Care & Share

DEAR FRIAR RICK: my wife and I really appreciate your wisdom in answering people’s problems. We are deeply worried about the spiritual and physical destruction all around us. People are only speaking about the economic crisis, but in actual fact it seems to me that the crisis is a lot deeper than that, involving the core values of our civilisation: belief in God, respect for the human person, sincerity, morality, etc. Our globalised world is becoming more and more inhuman, driven only by personal, selfish profit.

We are very worried about our grandchildren. What can we do for them?

 

I am very happy to say that someone far greater than me is answering your question. This June the Catholic community and the world received the publication of Laudato Sì’, Pope Francis’s encyclical letter on the ecology, and people can now read it for themselves! In the encyclical the Holy Father has left us a trail of thoughts that point us in the right direction.

Pope Francis’ teaching and preaching have shown us a very Franciscan vision of the universe where all of us, and all creation, are intimately connected as sisters and brothers because we all share the same Creator and Father. Care of Creation is good, but it must be underpinned by the realization that we do it as an act of gratitude to God, who has blessed us with the world around us. Pope Francis has reminded us that a true ecology must also include the human person and those most at risk in the human family: the poor, the elderly, the sick and the stranger in our midst. Based on his teachings the Holy Father will probably make the case that our global economy must be at the service of a true ecology. This ecological vision is a reflection of Saint Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures which sees all creation as mutually interdependent.

So what can you do for your grandchildren? Teach them the Canticle of the Creatures, and take the time to read the Pope’s encyclical for yourselves.

 

DEAR FRIAR RICK: I have a question about giving charity to the poor. Whenever I meet a beggar I am assailed by a doubt: should I actually give him money or should I ignore him? If I do give money who will guarantee me that he won’t use it to fuel his drug addiction even more? On the other hand, if I ignore him I feel guilty about it. The Gospels do in fact say: Give to everyone who asks. However, lately our parish priest told us that by giving money to poor people along the streets we are actually breeding even more beggars. At this point I am confused. What is the best course of action?

 

So you want a guarantee, do you? You must live in a different universe than mine because in my world there are no guarantees! Most of us just do the best we can; as does the average beggar on the streets. Please don’t be put off by my cheeky response. In fact your question is one with which all of us must wrestle at one point or another.

When it comes to guarantees there is nothing more certain than God’s unconditional love for us. Whether deserved or not God does not cease to shower us with his Grace. In return God does not have any guarantee that his free gift to us will bear fruit. We are called to imitate the goodness and unconditional love of God because he has first loved us. So in response to your question, when you give you should give unconditionally and without strings attached.

Notice that I wrote ‘when’ you give. You are not obliged to give to everyone who asks. You have to respect yourself, your limits and your responsibilities towards your family and your community as well. If you live in an urban centre you probably encounter many beggars and homeless people on the street every single day. You would most certainly go broke if you tried to help everyone!

So, what should you do? Well, there’s no single action. You may decide you will support a charity that helps the homeless and funnel all your donations there. You may decide to allot a certain amount a month to give to the homeless. It’s important to formulate your approach and for the most part to stick to the plan.