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Helping
others is the way we internalize and actualize our Faith. The help
can take many forms: time, labor, sharing in another's concerns,
money, etc. The important thing is to be personally engaged,
in order to serve in a way that transforms -- both giver and
recipient. Involvement in a cause or a problem does far more for us
and the problem than merely giving money at arm's length.
In addition, if our service
addresses problems of justice, it can help erode root causes of
injustice and poverty. This is the point on which social justice
goes beyond charity, which is more of a stop-gap measure to ease
recurring pain in society without really contributing to an
effective solution. The solution to poverty requires restructuring
an economy and set of beliefs that perpetuate the gulf between rich
and poor. We can contribute with every purchase, in fact with almost
every practical decision. Even the way we eat and entertain affects
others indirectly.
Of course we should aspire to make
socially responsible choices and exercise compassion in all that we
do. In addition, the parish and the
community have many
organizations where we can get involved in practical ways.
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