When Charity is Part of the Problem 

“ When I feed the poor, they call me a saint, but when I ask why the poor are hungry, they call me a communist.” - Archbishop Hélder Câmara

I'm a volunteer at a local "soup kitchen" (I live in Milano, Italy) , managed by Capuchin friars. We serve about 600 meals a day, 6 days a week, to anybody who wants to come there. I know there are people who could afford to eat at home or at a fast food, but the choice it to let everybody come in. We don't know their stories and their reasons, and we don't judge them. Some people just come there because they find a friendly place and can talk with somebody... We say that loneliness is a type of poverty too, and if people want to come to our place to eat so that they can find a smile and chat with somebody, they are welcome. There are people who take advantage of this, I'm sure, but we can't wait to live in a perfect world before we help the poor. It's better to lose a few meals on people who don't need them, than leaving without food somebody who needs it.

I worked with a charity that aimed to get kids off the streets. Yes some kids failed the program but most ended up completed apprenticeships, finished High school - we even had several who went to university. For various reasons these kids didnt trust government services. (We had police officers who volunteered with us on their time off- the amount of time and energy they put into teaching these kids to trust again was amazing) I found the vast majority of people WANT to contribute to society.

It feels like sometimes this is treated like an either/or when it should really be a both/and.

This is really thought-provoking: at my church l have learned to direct those who come knocking at the office door to go to the local Mission or Catholic Charities for help. I am surprised at how many outraged responses this brings on. Even if l can hook them up or drive them there, they just want their need met immediately so they can move on.

The principle of subsidiarity in Catholic social teaching is exactly that if a problem can be handled at a lower level, then it shouldn't be left to higher levels or the government to handle. It is only if a problem goes beyond what the lower level can handle that the government should then step in.

It's not an 'either/or' dilemma - the church can give charity and also speak truth to power on behalf of the poor in their care. I'm in Britain and for everyone here their energy prices have doubled and the price of food has gone up. Energy companies are making record breaking profits while people are struggling to keep body and soul together. I see foodbanks and soup kitchens springing up everywhere, being run by church volunteers, but what I don't see is our bishops calling out the energy companies and government for profiteering. We desperately need leadership on this and we're not getting it.

I know an old lady who lives alone. Margaret. She was looking forward to Christmas Day and had planned the whole day perfectly happy that she would be on her own. She planned the meals she would have and she looked forward to the Mass on TV . ( she is housebound) as the Mass was starting on TV a fellow Catholic turned up. This person could not bear the thought that Margaret would be on her own on Christmas Day so she invited herself round. Margaret had to be civil to her and act as if she was grateful. But Margaret was not grateful. She told me that this visitor had ruined her day. She didn’t get to watch the Mass. her planned meal times were completely disrupted and she didn’t get to have her little planned breakfast.. this taught me a big lesson. We are not necessarily welcome when we visit someone and we may be going to salve our own conscience only. We are not necessarily Gods gift to the people we visit.

“Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody's business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy.”Thomas Merton. Similarly, we are told to feed the hungry, no means testing required.

Thank you, Father Casey, for speaking about charity through a more rational lens, focusing on root causes. The best form of charity is *NOT* one that makes the recipient of such charity perpetually dependent on the giver. Rather, the best form of charity is one that eliminates or minimizes the need for charity in the first place.

Well, Father Casey, charity is our signature as Catholics, don't you agree? We feed the hungry, we shelter the homeless, we visit those in prison because we are doing it for the Lord... And furthermore, we should never forget our beloved Catholic institutions that help them finding job, giving free educations, and everything to root out the problem.

I remember what I had read before: "They were busy discussing about poverty that they forgot the poor." I guess the central message of this video is that our charity must addressed the root cause of the problem, not just its symptoms.

This is a very real debate going on at St. Teresa's Parish in Albany, GA. In some cases, we are feeding the 3rd generation of the same families. In other cases, we know we're feeding people who are only there for a free meal. We're starting to ask some difficult questions about how to best fulfill Christ's command to feed the poor. & yet we know that we're also providing a necessary benefit to many who are in desperate need of our assistance, those who would suffer without our help. There are no easy answers here.

As someone living in a social democracy I could not agree with this more. Addressing such issues on an individual level doesn’t always cut it.

