Opening Reflection
“Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance.” —St. Francis of Assisi
Brothers and sisters, we live in a time when the bonds of solidarity—woven into the fabric of our society through programs like Social Security, Medicaid, and labor protections—are being unraveled. Project 2025, a conservative blueprint to dismantle federal agencies and privatize public goods, threatens the legacy of the New Deal and the common good. As Franciscans, we are called to confront this spiritual crisis: a failure to love our neighbor and steward God’s gifts justly. Let us shine light on this darkness.
Explaining the Issue
Who:
- Key Actors: The Heritage Foundation, Republican lawmakers, corporate donors (e.g., Koch network), and lobbying groups like ALEC.
- Impacted: The poor, elderly, disabled, working families, and future generations reliant on public programs.
What:
Project 2025 seeks to privatize Social Security, gut environmental protections, eliminate the Department of Education, and replace nonpartisan civil servants with political loyalists. This follows decades of “starve the beast” tax cuts (e.g., Reagan’s 1981 cuts, Trump’s 2017 law) that created deficits to justify slashing aid to the vulnerable.
When/Where:
- Roots: Reaganomics in the 1980s, Newt Gingrich’s 1994 “Contract with America,” and the 2017 Trump tax cuts.
- Today: Project 2025 is a 920-page plan to reshape government in 2025, targeting agencies that uphold healthcare, labor rights, and climate action.
Why:
At its core, this is a crisis of greed (prioritizing wealth over human dignity), fear (scarcity narratives that pit neighbor against neighbor), and a neglect of subsidiarity (abandoning the federal role in protecting the marginalized).
Franciscan Values & Catholic Social Teaching
- Preferential Option for the Poor:
Privatizing Social Security and Medicare would force the elderly and sick to gamble their safety on volatile markets—a direct betrayal of Christ’s command to “care for the least of these” (Matthew 25:40). St. Francis, who kissed the leper and gave his cloak to the poor, would weep at such indifference. - Stewardship of Creation:
Project 2025’s plan to gut the EPA ignores Pope Francis’ warning in Laudato Si’: “The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth” (LS 21). Deregulating polluters harms both creation and the poor, who suffer most from toxic air and water. - Ethical Economics in a Disenchanted World (David B. Couturier, OFM Cap):
- Relational Economics: Couturier critiques modern economics for reducing human dignity to transactions and profit. He argues that economics must be re-enchanted—rooted in relationality rather than greed. The “starve the beast” strategy, which prioritizes wealth hoarding over communal well-being, exemplifies this disenchanted worldview. As Franciscans, we are called to reject systems that commodify human life and instead build economies where “the logic of gift and grace” replaces exploitation (Couturier, Economics in a Disenchanted World).
- Commodification of the Common Good: Tax cuts that privatize Social Security or deregulate environmental protections treat public goods as market commodities. Couturier warns that this “commodification fractures solidarity,” turning neighbors into competitors for scarce resources.
- Solidarity & Subsidiarity:
Catholic teaching calls for solutions at the appropriate level. The New Deal intervened federally during the Great Depression because states and towns could not. Project 2025, by contrast, centralizes power for corporations while fragmenting community safety nets. - The Dignity of Work and Economic Justice:
- Economics as a Moral Project: Couturier reminds us that economics is not neutral—it is a moral endeavor. The Second Vatican Council’s call for an economy that “serves people” (Gaudium et Spes 63) aligns with Couturier’s vision of economics grounded in ethical responsibility. Tax policies favoring corporations over workers violate this principle, reducing labor to a “disposable input” rather than honoring its sacred role in human flourishing.
Hope & Solutions
Stories of Resistance:
- Sr. Norma Pimentel, MJ (Missionaries of Jesus): A modern-day Franciscan-hearted leader, Sr. Norma directs Catholic Charities in the Rio Grande Valley, providing humanitarian aid to migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. Her work embodies the Franciscan call to “welcome the stranger” (Matthew 25:35) and confronts policies that dehumanize refugees. Pope Francis has praised her as a “woman of mercy” for her tireless advocacy.
- St. Óscar Romero: Though not a Franciscan, the martyred Salvadoran archbishop’s fearless defense of the poor against oppressive regimes resonates with Franciscan values. His famous words—“A church that doesn’t provoke any crises, a gospel that doesn’t unsettle, is not the Gospel”—challenge us to resist systems that prioritize power over people.
- Franciscan Action Network (FAN): Rooted in the spirit of St. Francis, FAN mobilizes Catholics and Franciscans nationwide to advocate for policies that protect the marginalized and care for creation. From lobbying for climate justice to defending immigrants’ rights, FAN embodies the Franciscan call to “rebuild the Church” through prophetic action. Their “Faithful Democracy” campaign challenges voter suppression and promotes policies that prioritize the common good over partisan power.
- Modern Heroes: Parish food banks, worker-owned cooperatives, and groups like Network Lobby advocate tirelessly for policies that uplift the common good.
Practical Actions:
- Pray: “Lord, stir in our leaders a hunger for justice, not power. Soften hearts hardened by greed.”
- Advocate: Call legislators to oppose cuts to Social Security; support unions fighting for living wages.
- Build Community: Partner with local Catholic Charities chapters to house refugees or fund climate resilience projects.
- Embrace Franciscan Simplicity: Couturier advocates for an economics of enoughness—a countercultural embrace of simplicity that rejects consumerism. By living simply and advocating for progressive taxation, we challenge the myth of scarcity perpetuated by “starve the beast” policies. As Couturier writes, “Poverty is not a lack of resources but a failure of imagination.”
A Call to Conversion
This is not a distant political issue—it is a spiritual one. Do we cling to comforts while others starve? Do we ignore policies that harm the vulnerable because they don’t affect us yet? St. Francis abandoned wealth to embrace lepers; we too must examine our complicity in systems of exploitation.
Let us choose radical love over complacency. As Francis said, “For it is in giving that we receive.” When we fight for the common good, we rebuild the Church—not with bricks, but with justice.
Closing Prayer:
God of the marginalized,
stir in us the fire of St. Francis.
Guide us to defend the poor,
challenge the powerful,
and steward creation with reverence.
May we never confuse greed with liberty,
or cruelty with strength.
Amen.
Pax et bonum! 🌿
Citations:
- Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS Rule, Art. 13b).
- Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (Compendium, 182, 395).
- Laudato Si’ (LS 21).
- Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1883).
- Gaudium et Spes (GS 4, 63).
- David B. Couturier, OFM Cap, Economics in a Disenchanted World: Franciscan Pathways for Renewal (Franciscan Institute Publications, 2020).
Michael is a professed member of the Secular Franciscan Order and editor of Chasing the Wild Goose Blog. This article reflects his personal discernment and does not represent official OFS positions. Reach Mike at mikeofs@ofsmike.com
