The New Zealand Tablet WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1924. ALMSGIVING

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LI, Issue 45, 12 November 1924, Page 29

The New Zealand Tablet WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1924. ALMSGIVING

HE obligation of loving our neighbor, which vwlHhh Christ laid upon us, implies the duty of giving dr I o alms to those in need. throughout her 1 4f history .the Church has always impressed upon her children the necessity of fulfilling this duty from proper motives. The gift from the 0 j®bfeiF hand must , be a manifestation of charity in * the heart. The love of God comes first, the love of our neighbor comes next. If that two-fold duty were generally observed the fierce international hatreds which agitate the world would, disappear as the morning mist fades before the rising sun. Without charity we can please neither God nor man without charity it is impossible for nations to trust one another; without charity it is impossible to abolish the bitter class war which is raging in every country throughout the world; without charity it is impossible for individuals to deal with one another in a manner calculated to promote their common welfare; in short, charity must be in the forefront of all our transactions with our fellows. Almsgiving is- not charity, though the two terms are often used synonymously. Charity is love. Almsgiving’ might be a manifestation of charity or it might be a manifestation of vanity, ambition, or love of ostentation. It might be used as a means of getting rid of beggars, or it might be due to a purely natural sympathy with distress. The point we wish to emphasise is that almsgiving, to fulfill the law, must be inspired by the pure motive of the love of God and of one’s fellowmen. Then, and then only, do we obey the precept of charity. ... When thou dost an almsdeed sound not a trumpet before thee as the hypocrites do in. the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Amen I say to you they have received their reward,” * : . Although we are obliged to give alms we are not bound to bestow them indiscriminately. Indeed, to ; do so might easily constitute an offence against charity by encouraging idleness, for sloth is the beginning of all vice. The Didactic says: ..-“let. thine alms sweat in thine hands until thou knowest to whom thou art giving”. St. Ambrose tells us to give to the innocent before the guilty; : but he warns us not to forget that the misery a man brings upon himself through his own fault is also ,a (misfortune. ~ The fact that charity is often ; abused does not absolve us from the duty of relieving real need, regardless of whether the needy are

suffering with dr, without their own fault. The ingratitude of the poor > of which complaint is often made, is not a sufficient reason to warrant our abstention from giving alms. Ingratitude is frequently the result of the method of giving. Alms, must hot be thrown to the needy as a bone is thrown to a stray dog. St. Gregory the Great says that when we minister some necessary things to the unfortunate we do not give them what is ours but we give them back' what is theirs, thus complying with the obligation of justice rather than performing a work of mercy. “If you give to a poor man,” says St. Ambrose, “you do not share - with him what belongs to you, but you return to him what is his. For you have usurped, what was given for the .common use of all.” Seneca avers that if we wish gratitude from the poor we must not only give, but love. Right reason, of course, demands that we give alms only from that " which legitimately belongs to us. Servants must not give away the property of their employers. A wife may, with her husband’s consent, give alms from their common property, and she should do so if the husband does hot give in accordance with his means; but she may not give away anything that belongs exclusively to her husband. Guardians' or administrators of property belonging to others may give alms out of that property, but only to the extent to which the owner himself would or should do so. It is said that in our day charity has become a sport. Concerts, balls, bazaars, dances, theatrical entertainments ' are arranged for the ostensible purpose of helping the poor, but mainly for the sake of amusement. Ratzingor points out that this sort of charity does not reconcile the poor to their dour lot, but, on the contrary, embitters their minds. The rich are reminded that they cannot acquit themselves of their duty to the needy merely by attending charity balls. We must give alms voluntarily and gladly, not reluctantly and because we are commanded to do so. A gift exacted by force is not alms but a tax or tribute. We must furthermore give them in a spirit of genuine charity and not so as to make the recipients ashamed of themselves or hurt their feelings. * The best way for the Catholic to give alms is through the St. Vincent de Paul Society. This society, founded by Frederic Ozanam, is an inexhaustible source of good works both of the spiritual and corporal order. Its work throughout the world 'is of the greatest possible service to the Church, and the best possible antidote to those cults of infidelity that, deny Revelation, the supernatural, the authority of the Church, and exalt the Seven Deadly Sins into civic virtues. The members in their visits to cases see that the children are baptised and attend Mass and catechism on Sundays and on leaving school they are drawn into Catholic societies where their spiritual as well as their temporal interests are zealously guarded. Pope Pius X said that he saw this society at work in Mantua and in Venice, where it rendered invaluable service to the poor by distributing alms, but still more so by bringing them spiritual aid. New Zealand. Catholics would do well to remember that this society is at work in their midst and if they wish to have-their alms distributed wisely and . promptly they cannot do better than contribute to its funds. The society was created to .be a vindication of the Church by the exercise of charity in its widest sense—charity for mind; charity for heart, charity for the body, charity for the whole man, full and perfect service to our neighbor ■by charity of the spirit. Let no one fear that almsgiving will impoverish the giver. “Almsgiving never yet made a man poor,” says an ancient proverb. The true Catholic does not worry, for he knows from Divine Revelation that God rewards every ' act of mercy -and kindness. Almsgiving, moreover, belongs to the good works par excellence and is a means by which a man can make satisfaction for his sins. - —— '-4-Q-bi Mighty of heart—mighty of mind—“magnanimous” to be this is indeed to be great in life; to become'this increasingly is indeed to advance in life. N /;■