Breaking In The Habit

When you think of people that have had a tremendous effect on the world of economics, my guess is that “the Franciscans” isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. And why would it? A ragtag bunch of poor men in the Church has got to be the least likely candidate to economic reform.

And yet, the more you think about it, the more you realize that we’re a perfect fit: we’re a bunch of men committed to charity, with no interest in money ourselves. Unlike most everyone else, there is zero chance of scandal, no worry of financial impropriety. There’s no conflict of interest. Just the welfare of society in mind.

Which is why, in the 15th century, the Franciscans lay claim to one of the most interesting economic developments in history. Seeing the rampant abuse of the poor at the hands of usury, the Franciscans decided to get into the money lending business, showing that it could be done in a moral way. Without profit as the highest goal, businesses like these could actually benefit the disenfranchised.

Long story short, the Franciscans developed the first pawn shops in Italy.

Surprising! I know! You can learn all about it in this week’s Catholicism in Focus, a tribute to Francis week. If you missed it, be sure to see my video from Monday highlighting some of our greatest contributions to the Church and world, and the podcast that Br. Tito and I posted on Tuesday about Franciscan movies.

Well look who’s behind this week! My apologies for just posting this week’s podcast now, on Thursday afternoon, when it was released on Tuesday (as normal!) Better late than never!

This week Br. Tito and I look at one of the most ambitious films I’ve ever seen, Gangs of New York. Set in New York the middle of the 19th century, it is a world unlike anything I could have imagined. The entire time watching I just couldn’t get it through my head that this was New York City, that this was America. It was so medieval, so barbaric, so utterly racist. The natives hated the Irish, the Irish hated black people, black people hated the politicians, and the politicians pretended to love whoever they needed to love to get elected. It’s a movie dealing with xenophobia, racism, police brutality, voter suppression, and political corruption.

Which… frankly… sounds pretty familiar. In a strange turn of events, what Br. Tito and I found was that, despite taking place in a world so unfamiliar to ours, the themes were entirely relevant. Hopefully we can all learn from our history so that we stop repeating it.