Michael Todaro identifies three fundamental values ​​of development, namely: sustenance of life, self-esteem, and freedom from bondage. Livelihood it connotes the ability to satisfy basic needs. A basic function of all economic activity, therefore, is to provide as many people as possible the means to overcome the helplessness and misery that arise from the lack of food, shelter, health and protection.

Self-esteem It involves being a person with a sense of self-worth and self-respect, not being used by others for their own needs. All people and societies seek some basic form of self-esteem. Call it by another name, authenticity, identity, dignity, respect, honor or recognition, the essence remains the same. Its nature and form may vary from one society to another and from one culture to another.

Freedom from bondage, on the other hand, means the ability to choose. This refers to the fundamental sense of freedom or emancipation from alienating living conditions. It covers freedom from the social servitude of men to nature, ignorance, other men, misery, institutions, and dogmatic beliefs. Freedom also involves the expanded range of options and their members, along with the minimization of external constraints in pursuit of some of the social goals, which we call “development.”

From the aforementioned trilogy, I discovered that the model prayer taught by Jesus the Christ in Matthew 6: 7-13 is essentially a prayer for development. It has two parts that summarize the commandments and reflect the relationship model. In a way, it speaks of the spirituality that Jesus taught: personal and social spirituality, collective or community.

The first part refers to our relationship with God: “Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven“Take note of the use of plural words in the sentence: our, we, we. It reveals the inclusion of Jesus in the face of the exclusivist attitude that he hates. He wants us to be generous, not selfish.

The second part is a model of relationship with humanity that included the three fundamental values ​​of development. “Give us today our daily bread”. Bread represents the basic necessities of life similar to livelihood.

“Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Students of the Bible interpret this as a literal debt or sin. Either way, the implication is self-esteem. Sin or debt diminishes a person’s sense of worth. Asking for forgiveness or forgiving others restores self-esteem.

“Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil“Liberation connotes freedom. Giving in to temptation is the prelude to slavery to any form of evil. This evil manifests itself both in personal form and in social structures.