I have a few things going on for work that are stretching me a bit in terms of new experiences, and some difficult decisions on the horizon. I strive to take the long view and I have learned that perspective really matters. I am reading Ronald Rolheiser’s Sacred Fire and I find it to be a grounding resource. This week I share some selections on the notion of justice and charity, along with a video link from artist Michael Franti. Blessings on your week ahead!
From Sacred Fire: A Vision for A Deeper Human and Christian Maturity Ronald Rolheiser
Charity, as we know, can sometimes operate independently of justice, especially of social justice. Jesus does not ask us to give in charity to the poor, he also asks us to work at correcting all the social, political, and economic structures that disadvantage the poor and help keep the poor. Charity seeks to give directly to the poor so as to help alleviate their poverty, Justice seeks to correct the structures that help create that poverty. And Jesus asks us to do both.
From Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s 1979 address to the De La Salle Brothers
You are the ones that as teachers can stand before the young as the presence of Christ. May the young people entrusted to you always be able to see Christ in you and be filled with his purity and goodness and justice. You are the people who have to lead them. Be the light to them. Be the light that will lead them to God. People, especially the young people, are hungry, hungry for God. You are there to satisfy that hunger.
From The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical, Shane Claiborne
And that’s when things get messy. When people begin moving beyond charity and toward justice and solidarity with the poor and oppressed, as Jesus did, they get in trouble. Once we are actually friends with the folks in struggle, we start to ask why people are poor, which is never as popular as giving to charity. One of my friends has a shirt marked with the words of late Catholic bishop Dom Helder Camara: “When I fed the hungry, they called me a saint. When I asked why people are hungry, they called me a communist.” Charity wins awards and applause but joining the poor gets you killed. People do not get crucified for living out of love that disrupts the social order that calls forth a new world. People are not crucified for helping poor people. People are crucified for joining them.
Keeping the Faith 