This week, Pope Francis decried economic societies in which wealth supposedly “trickles down” to lower socioeconomic classes. He warned us to be wary of economies that promote inequality and deprive the majority to a quality of life few can enjoy. He stated, “we should not have naive trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power,” for their lack of benevolence is a form of deprivation which he considers modern thievery. If a fraction of society is abundantly wealthy, goodwill dictates that the wealth be shared with the rest of the community. To deny them, the Pope declared, is anti-Christian. “Trickle Down Economics” creates societies based on rife economic inequality, causing human suffering. When greed and money control the social climate, compassion and benevolence deteriorate to allow for discrimination and injustice.

Today, Thanksgiving is inexplicably linked with Black Friday. The holiday has transformed to glorify consumer spending. Opportunistic corporate greed trumps a holiday rich in history and traditions. Thanksgiving is celebrated by more cultural, ethnic, and religious groups than any other American holiday. Yet, it has become mired by a broken economic society where corporate profits outweigh historical significance.

My prayer this Thanksgiving is for Americans to place value on human kindness, gratitude and traditions that have a peculiar way of surviving; for us to ask questions about our trust in government and those in power backed by wealth; and for everyone to remain active and educated participants in a democracy endangered by money in politics.

Marianne O’Connor

Nashua

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