The health impact of COVID-19 is bad enough, but its economic aftermath will be worse. The political egomaniacs dictating the course of history would not make things easier. Poor nations and individuals would be worse of.

Here is the paradox: progress on earth can only be affected by work. Work is divine. Work can only be borne out of two ways: The sufferings of the poor and the charity of the rich. Those who suffer, the so-called poor (not only monetary poverty, but health-wise, relationship-wise, educational-wise or otherwise) are the true protagonists. These are the movers and shakers of this world, not the rich who is tight.

The poor are the leaders. Christ knows this that is why He identifies with the poor. Progress on earth can only be effected by the works of the poor and those who go through one pain or the other. God is always on the side of the poor, because true work itself-which is divine-requires self-expedition, which itself becomes poverty.

The rich can join in this necessary work of God by practicing, in justice, an obligation towards charity. It must not be said that, because the poor effect positivity, then they should be neglected or ignored to continue in their poverty, or, that more poverty should be heaped on them.

What then does ideal progress consist of? Ideal escape from COVID-19 ordeal and the future progress of our world, would have to involve charity in truth and justice. The ideal which we should focus on is first, to lift the poor out of poverty. In this age of protectionism, that is easier said than done. But if we are to escape our common misery, there should be a universal work to achieve a common-wealth, which requires the world’s resources to be shared in charity and in justice.

The poor will always remain, as Christ said. But that poverty may not be monetary. If everyone on earth for instance were to become a millionaire, we don’t move out of poverty, we only move to another realm of poverty, which may even be worse than material poverty.

The ultimate of poverties is the poverty of spirit, and we don’t hope to be entirely delivered of this as far as we are in this world, the more we realise that we are poor spiritually, the greater we truly are, and the more the world prospers from this spiritual poverty of ours.

This spiritual poverty is not disengaged from charity, in fact, somebody says charity begins where justice ends, we must not stop at giving to the poor, the ideal charity then is that which is of Christ: being poor, so that the poor can be rich!

The more one practices this spiritual poverty, the more the world progresses and the more the kingdom of peace is advanced. You see, it is all in our power to make Christ come, and soon too!

I believe in the global annihilation of material poverty. So afterwards, after material poverty has been conquered, when there is no more war, sickness, hunger, pain etc, then we move towards charity in humility which is more efficacious towards worldly growth than material poverty. Humility is truth.

This then becomes the greatest work of man, which is nothing but the work of God. The truth , of which this humility basically consists of is simply that we are, and can do nothing of ourselves but only by God. Welcome to the kingdom of God!