devotional based on the literature of the Celtic Christian period and the Word of God, highlights of other columns at the website, and information about mentoring and online courses available through The Fellowship.