The teaching of how we should respond to the poor and the beggar has been weighing heavily on my mind. I have studied this topic and it comes down to the following: As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I am to help the poor, the needy and the beggar because I too, am a beggar.
I stand with Elder Holland (general authority of the LDS church) when he says: “Now, lest I be accused of proposing quixotic global social programs or of endorsing panhandling as a growth industry, I reassure you that my reverence for principles of industry, thrift, self-reliance, and ambition is as strong as that of any man or woman alive.” I feel strongly about self-reliance and the duty we have to keep ourselves afloat, but in some circumstances that is not possible. Whether those circumstances are due to unwanted events or self-inflicted, it is our duty to help those in need if our means allow it.
King Benjamin from the Book of Mormon warns those that say: “The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.”
Why would a prophet include this in his final teachings? Why would this record be preserved for us to read at this time? Could it be because our generation is facing poverty and so many of us are “staying our hand”? I feel gratitude for the following paragraph taken from a talk by Elder Holland that helped me understand why we cannot judge and not help the poor and the beggar.
Elder Holland responds to his rhetorical question: “so how might we ‘do what we can’? For one thing, we can, as King Benjamin taught, cease withholding our means because we see the poor as having brought their misery upon themselves. Perhaps some have created their own difficulties, but don’t the rest of us do exactly the same thing? Isn’t that why this compassionate ruler asks, “Are we not all beggars?” Don’t we all cry out for help and hope and answers to prayers? Don’t we all beg for forgiveness for mistakes we have made and troubles we have caused? Don’t we all implore that grace will compensate for our weaknesses, that mercy will triumph over justice at least in our case?”
I am always overwhelmed with emotion when I read that paragraph. I am filled with gratitude that mercy does trump over justice in my case every time. How grateful am I that when I beg for forgiveness, a loving and merciful Savior who knows I have put myself in this situation, that knows I have knowingly sinned, still forgives me. If we receive one of the greatest spiritual ‘gifts’, forgiveness, who are we to turn away those who beg for worldly ‘gifts’? “Little wonder that King Benjamin says we obtain a remission of our sins by pleading to God, who compassionately responds, but we retain a remission of our sins by compassionately responding to the poor who plead to us.” –Elder Holland
The way we should treat the poor, homeless and beggars comes down to how we should treat all people in general. The world-known philosopher Immanuel Kant taught that all human beings have dignity and that all humans must act in such a way that respects other’s dignity including our own. He used the relationship between “means” and “ends” to teach, in my opinion, one of the most inspired “rules” for how to treat others including ourselves. A “mean” is a step, something that is sometimes insignificant that leads you to complete an “end” or a goal. We see “means” as less important than the “ends”.
Kant says: “Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether your own person or in the person of another, always at the same time as an end and never simply as a mean.” We are all important. We are all struggling in different ways, some more severely than others. When we are faced with whether or not to help someone in need, we must see that person not as another insignificant “mean” or step that we have to go through to reach our personal “end”, whatever that may be. We should help if our financial status allows us to.
Even if we were to rely solely on the teachings of a philosopher to decide how to react when we encounter beggars, it is evident that it is our moral duty to help if our needs permit. Those who have a testimony of Jesus Christ as their personal Savior know that we are all beggars, we all beg for the forgiveness of our own self-inflicted sins and we all hope that grace will triumph over justice because we are really sorry for what we have done. This principle taught by King Bejamin in Mosiah 4 has helped me deepen my testimony of my Savior Jesus Christ.
I am a beggar and will always be a beggar to my Savior. I am eternally grateful for a loving Savior that chooses to help me and forgive me. I want to be like Him and help those that beg in the worldly sense.
