149
and by love for mankind, hears the cry for justice
and intends to respond to it with all her mightâ.
153
In this context we can understand Jesusâ com-
mand to his disciples: âYou yourselves give them
something to eat!â (
Mk
6:37): it means working
to eliminate the structural causes of poverty and
to promote the integral development of the poor,
as well as small daily acts of solidarity in meeting
the real needs which we encounter. The word
âsolidarityâ is a little worn and at times poorly
understood, but it refers to something more than
a few sporadic acts of generosity. It presumes
the creation of a new mindset which thinks in
terms of community and the priority of the life
of all over the appropriation of goods by a few.
189.âSolidarity is a spontaneous reaction by
those who recognize that the social function of
property and the universal destination of goods
are realities which come before private property.
The private ownership of goods is justified by
the need to protect and increase them, so that
they can better serve the common good; for this
reason, solidarity must be lived as the decision
to restore to the poor what belongs to them.
These convictions and habits of solidarity, when
they are put into practice, open the way to other
structural transformations and make them possi-
ble. Changing structures without generating new
153
âC
ongregation
for
the
D
octrine
of
the
F
aith
,
Instruction
Libertatis Nuntius
(6 August 1984), XI, 1: AAS 76
(1984), 903.
