Do you ever give money to a homeless person holding a sign

[Techno2000]

but Jesus is saying “Don’t fret about it…just turn the other cheek…I will take care of those insults and abuses for you. There will be justice.” This kind of faith alleviates our disappointment and bitterness when we are exploited in this world. It permits us to move forward, putting the past behind, and concentrating on doing continued good.

Right , the merit is letting others step on you… the
devil want you to step on others.

 

[GodIsPerfection]

Right , the merit is letting others step on you… the
devil want you to step on others.

Techno2000: I’ve been reading and just love your posts!

But, the merit is in TRUSTING JESUS to judge and deal with the wicked, who step on us, even when we don’t want to be stepped on. The merit is not in permitting abuse, it is in remaining faithful to Jesus, by remaining obedient to Him, in the face of abuse, for which we will be blessed…

1 Peter 3:9 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

9 Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing.

and

Matthew 5:44 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Those who persecute Christians become God’s enemies. They really need prayer, and our prayers for them diminish the personal hurt of us, that their abuse inflicts.

 

[Odilon]

No, he lied to me, he gets no money. I had already offered to pay for his gas - this was nothing but a scam for him to get cash to buy alcohol or . drugs

 

[Techno2000]

No, he lied to me, he gets no money. I had already offered to pay for his gas - this was nothing but a scam for him to get cash to buy alcohol or . drugs

If I knew straight away I was being conned I wouldn’t give money ether. But, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, instead of going through life suspicious of everybody.Even if I was a little naive, I’ll be blessed in the end…and so will you.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I keep some bright orange plastic bags with two bottles of water, beef jerky, and some hard candy in them. I deposit the bag 100-200 yards ahead of the walker.

Some local parish churches support these “bag” efforts and make up hundreds of bags with water, a snack, maybe a card with the address of some helper organization. Then they distribute them to homeless, or provide them to a volunteer organization that hands them out.

I think this is a good idea if you feel you must do something for people, especially those who are walking along a highway or standing by an exit, as there’s often not a place to even buy food or water nearby.

 

[on_the_hill]

Unfortunately there are priests and religious who have been murdered when they tried to help someone who came to them allegedly in need.

Many of the needy people have some kind of mental disorder such as schizophrenia which can cause them to be violent, so it’s not always all about robbery.

To answer the question: No. Typically I do not. I have done a couple times in my life, but 99% of the time I do not. There are far better ways for homeless people to get the help they need.

This was an explanation given by our priest about the story of the Good Samaritan. Before we condemn the priest and the Levite for not helping the injured man, we should understand that it was commonplace for gangs of robbers to use an “injured” person as bait.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

That’s an interesting angle, and one that I haven’t heard a priest bring up before. I would think also that just stopping along the road for any reason rather than hurrying along would have put you in more danger, same as if you stop and linger in a bad neighborhood rather than rush through it. I always thought that the priest and Levite didn’t stop because they thought, from seeing a man injured, that there were probably robbers around and they were afraid. I had a children’s book of this story that I believe gave that impression - showed the priest and Levite looking all nervous and kind of hurrying on down the path.

I recently was at a daily Mass where the priest felt a need to explain to his congregation why he had just called the police on some unbalanced individual who had appeared on the church property earlier that day looking for some kind of assistance. The priest said this person has been around before and poses a danger to the parish community - apparently there was a past bad interaction. What the priest didn’t say but what is obvious to the eye when you pull in is that the church is directly across a narrow driveway from the local public elementary school as well, they share a driveway and if you turn left you go to the Catholic church and turn right you go to the public school. So obviously I would be calling the police as the first option with so many children so near. Yet somebody in the parish office apparently lectured the pastor about calling the police.

 

[signit]

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.

That part really bothers me.

I used to live next door to a real disabled vet who was shot in Vietnam. And he was the last person who would try to milk that to get sympathy from others.

So anyone pretending to be a vet to get sympathy, who never went through the sacrifices our vets made, really bothers me.

 

[on_the_hill]

I used to live next door to a real disabled vet who was shot in Vietnam. And he was the last person who would try to milk that to get sympathy from others.

This is a major obstacle between veterans and veterans services. Yes, more can be done to help veterans, but even when help is available the vets are reluctant to let people know they need help because they are inculturated and indoctrinated to be self-reliant.

More and more resources are being spent to get the word out to veterans, to communicate with veterans, to let them and their families know where to get help when they need it.

