Charity and justice

LEELA RAMDEEN

ON WEDNESDAY, the world will observe the International Day of Charity. The UN states: “Charity, like the notions of volunteerism and philanthropy, provides real social bonding and contributes to the creation of inclusive and more resilient societies. Charity can alleviate the worst effects of humanitarian crises, supplement public services in healthcare, education, housing and child protection. It assists the advancement of culture, science, sports, and the protection of cultural and natural heritage. It also promotes the rights of the marginalised and underprivileged and spreads the message of humanity in conflict situations.”

Thank God for the hundreds of NGOs, CBOs, FBOs that are engaged in charitable work in TT. While we reflect on the importance of the virtue of charity, let’s remember the words of St Augustine: “Charity is no substitute for justice withheld.”

“Charity will never be true charity unless it takes justice into account… Let no one attempt with small gifts of charity to exempt himself from the great duties imposed by justice.” (Pope Pius XI)

Pope Francis reminds us of our duties to engage both in spiritual and corporal works of mercy as well as works of social action (the promotion of justice). He rightly said: “None of us can think we are exempt from concerns for the poor and for social justice… Jesus tells us what the ‘protocol’ is, on which we will be judged. It is the one we read in chapter 25 of Matthew’s Gospel.”

Charity involves more than feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. Let’s address the root causes of injustice/social problems by being social justice advocates.

Charity alone will not build just societies; it will not transform society. Creating a just society involves, inter alia, promoting authentic human development. Are we promoting the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes that our people need to live as productive citizens in the 21st century?

Mother Teresa was a model of charity, while Archbishop Desmond Tutu is a true advocate of social action – addressing unjust laws, policies, practices and political action. Mother Teresa rightly said: “What you can do, I can’t do, and what I can do, you can’t do, but together we can do something beautiful for God.”

We need both kinds of advocates.

When we give money to the person begging on the streets, we are seeking to meet his/her immediate, short-term needs. We need to start asking the question: “Why are the poor poor?” The economy should work for the benefit of all, but distributive justice remains a forlorn dream. Consider the virtue of charity within the concepts of equity and equality. “No-one can remain insensitive to the inequalities that persist in the world!” (Pope Francis)

Let’s combat individuality, selfishness and indifference and open our eyes to what it means to be people of faith. For Christians, to be Christ-like is to act as He did. His mandate is outlined in Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.”

Let’s show that we are true witnesses to Christ by the way we live and the example that we give. And let us anchor our social justice ministry in prayer.

On the International Day of Charity, let’s renew our resolve to do as Mahatma Gandhi said and “be the change” we “wish to see in the world.” Let’s stand in solidarity with those in need in our communities, for example the homeless, indigent, elderly, lonely, sick, shut-ins. There are so many ways in which we can promote charity and justice.

Leela Ramdeen is the chair of CCSJ and the director of CREDI