Almsgiving... cloistered nuns?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Justin_Mary
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
1ke said:
What makes you think it might not be?
Click to expand...
Thinking too much. I mean, are they “really” poor if they choose to be & if they’re asking for alms are they choosing to epoor?

Way over thinking I’m sure
 
I think supporting cloistered religious is one of the best charities around! Remember, good foundations are dynamos of prayer, which our world needs desperately these days.
 
St. Frances founded the “Order of Friars Mendicant.”

That quite literally means begging . . .
 
dochawk said:
St. Frances founded the “Order of Friars Mendicant.”

That quite literally means begging . .
Click to expand...
VanitasVanitatum said:
They need money for their sustenance.
Click to expand...
I understand. I was just questioning if it’s considered almsgiving, or would it be more like tithes since they are part of the Church.

& I feel, maybe I’m wrong, there’s a difference between people who are poor through poor life choices, circumstances beyond their control & people who decide to be poor.

Giving to mendicants, again could be wrong, feel more like a duty than charity.
 
One of my old churches once hosted a woman, Sondra Abrahams, to talk about her NDE.

She had an anecdote about hesitating to give money to a particular homeless guy. She was worried-- what if he wasted it on drugs, or alcohol, or whatever? And the point that she made was that whether she gives alms or not is between her and God. And whether the guy makes the best use out of it, or wastes it, is between him and God. God isn’t going to hold her accountable for what he does, but he does hold her accountable for what she does.

The moral of the story isn’t to be careless with your charity— if you want to give to a structured organization rather to an individual, that’s your right. If you prefer your charity dollars to be stretched to the furthest, and you only donate to certain organizations who can be efficient, vs if you want to help someone right in front of you— that’s all your choice. If you prefer to help religious organizations, or you prefer to focus on educational philanthropy, or you want to fight hunger, or if your favorite thing is to provide mosquito nets to malaria-prone parts of the world… do what resonates with you.

But, just as the sun shines on everyone, regardless of whether or not they are deserving and worthy of its warmth and light-- our love is supposed to shine on others, regardless of their own personal worthiness.

Sometimes that love takes the form of a smile. Or a prayer. Or a kind word. Or financial assistance.

But don’t get bogged down in analyzing the merits/worthiness of the person you’re reaching out to. Remember that we all get measured with our own measure. Just do your bit, and get on with living your life and doing what you’re here to do.
 
Last edited:
Justin_Mary said:
I feel, maybe I’m wrong, there’s a difference between people who are poor through poor life choices, circumstances beyond their control & people who decide to be poor.
Click to expand...
God called us to help “the poor”, not just the poor who we think are particularly deserving of help. Having said that, sometimes giving money to someone who makes poor life choices is not the best way to help them. You could instead help them by giving them food if they’re hungry, or giving to a rehab-related charity in your area if you’re worried they will blow the money on drugs.
Giving to mendicants, again could be wrong, feel more like a duty than charity.
Click to expand...
Not really nowadays. Centuries ago, mendicants did tend to rely primarily on the local people where they lived for support, causing the locals to be more or less tasked with their upkeep. There were various means of regulating how many mendicants were in one area so that area wouldn’t have so many that it couldn’t reasonably support them.

These days, members of orders can solicit funds through Internet or direct mailing and reach many people outside their local neighborhood, so it’s not so necessary that the people in the city where the mendicant happen to be take on a “duty” of supporting them.

Bottom line is that there are always going to be more people in need of donations than any of us have money, so it’s fine to pick and choose a bit where you want your donation to go, as long as you don’t express a lot of judgments against the ones you decided against donating to.
 
Last edited:
I would go even further and suggest such Sisters are among the best recipients of almsgiving.

Nuns keep our world turning with their prayers and witness.

They are also among the best resources for vocations, as well. If you want more priests, support the nuns who help bring them forth.

Deacon Christopher
 
I would think of it in the sense that, a cloistered nun chooses voluntary poverty so she can serve the church through her prayers. That’s work worth supporting, it’s just not a job in the traditional sense.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top