For me personally, Matthew 25:35-40 & Luke 10:29-37 never suggest it is my mission to explore why the person is in need, or why someone else is not assuming the responsibility. The Holy Spirit reveals the need to me, and it is my responsibility to take action, not worrying if I am being scammed or the individual could have in truth taken more responsibility. I do it for the love of Christ, and what he has done for me, who never merited such grace, incidentally.

Homelessness is reaching a pressure-point in some cities. Politicians seem to be dodging responsibility -

Thank you for asking these really tough questions, Father Casey.

We need to talk with our homeless, and those in need; asking what may seem to be the "tough questions." First, "what is your name?," acknowledging their identity and dignity. Then, "why are you here?," and make efforts to give that charity through guidance or getting them in touch with those that can provide it.

This also sounds the same issue companies deal with. Treating the symptoms instead of the disease, no long range thinking, just deal with what's right in front of you and not really interested in understanding people or the situation. Great video

Thank you, Fr. Casey, for this video! I serve currently in one of the poorest regions in Hungary and was thinking about something like that- although I couldn't formulate it so well. I don't know about other parts of the world, but in Hungary I think educating people about the challenges of those in need would be also important. I grew up in a wealthy district. When people spoke to us, children, about poverty, they usually showed pictures of starving African children. This is a good start, but I think, that as a child grows up, this picture should be refined. Poverty has 1000 faces. Nowadays, when I visit my hometown and talk about my ministry, people are always ready to help, but they often don't know, what the poor in my environment acually need. They have really great ideas, but it's the answer for another question. When I politely turn them down and try to explain the situation, they often don't understand and think that if they don't need that one specific thing they want to donate, then they aren't reallly poor in the first place, when in reality that's not the case. Just because they don't fit someone's stereotype of poverty, they really are in need.

There will be some people who come to depend on handouts - and some who do so temporarily but then get over that. I was homeless for a couple years and for a couple more than that relied on soup kitchens for meals. Now i work a professional job and volunteer and work hard to help others - without judgement of if they seem like they are helping themself. There is no way that i can see their path.

Give a man a fish and he eats today, teach a man to fish and he eats the rest of his life. If he pays for his fishing license yearly,and goes during scheduled hours, and catches the appropriate fish in an appropriate size. Using allowed practices and equipment, if he can find public property to do so.

I hear you. And my first thought was, "Go upstream and find out where and why the children are falling in!" When I read the Gospels, Jesus makes no mention of social or political change. He just says, "Feed the poor". As far as I know, the example of the Early Church was the same. True, Paul says, "If they don't work, they don't eat" in reference to lazy brethren, but that's one time in a hundred other times. It's not the standard, but the exception. I know someone who is constantly getting free meals and food hampers who is in the bar most every night, often drunk, and I wonder if helping her is the best choice. But i also know many more who get the same and they are looking for work every day, do some gardening, and don't drink (or smoke). It's complicated. So I keep donating to the Food Bank and pray that God will help each recipient to find a way to do better and to find work - and stop drinking. It's all I know to do.

I tend to be reminded of the "teach a man to fish" quote. Many times, just bandaids, don't really help. You need to address underlying factors. I'm reminded: I went to middle school next to public housing. A notoriously bad housing project. And it always struck me how some of the people there despite being so disadvantaged that they needed public assistance- had the newest sneakers and gadgets. Now, all because you are poor does not mean you should wear rags, but my dad worked himself to the bone to provide for me, and we would buy payless or Kmart brand. There's something to be said for being able to spend and spend unwisely because it doesn't matter, the government takes care of me. Of course, I remember years ago when the talk of job requirements and drug testing for public assistance came up by officials, the cry was "racism!" By the opposition.

I will testify to this problem. After hurricane Maria hit us in Puerto Rico we were in charge of the churches help distribution center, where people could go pick up food , basic supplies and other necessities . How is it that a few people would appear everyday saying they were helping somebody else out, but were very careful not to take what they took yesterday .... kinda fishy if you ask me .

Mother Teresa has been criticizend often, for doing charity, picking up the almost dead from the pavements and the slums of Calcutta. She was accused of making the politicians lazy and even more cold hearted, thus preventing society to meet the needs of way more poor people.. However, Mother Teresa did something that was deeply heart felt, nourished by her faith in Jesus. Some politicians maybe answered with lazyness and a cold heart, whereas some others might have felt inspiration. Who will tell for sure? But: To what extent should we care, in an intellectual way about conundrums like being over-organized or under organized if it comes to charity? Wouldn't it be the Holy spirit who tells us about whether to act individually, in small groups or in large (political) structures? I believe that love and faith are our aerials that help us to tune in with God, who will tell us what to do, and when, and how.