 

[Bigal]

That’s a interesting way

 

[AveOTheotokos]

From an 2017 interview with Pope Francis:

Many people wonder if it is right to give alms to people who ask for help on the street; what would you reply?

Pope Francis : “There are many arguments to justify oneself when you do not give alms. ‘But what, I give money and then he spends it on a glass of wine?’ If a glass of wine is the only happiness he has in life, that is fine. Instead, ask yourself what you do secretly. What ‘happiness’ do you seek in private? Or, on the contrary to him, you are more fortunate, with a house, a wife, children, which leads you to say, ‘Take care of him yourselves’. Help is always right. Certainly, it is not a good thing just to throw a few coins at the poor. The gesture is important, helping those who ask, looking them in the eyes and touching their hands. Tossing the money without looking in the eyes, that is not the gesture of a Christian. Teaching in charity is not about offloading one’s own sense of guilt, but it is touching, looking at our inner poverty that the Lord understands and saves. Because we all have inner poverty”.

https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2017/02/28/170228a.html

From St. Basil the Great:

But, as for you, when you hoard all these things in the insatiable bosom of greed, do you suppose that you do nothing wrong in cheating so many people? Who is a greedy man? Someone who is not content with what is sufficient. Who is a cheater? Someone who takes what belongs to others. And are you not a greedy man, are you not a cheater, when you take the things you received for the sake of stewardship and make them your own? Anyone who takes a man who is clothed and renders him naked would be termed a robber; but does someone who fails to clothe the naked when he is able to do so deserve any other appellation? The bread you are holding back belongs to the hungry; the coat you keep in your closet belongs to the naked; the shoes moldering in your closet belong to the shoeless; the silver you hide in a safe place belongs to the needy. Thus, the more there are whom you could help, the more there are whom you are wronging.

 

[signit]

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.

I am quite familiar with Matthew 25:31-46. I agree with it and I think about it a lot.

But, as individuals, we only have a finite amount of resources and we have to pick and choose.

If I give money to a stranger on the street, it means I’ll have that much less available to give to a charity where it will help the truly needy.

 

[thequeen]

The priest did the right thing by calling the police especially with so many children around.

 

[Techno2000]

If I give money to a stranger on the street, it means I’ll have that much less available to give to a charity where it will help the truly needy.

That’s perfectly fine, but the stranger on the street maybe truly needy also.Whatever you feel comfortable with, but it’s best not to label everybody “addicts” to avoid the problem. You know what they say , most people are living paycheck to paycheck.

 

[tafan2]

Perhaps understandable. But for me, I do not look at the cash I take out of the wallet and give to a beggar as part of my charity budget. I look at that as an extra sacrifice. Again, I assume I am see Jesus in that homeless person, since that is explicitly what Jesus said.
Yes, I may be wrong and it might go to alcohol or some other bad use, but that is a risk I take.

 

[Techno2000]

Yes, I may be wrong and it might go to alcohol or some other bad use, but that is a risk I take.

That’s it, you got it, that’s the risk I take also ,but it’s not really a risk at all, because in the end you can only win.

 

[Dolphin]

Few weeks ago I drove past a homeless person with a sign when stopped at a red light. I considered giving money but hesitated and the light turned green and I went.

I felt really bad and guilty so I went and bought some stuff for a school drive and donated that. I felt a bit better after

 

[tafan2]

@Dolphin, been there, done that. Almost verbatim.p

 

[Techno2000]

Few weeks ago I drove past a homeless person with a sign when stopped at a red light. I considered giving money but hesitated and the light turned green and I went.

I felt really bad and guilty so I went and bought some stuff for a school drive and donated that. I felt a bit better after

Yes, happens to me all the time, I try to say some kind of prayer for them.

 

[Finn]

In my country we have excellent welfare that ensures everyone can have accommodation and enough money to survive under our welfare system

Everyone in NZ can if they will have access to the necessities of life.

Why need I give money to people who have access to it if it was not for their pride.

There are many reasons why people need help in spite of structures set up to provide for them. Welfare systems everywhere have gaps in them and New Zealand is no exception to this, judging by the growing homelessness crisis.

An act of charity from an individual to another individual is an act of goodness, capable of bringing grace and solace to both parties and often yielding more than institutional support can.

Be careful when you judge those in need. We’re all in need and often don’t deserve the second chances, forgiveness and graces that God gifts to us.