Sunday, December 17, 2006

A Gentle Reminder

[Posted by reader_iam]
Amidst the holiday and/or year-end busyness:
"During Advent opportunities for works of charity abound calling out for Christians from every side: a sack of food for a needy family, money dropped in a Salvation Army kettle, a donation to an Indian school, a toy for ‘Toys-for-Tots,’ etc. Unfortunately, these works of charity so easily can assuage the Christian conscience, while doing nothing to being about a solution to the root causes of the problem.

"Works of justice, on the other hand, follow the road less traveled of Advent’s hope to pursue solutions for difficult problems. Hope comes through works of justice rather than simply performing works of charity."
--Fr. Brian Cavanaugh [Emphasis added.]

Yeah, I'm still doing that Advent blogging thing over there. This was today's choice for the quote post. But I think its message is transcendent of the season, of faith traditions, and of labels political, religious or [and] otherwise. I think it strikes at the heart of one of the greatest weaknesses of human nature, and therefore of the human condition as so many people are and have been sentenced to experience it.