I wish this video had been around when I was the president of a St Vincent de Paul Conference in Australia. I think it may have provided some clarity to some of the members, thank you.

How do you determine need? Many on the food pantry line are embarassed to be there. Others on the line may not "need" it. Compared to many poor countries do any Americans need it? The food pantry also has items they are anxious to give away before they spoil. Stores donate dented cans they cannot sell. So doesn't the pantry help prevent waste? Many well off families recognizing their abundance are grateful for the opportunity to share with those who have less than they do. And yes it is a social event with people on the line talking to each other and helping each other. The other day a woman on the line got help with her car and another woman assisted an elderly man who was overwhelmed and embarassed. It was his first time on the pantry line.

OK a few thoughts from someone who agrees with you most of the time: 1) I agree with the basic concept of dealing with the root of the problem whenever possible. 2) Yes, there are problems that only government can address. However, churches and parachurch orgs will ALWAYS be much more efficient and effective. 3) Sometimes evil corporations are the problem, but government can and does also keep people in poverty - often by fostering and encouraging dependency. 4) How we chose to measure success is critically important. Ideally, success should be measured by how many people no longer need our help - not merely by how many people we are helping. These are some of the things I saw as a pastor in a church serving a poor community.

Great video. I've had this discussion with many of my friends, both with charitable ones that don't understand that their actions (though of course done out of love) may bring negative consequences and with those that believe that charity is just one of the many lies of Christianity that society needs to grow out of. I'll be happy to direct all of them to this video so that they can understand that both arguments require nuance. However (and just to further the discussion, not to criticize the video), I believe that we also need to show the efforts that we are already doing in this regard. I volunteer at a homeless shelter and I was surprised to learn when I started the efforts that organizations like this one do to make sure that it is not a place to stagnate and that the people that come always have the goal of independence in mind. There are a lot of rules including mandatory counseling and lessons and, of course, no drugs or alcohol. There is also a lot of help in job and house searching. And, above all, we always try to encourage human connection, listening to their stories, playing games and watching movies together, and, in general, making them feel loved. It is always a struggle, and we can always find ways to improve. There are no easy solutions.

We often confuse relief and development. When an earthquake hits, we need to provide relief. We help with no questions asked. Later, we need to help develop long term soluttions to make for safer and more resilient infrastructure the next time an earthquake hits. By doing only relief, we create permanent underclaases. Look at American housing projects and Haiti. Yake a look at the book When Helping Hurts. You make a great point!

Its reminds me of this quote about helping people. That sometimes you helping someone is stealing the opportunity for them to better themselves for you own personal virtue. Sometimes it is actually selfish to not let the other person learn. A lesson on parenting I saw with your child having problems with homework. You have to question, is them getting a good grade more important or them learning. You could solve the problem for them or they can figure it out and fail and you simply encourage them to try again. People grow through struggles so why steal their chance to grow.

Worked for a charity organization a few years ago that originally focused on need based charity and had transitioned to asset-based community development. It's a huge difference, and it makes a big difference.

Even before, I am sure that charity is not an easy feat... But now, am here wherein hopelessness is a blasphemy. There is always a way for every thing. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Thank you, Mama Mary. Mama Mary, I love you, please pray for my miserable soul. Please help me pray to God to hold me tight, to never let me go.. Amen.

A really thought-provoking discussion! 🙏🏽 Also, really random, but I love the icons behind you! 😁

From my rosary site. Pope Francis says, "It is not enough to offer someone a sandwich unless it is accompanied by the possibility of learning how to stand on one’s own two feet. Charity that leaves the poor person as he is, is not sufficient. True mercy, the mercy God gives to us and teaches us, demands justice, it demands that the poor find the way to be poor no longer. It asks - and it asks us, the Church, us, the City of Rome, it asks the institutions - to ensure that no one ever again stand in need of a soup-kitchen, of makeshift-lodgings, of a service of legal assistance in order to have his legitimate right recognized to live and to work, to be fully a person.”

