PONDO NG PINOY

Pondo ng Pinoy, a movement that encourages every Catholic to join the struggle to alleviate poverty, is a
project of the Catholic Church of the Philippines that allows Filipino Catholics to help (in their own little
ways) the less fortunate brothers and sisters by saving at least .25 pesos a day. All in the Church are called
because all are involved; whether they be rich or poor, educated or uneducated, and the like. Pondo ng
Pinoy is a system of charity. Even though the maximum amount allowed to be donated per day is only 1
peso, it encourages all the participants to give to the poor, even if these actions are small, because it is
the small things that lead to the bigger things. By donating every day, it can be proven that charity is not
just a mere act that can be done once in a while, but it is a way of life. A single peso is never small; small
steps lead to progress, and the smallest things, even though it looks so little for the world to notice, are
attractive and easy to do. The theme of the Pondo ng Pinoy is “anumang magaling, kahit maliit basta’t
malimit, ay patungong langit. Our small little acts of kindness are the acts that will lead us to God’s
Kingdom.

THE THEOLOGY OF THE CRUMBS

The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus provides the Biblical basis for the “Theology of the Crumbs”. From
this story, Jesus pointed out the illness of faith that affects all other spheres of our life, whether it be
economic, political, cultural or familial. There are three symptoms of a sick faith. From the story of the
Rich Man and Lazarus, the first symptom, the Economics of Affluence, was seen when the Rich Man stayed
rich and did not mind Lazarus. People tend to want having more and not being more – more material
things, more money, more pride. What they do not know is that they have other neighbors around them
who need those things more, and who need their help. Just like how Lazarus stayed poor without the Rich
Man’s help, the poor remain poor when we remain apathetic towards their needs. The second symptom
is the Politics of Marginalization, and this was seen in the story when the Rich Man did not mind the poor
Lazarus. There was a great chasm between them, even though Lazarus was just at the Rich Man’s Door.
Every day, until death, the chasm grew bigger and bigger between the two men, until it was unbridgeable
as the Rich Man stayed in Hell. The more we stay enclosed in our own worlds and not see the others, the
closer we are to our damnation. The third symptom is the Religion of Alienation. Only when the Rich Man
suffered in Hell did he cry out to God. In the present time, man tends to choose to live without God’s aid,
and only remembers Him when needed or when man is having problems. As the Rich Man hid from God
while on Earth, so was God hidden from him in Eternal Life. The lesson that we should learn from this is
that what we do and do not do every single day has great bearing in attaining the fullness of man’s life for
eternity.

Through the Pondo ng Pinoy, through living out the Theology of the Crumbs, we will find grace to see God
in the everyday choices of life. Even in the small, seemingly insignificant acts that we do. As long as there
is charity and compassion, there is salvation.