Not helping the poor. A sin?

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Linhares

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Hi,

A very weird thing happened jus now on my way to work. I was at the station waiting for the train. When about 4-5 poor children walked towards me. The started asking me to buy food for them or give them money. Not sure which one they wanted. A small girl was holding my leg. Before I realized she kissed my feet.
I refused to give them money. They then went away. I did want to buy something for the small girl but I didn’t coz I feared the older one will take it away. I even wanted to gv her money. The reason I didn’t help them is coz I didn’t want to encourage begging & also the last time I gave sweets to a group of poor children they threw them out coz they wanted money. I’m feeling very guilty now. Did I commit a sin?
 
In my experience these are always tricky situations because one can never be sure if they are truly poor or they are part of a con. Your previous experience would seem to show that you were taken in that instance because they just wanted money and not food. I generally do not give money except to establshed charities. I would suggest that you talk this over with your priest to see if you’ve sinned. He will be better able to have a conversation with you concerning the situation and your motivations.

Blessings
 
Those in common necessity, which is the state of the ordinary poor, must be given alms on some occasions, but there is not a duty of giving to each individual one. The duty of giving alms generally binds gravely.

In practice, this duty can best be fulfilled by giving to established and reputable charities, since these are best equipped to guard against the danger of fraud. St. Alphonsus says that it is sufficient to give 2% of one’s superfluous wealth per year (superfluous wealth being wealth that is neither needed to support the physical life nor the social position of one’s family). This is separate from the duty of giving to support the Church.

 
It depends on how you feel , was this and evil act you on your part I would say no. Two things have to take place to be a mortal sin
You have to have ( grave matter ) is specified in the ten commandments. read CCC 1858
Mortal sin requires ( full knowledge ) and complete consent. CCC 1859 you have to know full well that it is a sin.
If you are asking if it is a sin then you don’t have full knowledge and it doesn’t sound like any kind of grave matter was committed. So if it were to be a sin it would be a venial sin. Just next time you go to confession talk to the priest about it.
God bless!
 
A guy I used coach Catholic grade school soccer with is a Captain with a mid-sized, suburban police department. He said that beggars on the streets and exit ramps can take in about $500 a day. He has had to detain and search some of these people and has asked them about it. They are pretty open about it. If they worked 40 hour weeks, 50 weeks a year (which they don’t but that is their choice) thier take would be around $125,000 a year, tax free.

This kind of scam has been going on for a long time. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle even wrote a Sherlock Holmes story about the non-poor panhandling in the late 1800’s “The Man With the Twisted Lip.” Organized panhandlers have been know to use children as part of the scam. Ask yourself: Is kissing your feet something a child would normally think to do, even if she were hungry, or is that a taught behavior? I think it is more likely the latter. I have been in some really poor countries in the world, with child beggars, and I have never seen a child do anything like that on their own.

Another thing to understand is that begging is hazardous to the beggar also, in two ways. First, a lot of the money a lot of them collect goes to drugs, which will eventually kill them. Second, beggars are good marks for robbers, sometimes violent ones. Bad guys see a street person with a couple hundred in cash and they know that the beggar will likely not report them and if they do, the cops won’t spend a lot of time looking for the culprit.

There are resources for legitimate homeless people, such as government programs and charities, including Catholic charities. There is employment available for the jobless. Not great paying employment always, but employment that will pay for food and shelter. Minimum wage jobs are always looking for people. I regularly give to the Church and its charities, as well as other charities. I pay my taxes. So I am giving to the poor without encouraging scams and other crimes.
 
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Even if you did give these children money they would probably have to hand it over to their gangmaster.
 
Were you asking me or jfz178 ???

Any way I stay in Mumbai, India. Its very common to see poor people here on the road asking for money. The reason I felt bad / guilty is because
  1. the small girl kissed my feet, even when I said no to her.
  2. And I had money but did not buy anything for her to eat.
The only reason I did not help her was coz I feared the older one would take away whatever I would buy. Then I thought to myself when I pray & ask god to help me & he refused in the same way how would I feel? For some reason I pictured myself at Jesus’s feet asking him for help. Which made me feel even worse about what I did.

Guess I’ll just talk to my priest tomorrow.
 
It is a sticky wicket, but if I have cash I give it. In fact I’ve taken to keeping cash in my wallet for such needs.

I am not saying one should or must do as I do, I am only explaining what I do.

In my mind, although they could be scammers, or even use the money for drugs and alcohol, they might also be angels of the Lord, or Jesus himself seeing who will unconditionally help a stranger who claims or appears in need.

If they are scammers, it on them, not on me, to answer to God, but I have still acted righteously with a pure heart.

I will say that every time I give, I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.

And another thing I try (something I learned from a Franciscan Friar), is to look into the eyes of the person, to make intimate human contact with them.

Pax et Bonum!
 
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