If I have one of my kids with me, I let them pick something out, so they feel more involved. Then, when we go to Mass the next day, I drop the goods off in one of the collection boxes — or, ideally, I ask one of the kids to drop it off, so they continue having a hands-on familiarity with this basic work of charity.

And that’s it. Simple, important, undemanding and effective. Free parking for Catholics.

Labels: charity

# posted by Squach : 6:44 PM   |  0 comments

Oh, and also, of course, involving the state in *any* way to ensure the common good, even if it means getting people out of freezing Utah night is a crushing impingement on true Christian charity since any move by the state to ensure the common good renders Christians paralyzed to do their own works of mercy.

Labels: charity, economics, politics

# posted by Squach : 4:36 PM   |  0 comments

So it appears that one of my Lenten projects is going to be to try to find a way to think differently about people I regard as guilty of serious evil. It can’t be to pretend that they are not guilty of serious evil (I don’t do it of myself when I sin–or at least I try not to), but neither can it be the wish they they get their comeuppance.

After reading the story of the woman taken in adultery this weekend, my conscience got the better of me and I thought, “You’ve had cries for your blood posted on the web. And more than that, they are often perfectly justified cries for your blood. Do you really think it advisable to be baying for somebody else’s blood?”

Hard to argue with that.

Labels: catholic, charity

# posted by Squach : 4:30 PM   |  0 comments

It is interesting to note that when Jesus tells his great parable of judgment we call the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Mt 25:31-46), the big dividing line between sheep and goats is not their views on justification by faith alone, their sacramental theology, their opinions on the papacy, their thoughts on just war and gun control or even their visible membership in the Catholic Church. It is how they treated “the least of these.”

So what are the corporal works of mercy and where do they come from? They are: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, harbor the harborless, visit the sick, ransom the captive and bury the dead. As you can see, they are rooted in the Bible itself (half of them come from the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, and the rest are virtuous acts we see attributed to various heroes of the Bible such as Moses or Tobit). The corporal works of mercy are addressed primarily (though not exclusively) to bodily needs since we are embodied creatures. However, they are also charged with sacramental significance too, as we shall see. The works are the response of love to the fact that the Word became flesh and, in the least of these, still dwells among us. Let’s take a quick look at each.

Labels: charity, Virtue

# posted by Squach : 9:10 AM   |  0 comments

Labels: charity, religious life

# posted by Squach : 3:09 PM   |  0 comments

At the local health center, Madina Sanoussi, a stern woman who keeps her sentences short and her smiles to a minimum, says that 85 women had been coming every week to receive about 8 pounds of fortified corn-soy blend for their acutely malnourished children. The food was supplied by an international humanitarian organization.

But soon the stream of women turned to a trickle. Then it dried up all together.

"They'd say, 'We don't have money to buy this,' " Madina says. "So they stopped coming."

That's why the arrival of Catholic Relief Services at the local middle school was such a big deal. Several hundred women, including Maimouna, lined up and received corn-soy blend and vegetable oil for their youngest children—those younger than 2. A cooking demonstration over an open fire taught them how to prepare the mixture.

Labels: Africa, charity

# posted by Justine : 8:53 PM   |  0 comments

When Rabbi Simcha Zissel of Kelm (1824-1898) would wake up his young children in the morning, he would gently say to them, "Children, wake up. You have a kingdom to rule. The Almighty gave humans command over the entire creation" (Hameoros Hagdolim, cited in Growth Through Torah, p. 144).

Labels: charity, family, jewish, religion

# posted by Squach : 9:45 PM   |  0 comments

Labels: charity, scripture

# posted by Squach : 12:15 AM   |  0 comments

Labels: charity

# posted by Squach : 6:47 PM   |  0 comments

Super cyclonic storm Sidr hit the coast of Bangladesh on Thursday, November 15. The government estimates the death toll to be 3,396, with another 4,123 people reported missing. According to the United Nations, over 366,000 homes were destroyed and a further 845,000 houses were partially damaged. Since the cyclone struck, Catholic Relief Services partner Caritas Bangladesh has distributed a five-day food ration to 23,500 families in 9 affected districts. While distributions of food and other necessities continue to take place, plans are now being made to help with house repairs, clear debris, clean ponds, restart schools, build more cyclone shelters and get people back to work.

Labels: charity, news, prayer requests

# posted by Justine : 4:27 PM   |  0 comments

During the emergency and afterward, Caritas Lebanon mobilized hundreds of enthusiastic youth volunteers. They went door-to-door to learn the specific needs of families, and then helped distribute food, hygiene items and other assistance in the villages. Youth also organized events for children to help alleviate the stress of being forced from their homes by the bombing.

Labels: charity, Lebanon

# posted by Justine : 8:17 PM   |  0 comments

Labels: charity

# posted by Squach : 11:36 PM   |  0 comments