A couple of years ago, Bishop Wester reminded us in his Advent message that "what we await this Christmas is not an end of suffering but a promise that we will not suffer alone and that our suffering will bring new life." Advent offers an opportunity to ask how we can alleviate the suffering of others, as Christ alleviates ours by walking in solidarity with us. There are many ways to help, some far less obvious than others. Donating to Catholic Relief Services to help the victims of the typhoon in the Philippines is one important opportunity, as is giving to Catholic Community Services to help local people living in poverty. But we can also alleviate suffering by taking the time to consider whether the beautifully wrapped presents under our tree reflect the message of the savior we are celebrating: Was our Merry Christmas mass produced in an unsafe environment by a young woman working for slave wages? Or does it reflect our belief that all people are our brothers and sisters about whom we must care? It’s not easy to figure out where, exactly, any product is made. A label saying an article of clothing was made in Bangladesh or a toy comes from China doesn’t tell us what factory it came from or anything about the working conditions in that place. The price may be an indication — low, low prices typically reflect low, low pay for the producers, but price is not definitive. Even if we lack the ability to track a product from its production to its final sale, we consumers do have the power of our wallets to support companies that support our values. For instance, a few years ago when consumers targeted a certain chocolate company that bought its cocoa beans from a group using child slave labor, the company changed its sourcing practices. Meanwhile, when several U.S. department stores learned the overseas factory they purchased their clothing from engaged in severe labor abuses, including sexual assault, the stores remained silent and continued to buy the clothes made at the offending factory. That is, until consumers demanded changes. Pope Francis guides us in many ways, including as we navigate the holiday shopping season. As summarized by Bishop Robert McElroy, Pope Francis urges us to avoid three false cultures of materialism: "the culture of comfort that makes us think only of ourselves; the culture of waste that seizes the gifts of the created order only to savor them for a moment and then discard them; and the culture of indifference that desensitizes us to the suffering of others." Applying Pope Francis’ message as we stand before the array of Christmas delights, we need to ask ourselves three questions (at least!) before pulling out the credit card: does my purchase help or harm others, considering environmental, economic, and other impacts? Will this gift be abandoned before the day/week/month is over? Am I buying it to fill space, knowing it has little value beyond being another package to open)? Do I know who made this and under what conditions? For the truly inspired, you may also want to ask from whom you are buying your gifts and what the seller represents and supports in terms of the dignity of work and workers’ lives. We won’t be able to answer all of these questions for many of our Christmas purchases, but we should be willing to at least ask, and then take some time to consider why we don’t know the answers – is it our own indifference? Are there corporate policies that hinder our ability to learn the facts about a product’s life span? Are we willing to find out more, to challenge our favorite stores or brands on their practices, to support Fair Trade producers and the companies that buy from them? Pope Francis reminds us, "There cannot be true peace if everyone is his own criterion, if everyone can always claim exclusively his own rights, without at the same time caring for the good of others, of everyone, on the basis of the nature that unites every human being on this earth." Bringing peace and good will to all this Advent season just might begin with asking ourselves a few questions about our material gifts.
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