GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD

 

Just as we do not say "My father", we do not say "my daily bread", either. The Father is the same one for all the sons of God and so are His gifts. This is the first moral and economic principle for a successful social system; moral, because we acknowledge that the bread is from God; economic, because the bread God gives us belongs to everyone.

We beg our daily bread from the heavenly breadgiver. Why do we say: daily? So as to be modest and not ask for anything extravagant. Our physical needs should be limited only to the bare necessities, as the Apostle says: "And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content" 'I Tim. 6:8/. For extravagance corrupts the body, the soul, it destroys man as whole. This is the second moral and economic principle: Moral, because it protects us from luxury and corruption; economic, because the bread should suffice for everyone.

Give us this day. Why we ask God to give us bread only for today? Because, tomorrow we may not be in this life any more. Because we know that it is not ourselves who are the masters of this life, but our Creator. Also, because, we should avoid accumulating unnecessary wealth for an uncertain tomorrow while some of our brethren remain hungry this day. Feed the hungry, give the thirsty to drink, clothe the naked. He who, out of fear for the future, accumulates more than is necessary, cannot  fulfill  these commandments of God. This is the third moral and economic principle: moral because thanks to it we are freed of the responsibility that the Creator has taken upon Himself; economic, because it prevents today the hunger of some, by preventing the accumulation of riches by others for tomorrow.

These four words consolidate a better and greater social and economic science than has been developed in innumerable books and fantastic theories. And the main thing is, this social and economic science possesses a moral basis and a Divine authority, something every other economic science and theory lacks.

 

 

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