Anyone else believe we're too focused on helping the poor and neglecting other issues?

[St_Francis]

This is going to make me sound really bad, but hear me out. I find my diocese is too concerned with helping the poor to the detriment of neglecting the other corporal and spiritual works of mercy. I find it almost nauseating, and don’t want to do it. Not because I don’t think the poor need to be helped or shouldn’t be helped, but I am called to focus my time, energy, and talents on other issues in the diocese that are diocesan specific (ie:fallen away Catholics, conversion of sinners, supporting the clergy and helping to counter the attack on them, etc.). It seems like everyone (not just Catholics) are so tied up with helping the poor, everyone/thing else is neglected.

Anyone else see this?

I think I understand what you are seeing. It seems like you are intuitively sensing a lack of balance in your diocese. It may be that I am equating what you are sensing with stuff I noticed at a parish I used to go to, tho, so I may be wrong.

In the situation I noticed, the foundational problem was a lack of prayer. Oh, they might say a Rosary in front of a nnuclear facility, where reporters could photograph … bit did they pray the Rosary on the way there? Did they attend Mass before they left? They seemed not to.

When I saw The Rule of Life for the Sisters of Charity or other “active” ccongregations, I was amazed at how much prayer was involved.

Many saints have emphasized the *absolute necessity *for grounding one’s active works in lots of prayer.

That is a first problem. A second problem is that sometimes 2 groups of people want the same thing, but for different reasons. So, group A may want to protest nuclear facilities because they have an ultra-liberal anti-American stance. Others may do the same thing, but because they believe that our (the US’s) having a nuclear arsenal causes fear among others and sets back the issue of solidarity.

The problem is that if the second group is not seriously grounded in prayer, they are not protected from taking on some of the philosophical ideas of the first group. To me, a major problem infecting the entire Catholic church in the US is that our foundational ideas as individuals are way too much “American,” and insufficiently Catholic.

And a third problem is one you and others have brought up on this thread: the issue of *how *we help those in need, and the focus on giving them money as the solution t their problems, and thus avoiding what is offten truly nexessary, which is personal involvement with those in need.

 

[Elizabeth502]

continuing…

Regarding the OP’s premise:

Neither Christianity nor Judaism are about a dichotomy. It’s not an either/or. Therefore, I agree and disagree. If a parish’s entire focus is literally on “helping the poor,” then the parish is under-serving its parishioners. We are moved to help the poor because we are moved, by Scripture, and in prayer, to do so. A genuine spirituality will always do that. The deeper one’s spirituality, the deeper one’s charity, and charity always exhorts to action. Again, though, mind you – it is not a charity “directed” or “commanded” by an institution (secular or religious), or an assumption of a limited group of recipients, but an interior command which is an impulse to apply that charity in the place and manner best suited for that individual.

 

[catholictiger]

This is going to make me sound really bad, but hear me out. I find my diocese is too concerned with helping the poor to the detriment of neglecting the other corporal and spiritual works of mercy. I find it almost nauseating, and don’t want to do it. Not because I don’t think the poor need to be helped or shouldn’t be helped, but I am called to focus my time, energy, and talents on other issues in the diocese that are diocesan specific (ie:fallen away Catholics, conversion of sinners, supporting the clergy and helping to counter the attack on them, etc.). It seems like everyone (not just Catholics) are so tied up with helping the poor, everyone/thing else is neglected.

Anyone else see this?

what are we neglecting?

because I think the service of the poor is one of the most important (outside of the sacraments) things the church does. I think because much of the American Church is to the right of center politically many people don’t help the poor enough. But if you explained what we are neglecting then that would help.

as far as fallen away catholics that isn’t because we help the poor to much, its the culture, its this secularization of the modern world, and so on and so forth.

conversion of sinners the more we help the poor the more we convert sinners.

and the clergy same thing I don’t think more help tot he poor would lead to neglect as much as you may think.

 

[yellowbird]

I understand what you’re saying, but first let’s see if we can help the person who is living in a cardboard box by a freeway underpass find some adequate shelter to cope with the elements and some nourishing food to eat to remain alive. Then we can preach the Gospel, the Torah, the Qur’an, to save the person’s soul.

This.

 

[Bobby_Jim]

This is going to make me sound really bad, but hear me out. I find my diocese is too concerned with helping the poor to the detriment of neglecting the other corporal and spiritual works of mercy. I find it almost nauseating, and don’t want to do it. Not because I don’t think the poor need to be helped or shouldn’t be helped, but I am called to focus my time, energy, and talents on other issues in the diocese that are diocesan specific (ie:fallen away Catholics, conversion of sinners, supporting the clergy and helping to counter the attack on them, etc.). It seems like everyone (not just Catholics) are so tied up with helping the poor, everyone/thing else is neglected.

Perhaps God is tapping you on the shoulder saying it’s your turn to start or lead a new effort in your diocese? The greatest hurdle is often getting the ball rolling. You may find once you do that you find other people who are happy and excited to help you out?

 

[Fan_of_Francis]

I understand what you’re saying, but first let’s see if we can help the person who is living in a cardboard box by a freeway underpass find some adequate shelter to cope with the elements and some nourishing food to eat to remain alive. Then we can preach the Gospel, the Torah, the Qur’an, to save the person’s soul.

I recall a documentary about a Priest in 3rd world country stating similar response. The interviewer question the methods used to evangelize to people of other or no faith. This seemed to be a problem for the interviewer.

