THE GLOBE
PO BOX 5079 (51102)
1825 JACKSON ST.
SIOUX CITY, IA (51105)
712.255.2550
800.352.9035
WWW.CATHOLICGLOBE.ORG

Charity defined as Christian love

By Jerry Eaton, LMSW
Executive Director
Catholic Charities

I have been going around meeting with different groups about our reduction of fees by 1/3rd during this financial crisis and there has been a lot of positive feedback. In addition there have been questions about Catholic Charities and just what we do as well. There is some confusion about the word charity. I think one of the reasons our world has the difficulties we do has something to do with how we define charity.

When most people define charity they say things about providing clothing, shelter and food and surprisingly to me many people stop there. It is surprising because their definition of charity would often leave those in need continually dependent upon others for help.

There is a more complete definition of charity that is much more meaningful. Charity as defined by the Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary starts with the root Latin word caritas (Christian love) “1) benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity.” Benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity asks more of us than giving a handout. It asks for an attitude of respect for the dignity and value of each human life, born and unborn. It asks for a belief in those others often shun, or write-off, or ignore, or blame. It asks for a genuine caring for another to really know what it is they need from us. It is also reaching out to others in a circumstance like this financial crisis to help them get back in touch with their strengths, learn new ones and build a plan to regain stability in their lives.

The Church is very clear about what charity is and the benevolent Christian love for humanity has led our Church from the very beginning to become the world’s largest charitable organization where throughout the world people associated the Church provide hospitals, schools,  and agencies with missions like ours at Catholic Charities, with people living and working side by side with those in need to help them find the strengths within them they didn’t know they had, to help them develop those strengths and build new ones so they can develop a plan that gives them the opportunity to become independent healthy, happy and successful people.

At Catholic Charities here in the Diocese of Sioux City we don’t have all of the resources needed to provide every kind of help needed. We simply can’t replace the millions of dollars in losses people have suffered in this financial crisis, to pay their mortgage payments, to replace lost jobs, to pay credit card debts, or medical bills. Yet, we do have a great deal of experience in helping people work through difficulties and losses, and we do have a great deal of experience in helping people get back on the right track when they become overwhelmed because of any type of crisis in their lives.

What is happening now in this crisis isn’t visible by watching television of a tsunami overwhelming the lives of people half the world away, or like a hurricane along the gulf coast overwhelming the lives of people. We see those events and what is happening to people many miles away from us and we respond to their need. Yet, here in our own Diocese the financial crisis is very real and it is overwhelming many people but we can’t see it on television. Retirement funds have been cut in half, job losses, loss of health insurance because their employer can’t afford to offer health care benefits, medical bills from an unforeseen illness, past due notices on bills, dropping prices for farm products, etc. Many people get frustrated and irritable when these things happen or even if they fear they might happen soon.

Irritable and frustrated people are hard to live with and frequent arguments simply add to the tension and stress. Some people try to suck it up and hold it in and they become silent and distant. Some start drinking more or using drug to find some relief. Some people get depressed or anxious. All of these things can easily make an already bad situation worse. In these types of situations people need more than a handout. At Catholic Charities we recognize the need for more than a handout and we provide licensed professional help to help get back in touch with their strengths, use their skills productively, and rejuvenate the love in families so they can again become a productive and healthy member of our society at a fee based on the families ability to pay.

We certainly support food banks, clothing outlets, and soup kitchens that can be run by volunteers; and we decided long ago in our Diocese to do what others couldn’t do with volunteers and was very much needed. It shouldn’t be only the wealthy that can afford licensed professional counseling/therapy services, or those with insurance, or those with government help. Everyone in our society should have these services provided to them at a cost they can afford.

The family is the basic social unit in society and the family is where the difficulties people face are played out in private. There may be no visible signs that others can see but we know at Catholic Charities just how important it is to provide the services we provide to families. Healthy families dealing with the stresses, tensions, frustrations, and very real problems and losses we all face in a productive rather than destructive manner makes all of the difference in the world for the people within families and within the communities we live in.