God, grant me the grace to accept with serenity the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.” Take your Father Francis seriuos. Paz y bien.

All people need is not necessarily a hand out, what they really need is a hand up.

The worst example I can think of where charity has provided cover for not only ignoring a problem but making it worse is the fact that federal minimum wage hasn't changed in 15 years. Corporations get to legally pay employees unlivable poverty wages and offload that responsibility onto charity and safety net programs instead of fairly compensating for labor. Then on top there's the active hostility of many towards those safety net programs, failing to carry the christian moral attitude mentioned in the video (caring for people in need regardless of weather or not we think they are worthy) by working to actively deem people or groups unworthy of support programs, trying to gate keep on who is "needy enough" or that its being abused etc, putting even more reliance on charity. If we want to actually reduce poverty and suffering we should be demanding that our government and companies actually uphold moral values on the value of labor and caring for your neighbor. How can you demand respect for unborn life when we demand no respect for the living from the law?

Very true friend, It's time to see for alternative paths Like giving them actually what they need and not what console one's heart

In my country, there are beggars in the streets asking for money (especially the young ones and women) who are working for syndicates...there was a study done also which showed that some beggars earn more money in a day than a hard working person in a service sector.... Here, you can see an entire family in the street begging, from infant to the eldest one.... When you give to one, all the others will swarm at you get the same as the one whom you've given something....

I love the analogy of the children. Makes the point very clearly.

In your lgbt video, it’s ironic you turned off the comments since you said you didn’t want it to be a forum of sin, yet based on that video that’s pretty clearly what your RU-vid channel is if you’re saying the Church teaching on homosexual unions is anything but crystal clear and unchanging.

I've got a mixture of admiration and confusion after watching this video. I'm in 100% agreement that we need to care for those in need, although I personally fall far short in that area. My confusion comes from your rightly pointing out that just "treating the symptom" might not be the best thing to do in every circumstance. Then you list some of the causes of these problems and I'm not in total agreement with all of them. I do agree that sometimes extending a helping hand to others can have the intended consequences of making those receive the help feel that they don't need to make any effort to care for themselves and that others will feel that they don't need to help others because someone else already is helping them. Yes, life can sometimes be THAT confusing. Anyways, I did think it was a good video. It made me think. I'll continue to pray for you. God bless.

feel the same, have seen many who can afford, in line for food, toys at xmas, will not call them out but for a second make me angry that the little i donate is going to someone not worthy, but will continue to give the little i do give hopefully makes a difference, pray for those that receive will then help others

I'm going to be blunt: as a religious, Father Casey, you should know that your absolute most important job is to pray. If we have shortage of something, it is of prayer and of people dedicated to prayer. Mother Teresa said that she was not a social worker and she did not do her work for that reason. Let social workers do their thing, and you do yours, serve the poor as if they were Christ himself, and pray. No kidding, it *works*. On the side note, as a someone living in a country with heavy welfare system and a gaping absence of religion, there is still a large and ever-growing class of people almost completely dependent on welfare with a huge plethora of problems the state has tried to solve in vain for decades. So, if there is some effectiveness to be pursued in charity work, it is to turn up the spiritual, not down.

Really bold to talk about this. I wonder who helps him writes his pieces. I want help to be more holistic too.

Fr Casey, is there a way to get in touch? I have a show suggestion for Upon Friar Review.

I have Schizoaffective Disorder which is a severe mental illness and I may be homeless in the future because of my unfortunate inheritance. I think the thing I fear the most is that I will not be able to go to Mass and Confession and receive The Sacraments if I end up in severe poverty.

THIS is my biggest (regular) struggle as a Catholic...

You raise a good point. We are trying to fill the gaps caused by much bigger problems made by those who don’t care about anyone but their profits and have no consequences and take no responsibility for their bigger part. I have always thought the gov’t could incentivize the wealthy to help the poor - an obvious solution - but clearly neither the gov’t nor the wealthy feel any responsibility.

Giving food to starving people overseas can have the unintended consequence of running the farmers in that area out of business. They can't compete against free food. A better alternative could be to give me farmers in that country the means to farm in a more effective way in that area.

. . . food for thought . . . tks for another evocative share . . .

Actually safety issues do save lives..the construction industry death numbers have dropped significantly after stringent safety measures are now enforced...