The camera panned across groups of women and children under wispy trees, there eyes large and glazed, their bodies were skeletons their bloated stomach ,orange hair from disease and lack of nutrition.
The Priest responded with a shrug and stretching out his arms with palms upward. Even with his accent I detected a faint hurt in his voice with his response “How can I bring them to Jesus, when the mothers can not feed their starving children.” (from memory)

 

[Mike_from_NJ]

What I have to say is more or less tangential to the OP’s original question, and I don’t want to derail the conversation; but I should point out that often people are told here the best thing to do is to live a holy life.

Even as a non-believer it’s hard to dispute the work done by many individual Catholics in helping the poor and destitude. I find that some non-Catholic christians are charitable in words but not in practice. While I still have serious problems with various aspects of catholicism, it’s clear that its attitude towards helping the needy is not one of them. I would hate to see what is a fine example of goodness be tempered for any reason.

 

[catholictiger]

I still want to here what you think we are neglecting. Personally I think we are to focused on our lives and this materialistic life style so many people in the united states live. I don’t see hundreds of people volunteering to help at the food bank. I don’t see hundreds of people volunteering at many charities. I think the majority of people in the Catholic Church go to mass on Sunday go to work all week relax on their off time and then go to mass on Sunday again.

please prove to me how the Catholic Church is too focused on helping the poor. Because I just don’t think its the case.

 

[catholictiger]

I agree. Taken to an extreme it is the heresy of the Social Gospel, where man builds the Kingdom of God himself (often accompanied by postmillennialism and a belief in human perfectibility).

As John Paul II said in Redemptoris Mater (¶2) in the context of social work and the New Evangelization: “Missionary evangelization is the primary service that the Church can render to every individual and all humanity in the modern world.”

Social work that does not intend to the conversion of men and the saving of souls (such as those who provide x and y relief to the poor on a “mission”, without intending to share the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST our Lord) is a poor use of the Church’s time, and can degenerate in to heresy.

you are correct in what you say but just think for a second someone who is living in extreme poverty if you come to him and preach that Jesus Christ is Lord but you don’t help them get out of extreme poverty you don’t help them to maybe get a roof over their head or feed them, will they listen to you will they convert? I believe the most important aspect of Catholic Social Teaching (outside of the equal dignity of all human beings) is solidarity with the poor. We must try to relate to their situation and in what ever way we can live like they live. I think there are two extremes when it comes to missonary work. There is one extreme you and the OP explain going into poor parts of the world and building things but not preaching the message of Jesus Christ. There is the other extreme not building anything but just preaching that Jesus is lord and that Jesus will save you from this situation. We must find the point of balance the cetner of mass for this issue. Personally I believe the best way to help the poor is to find out what they need first then take it to prayer and see if that is what God wants for his people. As far as preaching goes as long as you are being as Christ and are an example of the Catholic faith that all people will notice you don’t have to preach with words your actions and your love will convert them.

Lets look at the examples of some of the greatest missionary saints and use them as examples of how we should evangelize to people.

How did Mother Teresa bring people to Christ

how did Saint Vincent de Paul bring people to Christ.

what about the saints who first converted the people in native america.

and so on and so forth.

While yes we must proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ if we ignore the needs of the poor our words will have no impact on them. I think that being in solidarity with the poor is the best way to evangelize to them. Someone who is your friend will more likely listen to you then some random guy on the street who says Jesus Christ is Lord.

 

[St_Francis]

I don’t think it’s a question of either/or but of *balance. *First, I have known parishes whicch emphasized a certain type of help to certain types of people, with no mention of a foundational prayer life… This is not at all what the Church encourages. The Church first encourages one to grow in Christ, to pray and receive the sacraments, and then we will show our faith theough our works. And these works are of varied kinds. Traditionally, we have differentiated between active religious orders and contemplative orders. The latter would not turn away a hungry person any more than they would turn away a spiritually hungry person, but their charism is to *pray. *They pray a lot to make up for the lack of prayers from others.

And among the active orders, first, they have prayer as their *highest *priority, and second, they understand that different people are called to do different things: some feed the poor, others care for the ill, still others instruct the ignorant.

There is room in the Church for a wide range of activities. The focus should not be on the materially poor *to the exclusion of *prayer or to other types of people in need. Not every parish can have every ministry, bit surely eveery diocese can manage most kinds? Surely there can be minstries to the poor, the elderly, the ill, those in prison, those who sorrow, those who are ignorant, those who are lonely…

 

[Brendan]

IThe Priest responded with a shrug and stretching out his arms with palms upward. Even with his accent I detected a faint hurt in his voice with his response “How can I bring them to Jesus, when the mothers can not feed their starving children.” (from memory)

I very much understand that, which is why I go to Tanzania every summer to do work over there with the local bishop.

But here in the United States, and in most of the Western World, that is really not the most prevalent form of poverty.

Generally, people have access to sufficient food to survive and even the poorest have a heck of a lot better access to health care than any of the Tanzanians I work and live with (for most of them, it’s the local parish priest and whatever First Aid supplies he happens to have at the time. I once helped a priest deal with a laceration on the arm of a 7 year old girl, he closed the wound with superglue.)

It is the Spiritual Poverty here that is most crippling and widespread.

 

[jwinch2]

“When we make room for the love of God, then we become like him, sharing in his own charity,” the Pope explains. Thus faith arouses the impulse toward charity. But in charitable activity, the Pope cautioned, Christians should guard against a loss of that fundamental connection with faith. He writes:

Sometimes we tend, in fact, to reduce the term “charity” to solidarity or simply humanitarian aid. It is important, however, to remember that the greatest work of charity is evangelization.

Preaching the Gospel, the Pope reminds readers, is actually the greatest act of charity, since it involves “the highest and the most integral promotion of the human person.” He writes that the connection between faith and charitable work could be considered analogous to the relationship between the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist: both are essential.

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