Helping the hungry / own life / poverty

[Kathrin]

There was a thread about getting charity letter in one of the forums, but I can’t find it anymore…
Anyway, I got such a one today and it has made me THINK HARD.

Here I am, living on almost nothing as far as day to day spending money goes, and I am getting this letter saying, basically, I could help protect so many children from starvation… And often I give when I can, and I give to the church too.

But the question is: Do we have to change our lives in order to give?

And what if we might save a life? Or lives??!!

I am travelling kind of back and forth between Switzerland and San Francisco and it is a really long story let it just be said that while over there in SF I do a lot of charity things, help the homeless etc. I was the one person who didn’t give up on a chronic alcoholic and got hjim back into detox AGAIN and he has now been sober for over 3 years. I feel of it kind of as my mission.

One time the chuirch here in Switzerland even took up a collection for me so I could help the homeless over there.

Yes, also like it there very much. I am an artist and do my poetry and love going to the poetry open mikes and miss it all while in Switzerland.

But here in Switzerland I have my family. So I do “have to” go back and forth.
Plus I am not a US resident and can only go as a tourist and stay until my money is gone. That is, not allowed to work there.

So I live on almost nothing.
While here in Switzerland, I have been making my money mostly through street music. Right now it has gotten very cold and it is very hard. I need to stick it out for 2 more weeks, the flight back to SF is already paid for, my friends there are waiting…

I think I’ll have neough money together at the end of those 2 weeks to be able to pay for my room and bus pass, and if I have to live on 5 dollars a week for food etc again so be it.

I feel I am able to do a lot of good things living like this.

But still - if I just had a regular job I could better give to charity.
Ok, I give to charity in other ways. But what about the people who starve in the Third World… Yes, I have done things like play an extra song in the street and whatever I get then goes to a charity. I have a whole collection already of money I collected for UNICEF that I want to donate. That is kind of untouchable to use for myself.

And now I got another letter. And I feel guilty even before deciding what to do. Because the letter was addressed to me, from Caritas of Switzerland, and they are collecting money for 2 different imporant projects, and maybe if I don’t give right now (I thought about waiting because I will probably get some money next year, from a trust fund from an old man I helped take care of)… but maybe by then somebody will have died because I didn’t give right now??

Do you ever ask yourselves stuff like this?

Ok, I could give like five bucks or something. (And that would already hurt a bit.) But they tell you those specific amounts and what they will do…

I feel so torn!! Becuase if I do give more than I can afford, I feel guilty toward the people who help ME out.

I thought about asking my parents for this as a Christmas present instead of giving me something: Giving something to Caritas.
But I wonder if they are afraid I might not have enough and rather give to me.

I don’t think I want to change my life and give up the back and forth… but sometimes I feel even though I do so much for other people it is also selfish. A friend of mine says I don’t have a selfish gene in me but we all do.

I feel really torn sometimes. It is sooo good to live such a simple life, yes I LOVE living on almost nothing and STILL allow myself to buy a blanket for a homeless person. And eat old bread that they throw away at the bakery.

But then the trips are so expensive.

Sorry for venting.

Kathrin

 

[puzzleannie]

the letter from the charity was most likely part of a mass mailing done by a 3rd party organization hired to do their fundraising. If it included some type of little gimmick like a medal, greeting cards, address labels etc. it was almost certainly conducted by a 3rd party, using mailings lists culled from various sources.

it is just that, information about the organization and a solicitation for donations. you are entirely free to respond or to ignore. It is not a command of the church that you give to this or any other charity. It is a command that you aspire to poverty of spirit and the spirituality of the beatitudes, and it is a command that you observe the commandments and perform the works of mercy when it is possible and appropriate, It is certainly fact, because Jesus says so in Matt 25, judgment of the nations, that we will be judged in the final instance on our works for others.

you are to do what you can with what you have, and what you do give in terms of money, time and talent should be done prudently, since prudence is a cardianl virtue.

 

[kentuckyliz]

Only the strong can help the weak. Budget what you need to, to take care of yourself first, because that is your primary obligation. Then do your stewardship of time, talent, and treasure. If you’re short on treasure, talent and time are fine.

It sounds like you are a very generous person with a tender conscience. Don’t let it become scruples.

It can be overwhelming to think of the vastness of the problem of poverty–but God made no promises about instantly curing poverty in this life. Indeed, Jesus said, The poor you will always have with you. He does command that we have compassion and mercy towards the poor and do what we can to aid them. We are instruments of God’s provision that way.

However, the Good Samaritan had the money to give, before he gave it. Traveling with money was highly unusual and he was probably a well-to-do businessman. So that’s what I mean by only the strong can help the weak.

If you give more than what you can afford and end up hungry or homeless, then that passes along the burden to someone else to look after you, sort of forcing the charity along the chain to them. So, plan your budget, what you need, take care of yourself first so you aren’t a burden, and then conduct your charitable acts and donations with a clear conscience.

 

[AgnosTheist]

Kathrin, you are already contributing a lot to charity. Dont feel bad about things that are beyond you.

 

[Kathrin]

Hey, it’s been a while since I wrote this post.
Thank you for the replies! As always, very wise words…

Kathrin