This will create some very fiery conversations! Thank you for this thought-provoking video.

i agree w you , i just said that corporations should pay into social security or foodstamps .. i have friends and family that goes to catholic charities because no one else will help them ..

👏👏👍🏻 Am in total agreement in everything Fr. Casey has said. I'm not aware of any international organisation apart from UN Food programmes etc. that can equal the excellent charitable work being done by devoted Lay people attached to the Catholic Church in education, health, nutrition, spiritually & other areas, in far flung places in poor 3rd world/developing countries. I can speak from first hand experience - witnessing decades of serious long-term developments in every important facets in towns, cities, villages & deep rural zones in Africa. These very poor peasants have nothing at all & have no means of paying back the Catholic Church for everything done for & with these people. 😊.

I wonder why Fr. Casey blocked comments in his other video on LGBTQ. Is he afraid of criticism?

Interesting and familiar take on social issues. It was addressed in the bible. Give a man a fish-- teach him to fish. Unfortunately no one takes the time to do that in our modern political climate. Interesting that you did not mention paying people a living wage, affordable housing and universal health care. Those solutions would solve almost all our social problems. Unfortunately Corporate America does not want to implement those solutions and Social Conservatives do not want to admit those solutions would work. Good Job blaming the victims though.

What a great video. I want to share it with everyone I know. I look at the homeless crisis. Yes, some of it is due to unaffordable housing, but a large chunk of it is due to addictions - mainly drug addiction. There was an interesting paper done with Canadian data on opioid overdoses by looking at past tax records of those who overdosed. About 20% of them had last worked in the construction industry. In Canada, many construction workers do not get paid sick leave - so if they are injured, if they don't show up to work, they don't get paid. Recovering from an injury takes time and medical intervention (i.e. physiotherapy, massage therapy), and it may be while before someone can work at full capacity. I think many people opt to return to work as fast a possible and use pain medication to get through the pain. I wonder how many people could avoid the trap of addiction if the construction industry provided sick leave and paid time to go for the necessary physio and massage appointments.

What an unusual argument against lifeguards. I understand your point (I think), but I’m not sure you make a convincing vision of what we should do.

This is the homily every priest should be giving. Bravo Friar Cole! Bravo.

Father Casey. I love it. Right in line with "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach him to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime. " Likewise, I just read a book on how to pray. It listed four ways God answers our prayers: 1) He gives us exactly what we prayed for. 2) He gives us something different and in His wisdom, certainly better. 3) He says, "No," specifically to make us stronger. Remember St. Paul prayed three times for his malady to be removed. God said no. 4) God stays with us to help us thru the trial. Many think this one is the same as #3. Nope. Very different. In all four, God's word never comes back void. Thanks for your blessed words.

This is always a problem. I saw this as someone who works in the insurance industry and handled disability claims. Any system of payments will be abused by some. And it is always helpful to find out why a harm exists and work to remedy. But the forces in society are so complex that sometimes you just need to hope for the best. I give the example of expanded health insurance for low paid workers. This system is both great and yet may allow large businesses that pay poorly to keep at it.. I suggest to look at each problem in detail but to err on the side of helping.

St Lawrence deacon of Rome, the story goes, was ordered by a Roman prefect who wanted to sequester the goods of the Church, to gather the Church's treasure so the Emperor could take it. St Lawrence said he'd comply. Three days later, St Lawrence gathered the disabled, the poor, the sick under their care and told the prefect that these are the most precious treasures of the Christian Church. The prefect was furious and wanted him dead. This is just one of the stories of St Lawrence's cheekiness with Roman authority, which eventually got him martyred but they're more than cheeky, they're profound. St Lawrence pray for us.

I appreciate your insights. I doubt the role of government to solve the problem of poverty. Government is a poor steward of resources, resources that it obtains by taking them from someone else. They do poorly at providing education, infrastructure, justice, defense, and as a safety net. Giving resources to government to solve problems results in more problems, not more solutions. A dollar in the hands of my parish St Vincent de Paul Society will do $3 worth of work. That same dollar in Lansing and DC will yield $0.28.

As someone who has no intention of becoming catholic I appreciate your videos. Been informative to look into yalls perspective on matters. We need to address the root cause of problems. Systemic problems require systemic solutions. I don't think "making things less safe therefor making people stronger" is a good call. 4:30 I do agree greedy corporations and lazy governments relying on religious people to do charity work and thus not do anything themselves is a problem.

