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Odilon
Guest
Only during Lent. During the rest of the year I will offer food to them.
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PetraG
Guest
Please read his first post:
My husband bought a sandwich for a man begging at a gas station. He forgot something, went back into the store, and found the man trying to exchange the sandwich for cigarettes. He felt lied to (which he had been) and asked the cashier for his money back, which he got. He wasn’t going to fund a self-destructive habit. He was quite angry, and rightfully so, don’t you think? It is repeated instances of treatment like this that show that “overthinking” is too often warranted.
That is the thing: it is not a corporal work of mercy to expose someone to a near occasion of sin. You do have to look out for people, not just give them money and blindly hope they won’t do anything self-damaging with it or that you haven’t encouraged them to continue in a life of deceit and manipulation of the generous. That is really bad for them as persons, in an eternal sense.
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PetraG
Guest
“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves." Matt. 10:16
I think it is important to look at it in a the way of “if this were my brother, who might be an addict or might be a lost soul or might just be hungry, what would I want a stranger to do for my brother?” Not just let him con you out of money for his addiction with no questions asked. Not just give $10 for one guy when the same money could feed a dozen who are hungry.
I don’t think anyone is calling for hard-heartedness here, but only prudence in the form of informed charity.
Because yes, “If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?” Jas 2:15-16. It isn’t about whether or not we ought to help, but rather whether some kinds of help can actually do more harm than good, as you have seen happen.
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Techno2000
Guest
So what if he did, your husband did an act of kindness in God’s eyes, so very rare in the world day.
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tafan2
Guest
Mathew 25:31-46. I try to give them money when possible. I would hate to come out on the wrong side of that story of Jesus’s. Also, things don’t change as much as people assume. I am sure back in Jesus’s day, a lot of beggars wasted the alms they were given on wine just like today. Jesus would have been aware of that possibility. Yet he still condemned this who failed to help Him (the hungry).
Not worth the risk in my book. It’s a pretty scary parable.
Not worth the risk in my book. It’s a pretty scary parable.
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Techno2000
Guest
Exactly
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Techno2000
Guest
The devil would rather die a hundred times than see you do one little good deed for God.
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CoffeeFanatic
Guest
No- and I’ll tell you why. As of this past November, our entire city has been taken over by the sign people. Every shopping center entrance, all of the hospitals, every major entrance and exit ramp has a person holding a sign. They do shift work. I’ve seen them pass off their signs. I’ve seen one of these poor homeless souls, looking raggedy one day, and then a week later, she’s dressed better than me, full makeup and jewelry, and carrying Starbucks to one of her sign buddies. I’ve seen fake lame people in wheel chairs get up and walk. I’ve seen disabled vets in Army gear who allegedly can’t work, stand there for ever, and effect a fake limp. Buddy, if you can stand, you can work. The vast majority of them are con artists.
I see real homeless people frequently in my line of work. They are not the same as these sign people.
I see real homeless people frequently in my line of work. They are not the same as these sign people.
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PetraG
Guest
Encouraging someone to lie to get what they want, particularly when what they want is to satisfy a harmful addiction, is not a work of mercy.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
I think the husband is quite justified in applying “tough love” in that situation.
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PetraG
Guest
You have to ask yourself what you ought to want someone to do to you in the same situation.
The care of the soul and of the conscience are as important as the care of the body. Letting someone lie to buy himself cigarettes harms both.
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Tis_Bearself
Patron
I’d like to think I wouldn’t be lying to people for cigarette money. If I got to that low of a point it would be good for someone to tell me to get honest. I might develop some self respect.
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GodIsPerfection
Guest
Mark 12:28-31 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)
28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”As we see from many excellent posts, the correct response is individualized to each situation. If a beggar openly asks for money to buy heroin or methamphetamines, it would un-loving toward him to give him the money. On the other hand, one can become too jaded or hard-hearted by ignoring or rejecting people in obvious need, when you are well-positioned to help them.
A third position is when you would like to help, but simply cannot. Perhaps your own wallet is empty or you are in a moving line of heavy traffic where it would be physically dangerous to everyone to try to assist a pedestrian-beggar.
If the disposition of your heart is loving and toward helping somebody, God reads your heart, even if you can’t manage the act, itself. We are not positioned to help everyone, or we would be gods, ourselves. God weighs the intentions of your heart.
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EricF
Guest
I give. I figure if I make up a list of conditions that must be met first then it isn’t really giving, it’s merely a business transaction.
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CRV
Guest
Years ago, I turned down someone begging, felt guilty so mentioned it in my next confession only to be told that as we dont’ know if they’ll use it for drugs or not, we are not obliged to give them money. It was suggested I offer to take them to a nearby food court/shop to buy them lunch /a meal.
So the next time I walked past a person begging - I went and bought a meal and took it back to them.
There are plenty of charities and food trucks and free medical services/set-up shops for the homeless and there is also welfare.
I have also been approached by a woman outside of Church begging for money, who then got into her car and drove off back to the centre of town, who knows why. This same woman returned another time and was successful in being given money and so returned a few more times after that, always turning up after Mass, sometimes having a coffee, then leaving. Haven’t seen her for awhile.
So no I won’t give them money. I’d rather support a charity or buy them a meal etc.
So the next time I walked past a person begging - I went and bought a meal and took it back to them.
There are plenty of charities and food trucks and free medical services/set-up shops for the homeless and there is also welfare.
I have also been approached by a woman outside of Church begging for money, who then got into her car and drove off back to the centre of town, who knows why. This same woman returned another time and was successful in being given money and so returned a few more times after that, always turning up after Mass, sometimes having a coffee, then leaving. Haven’t seen her for awhile.
So no I won’t give them money. I’d rather support a charity or buy them a meal etc.
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Techno2000
Guest
Right, saying they are all addicts is a great way to not do anything.
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Odilon
Guest
Once during Lent a man asked me for money to put gas in his car. I said sure, drive your car right up to that pump there and I’ll buy you some gas. He then declined to do what I said. I told him he should be ashamed of himself for lying to me.
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Zach
Guest
Some of them have territories that they will guard to the point of violence similar to drug dealers. There is one heavily trafficked intersection where every day it’s the same two rough looking big guys panhandling with signs. I got to know someone who tried to panhandle at that intersection who said they threatened to beat him up if he tried to do that.
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Techno2000
Guest
You should have of given him the money, then you would have treasures in Heaven.
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