Bounty and abundance have always been the Law of Nature. Natural shortages such those brought about by droughts are often temporary. Man-made shortages such as those brought about by hoarding happen because man takes from nature out of greed instead of just what he needs. We have been blessed with a rich, bountiful and abundant Earth. There is more than enough for everybody.
In ancient and primitive societies and cultures, everything was owned in common. The ‘Commons’ was for everyone in the community to use and included air, water, land, game, hunting grounds and in many cases food, clothing and shelter or homes. Native American Indians and my Filipino ancestors did not have deeds or titles to property because they hardly had any concept of private property. But even in Western societies there is the strong tradition of the ‘Commonwealth’ which is a community founded for the common good.
It often takes a certain amount of brokenness in us to realize that we need one another, that we are meant to live in community. For as long as we are too full of ourselves, it is very hard to see this truth. It will always my land, my riches, my possessions. It is in brokenness, whether in ourselves or in others, that we realize it is our pain and therefore our joy, our struggles and therefore our victory, our lives and therefore our community.
The artistic soul of John Lennon captured this truth for the soul of the world:
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the worldÂ
It is a Eucharistic life when I can take my life and look up to heaven, be thankful for all the blessings I have received, see my struggles and brokenness and, in the realization of my own inadequacy, share this and reach out to others in love and service.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Matthew 14:14-21