Charity Challenge

A year has passed since a very important poll was posted for readers and bloggers to respond to.  Recently the survey closed.  Everyone that replied contemplated the following . . .

“Jesus, his disciples and later, even St. Francis and his brothers lived by faith, begging door to door for their every need. If you became poor and homeless, would your local church community support you living as a beggar too?”

 

Only about 14% were willing to say, “Yes, I am confident they would stick by me.”   Surprisingly, 86% have little confidence in the charity of their brothers and sisters and said, “I have my doubts.”

Not too surprisingly, the reading of God’s Word for the past few Sundays has been from the Letter of James.  Coincidentally, he addresses the same contradictions 2,000 years ago.

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no works? Can such faith save them?  Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” James 2: 14-18

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