I like this video, but how is the idea that it should be the government or higher institutions who should be caring for the poor and the like rather than the Church or lower institutions coherent with the principle of subsidiarity which the Church teaches?

if we see a frier how do we address them Brother or Father?

I chose to give to Catholic organizations in the hope that they will do everything they can to be good stewards of the donations they get, recognizing the sacrifice the donor has made. I have had thoughts questioning whether my trust is not well founded and I am just funding a perpetual money pit. I tell myself I don't have time to scrutinize. I tell myself that God knows my act of charity is my sacrifice to Him and to love my fellow man. If there is abuse of my gift through the equivalent of theft or poor stewardship, those parties will need to see their sin and ask God for forgiveness. I will try to do my part and ask the organizations about their earnestness in stewardship.

Well observed Fr Casey. This could be an adept description of the „Nanny state“.

Great job as usual Father, thank you.

So, I think that's why the message of the Work and St. Josemaria are so powerful, Christians are not a separete chaiste, we should engage and involve with the world, in politics, in economics, in every field...

I like your videos. The government never had to step in to feed the poor until after the monasteries were destroyed in England.

At my parish we have the same conundrum. What is the line between "poor in need" and "freeloader" ? What is the line between "goodness of heart" and "doormat" ? What is the line between "judgement" and "discernment" ? It all seems arbitrairy. When I look upon the cross I see that Jesus came for exactly everybody - God is limitless. We humans aren't. We have to be smarter in how we help. That includes putting boundaries we wish we didn't have to. That includes risking to give to someone who doesn't need it, to make sure you don't leave out someone who does. It takes a lot of nuance and analysis ... but also a lot of prayer. (St. Mother Teresa, pray for us...)

Giving is charity to the poor, and a REBUKE is charity when standing up for integrity, justice and moral values the two go hand in hand without the latter problems arise.

"I'm from the government and I'm here to help" - Ronald Reagan

Circumstance throws up a positive and a negative side to its occurrence and has no definite solution, because one side will be happy whilst the other(s) feels aggrieved. John Lydgate proverb fits perfectly.

THANKS🤝

Well said.

part of giving charity should be offering spiritual food alongside the physical needs. And this needs to be incorporated in all aspects of peoples lives in work, leisure and healthcare. This doesn't stop the need to offer basic care.

Word. Sometimes charity can feel pointless. Other times recipients' lack of visible gratitude can make the giver question if the case is genuine or a con. Such are the challenges Christians face.

I understand the sentiment. In an ideal world, no one would have need for anything. God has blessed (and continues) to bless us with all that there needs to thrive. However, all the failures of mankind (in this case greed) create poverty. You could add sloth, but is it we as a society of Christians to punish and condemn? If we are taken advantage of but we are able to feed just one of those who is really in need, isn't it worth it? This applies to the poor, hungry, refugees etc. Should we not trust in God and just do our part, as Christians?

Great episode

I think the point here is not much "Rethinking the way we do charity", but rather to start pairing the charity works we do with demanding and addressing issues on a political level. As it is important to care for the others, just helping them out in the immediate is not the solution: if we truly care about the people we help, is important we demand social justice for them, and not just sit down and hope for the best.

I volunteer at my local SVDP and the material poverty that I see cannot be separated from the spiritual poverty. I also have came to the conclusion that poverty is a mindset and once you are captured it’s nearly impossible to escape. Faith, hope and charity.

Someone is posting as you on TikTok using the same photo you have on your avatar here, and messaging people. I took a screencapture, but have no way of sending it to you.

I like your twist on this. We've seen the "they're taking advantage of help and not helping themselves" argument before. However its usually used to dismiss any government action and rely entirely on charity. However you do a good job bouncing that same problem off charity back onto institutional responsibility. That said, I would do the "drowning child" metaphor differently. When you use a life or death example it removes a bunch of nuance from the discussion.

This is an important reflection as we head into Lent.

