Avoiding alms

[alexs18]

Hi! I’m Alexs, a Religious Education student from the University of Santo Tomas. I would like to raise this concern. Do you think if a person avoided giving alms, he/she do not possess the value of charity or justice? I need your opinions.

 

[wynnejj]

In my church, there is usually the prayer petition that parishioners be generous in their time, talent, and treasure. I suspect that one giving their time & talent is just as charitable as giving of treasure.

Your question begs another question. In the parable of the widow’s mite where she gave the last two coins that she owned, was she over-charitable? If someone is poor, should that person still give alms?

Actually your question is difficult for one who works to prosper, but realizes that there are so many poor, that to give in to charitable impulses to try to solve the problems of the world, is simply giving away all the fruits of their hard work.

My answer would probably say that if one is reaping rewards from the work of others in his employ, then that person has an absolute obligation to return some of the rewards to the community and to invest further in the business to keep the enterprise prosperous for those in his employ.

 

[sanctamaria17]

I’m a college student. I’m told I have reasons not to give away money. Yet I do try to give change to charities, whether it’s to homeless people or in a charity box. It shows that I trust God, that by taking care of others, He will take care of me, and also, I’m a lot more fortunate (just by the fact that I’m in school) than a lot of these people. To me, it’s not fair if I don’t share what I have with others. Yeah, I work hard and try to make every penny count but the difference is that I’m a student in college and semi-independent while these people are existing on charity. I’m also very socially active anyway and find it goes against everything I stand for if I don’t give even a little bit. But then again I feel it goes against my pro-life philosophy if I don’t stand for all life. And I do take Mother Teresa and St. Francis as my own personal role models.

Is it a sin? Idk. Just my personal feelings.

 

[puzzleannie]

Hi! I’m Alexs, a Religious Education student from the University of Santo Tomas. I would like to raise this concern. Do you think if a person avoided giving alms, he/she do not possess the value of charity or justice? I need your opinions.

you need no one’s opinion, you need the clear edict of Jesus Christ in the Gospel, particularly Matthew 25, and the clear teaching of the Church. Opinion on truth is useless, only statement of truth is helpful. We will be judged, individually and collectively, on the last day on the basis of whether or not we have extended Christ’s love through help to the thirsty, homeless, imprisoned, sick etc.

That does not mean, necessarily, giving quarters to everyone who approaches you on the street, or automatically voting for tax increase to help the poor, without prudential judgment on the end result of the proposed program on the poor themselves. It means, in any of the myriad of ways available to us, using the virtue of prudence to mediate the virtue of charity, to aid the materially poor and the spiritually poor. The Church calles these the works of mercy.