Talking on the phone today with a friend who was having trouble getting fair treatment from the government, I finally understood a phrase that has been thrown around in Christian circles for a few years: “preferential option for the poor.”
We believe all persons are equal and in the world of faith, and that is the way all should be treated. But in the world of government, law and order, health care, as my friend can testify, all persons are not equal. The rich, powerful, honored and healthy are “more equal” than the poor, weak, marginalized and sick, and are treated that way.
That is the way it is. So if we believe all people to be equal, as we believe, we need to give special treatment, privileges and choice to those who are poor, sick and marginalized. The “preferential option for the poor” is the only way to balance life and make it right to what we believe.
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