Fr, Don’t bring me a fish 🐟 teach me “how to” fish 🎣 🙏🌺☦️🌺🙏

I really like this video. We should do charity, but we should be smart in how to do it. In the Gospel we are called to help those in need, not to help those that are not really in need. There are people that abuse the system and all charities need to distinguish these abusers. This is related to the charity problem of creating a dependence. Charities should not create dependence. The more general topic seems to be how to deal with abuse and abusers in relationship to the Gospel. We forgive those who offend us, but what about the the abuser knows this and exploits it? We can forgive, but we need to take action to stop the abuser. Another similar topic is, who should we have more mercy with, the abuser or the victim. Having mercy on an abuser without protecting victims is not real charity. Sorry for shooting so many different topics. I think the main common factor in here is how Christians deal with abuse and abusers. It does not seem that the church is addressing this topic well enough yet.

Good video. The world is hurting and its heartbreaking.

Father Casey, I have an incredibly random question for you. For the hosts during communion, what if a person has allergies to the substances that make up the bread and wine? Are there certain ways that a person can still receive communion? I was just thinking about that this week. Like, for example, what if someone has a gluten intolerance ? Would they never be able to receive the Eucharist? I don’t even know if you will see this and I know it does not relate at all to what the video is about.

If we want to serve the poor, then we must understand the poor.💯❤ In order to create meaningful and impactful solutions for those in need, it is crucial to truly understand the circumstances and experiences of the individuals we aim to serve.

In Germany, many soup kitchens demand money from those in need - i.e. 50 cent for a meal, five Euro for a bed. That's far less than a person can beg for in a day, and it shows them that what they get is worth something. More important, people don't come for a meal or shelter "as beggars" but "as customers". Even if they have to beg for the money before. That shows them they have dignity. Of course that won't solve the entire problem. But then, not even Church is capable to solve the entire problem.

I take Thomas Sowell's wisdom on this.

Thank you Father Casey. You had me up until you said the government should solve the problem. Absolutely not. In your example of the children drowning, the governments solution would be to take them away from their parents. 9 words you never want to hear, “we are the government and we’re here to help”.

Well that was more of a philosophical lesson than spiritual. The question of those who can't vs those who won't has been around forever. The bottom line is that charity begins at home, or at least as close to the problem as possible. Family first, community, church, city, state, and as a last resort federal. We should all take care of our own backyards before dwelling on others. Can there be, "Economic Injustice" as you call it, in a free society? Is the federal government the answer to these problems? I think not! More often than not the government is the source of the problem. With the destruction of the family and with removal of God from our society, we have substituted secular humanism and the government as a nanny state. We have taken the "personal" out of personal accountability, personal responsibility, and personal relationships. Jesus commands that we love our neighbors and our enemies, we should do all that we can to help those truly in need. We should not allow ourselves to be guilted into an egalitarian mindset! Those who see the basics of life as society's responsibility while their effort and income is reserved for personal priorities and luxuries, are not "needy!" Freedom of choice, effort, and abilities dictates inequality of outcome. Tyranny produces equality of outcome, everyone is poor but the ruling elite. Stop looking at government to be the arbiters of fairness and morality. Bring your charity closer to home, to your families and extended families, to your neighbors, to your community, to your church, to your schools, to your local businesses. When we establish personal relationship with others, we know their true needs. Look for those needs and fill them the best we can. Don't be guilted by the over weight guy standing on the corner with the "Will work for food. God Bless" sign. And for crying out loud, stop yelling, "The government should do something!" God is the answer to our problems, not the government.

“My kingdom is not of this world.” Do we need prudence? Yes. And if we ask, it will be given. “The poor” are different wherever you go. If you’re in America, they can seem demanding and ungrateful, but why is that? Isn’t it because of the way every part of our social structure in this country teaches us all to assume we are entitled to equal everything? If you feed a beggar on the streets of Calcutta, he will offer undying thanks. Do the same on the streets of Atlanta or Chicago and she may complain about the food. But how did she learn to have those expectations? Because we learned to worship the god of mammon. It’s so much a part of us that we don’t even see it. Hang out with the Missionaries of Charity for a day or two and it might change your perspective. Or those Capuchin dudes. They are serious about poverty. And they are joyful about it. As far as I know, Jesus never asked the ten lepers for a budget before He healed them. But I bet He appreciated the one that came back to thank Him. Giving - really reaching out to touch the pain - can’t be about the results or the gratitude. Those belong to God.

Excellent video you missed cases of abuse. That requires a wholist approach as well. Sometimes what people need are people to believe in them and help them solve their own problems. It doesn't have to be all or nothing.