Can Catholics Lead the Way Out of Our Economic Crisis?
Catholics can lead the way out of our economic crisis. We recently saw our Holy Father call on us to do so and he pointed out where we should apply our efforts. If you remember, I made a simple suggestion for us Catholic men at work - something we can all do starting right now. But since there's so much more we can do I thought we could take another look at this idea today.
For example, with a national election coming up, we can prayerfully consider for whom we will cast our votes. Some of us may want to be involved in party politics to pursue our convictions, as this article in Crisis Magazine points out:
First, commit to saving a portion of your gross income for charity. Second use your discretion to pick one or two - no more than a few - charities worthy to receive your money. I say "no more than a few" because it takes effort to discern which charities both really help people and don't waste a high percentage of your donations in administrative expenses. (A good place to start your investigation would be charitynavigator.org.)
Whether reforming the Republican Party is worth you effort, only you can decide. Whatever role government should have in helping the needy is open to debate. Just don't take up too much of your time in political debate and political maneuvering, especially if you know of people or good organizations who can use your help and will spend the money you give them wisely.
It's very simple: Your saving money to contribute to those in need really isn't an option. It's something to not only consider, but it's something we're obligated to do as working Catholics.
For example, with a national election coming up, we can prayerfully consider for whom we will cast our votes. Some of us may want to be involved in party politics to pursue our convictions, as this article in Crisis Magazine points out:
It goes without saying that, instead of the recent moves against religious liberty, government needs to give the churches freedom, encouragement, and help to bring about a moral rejuvenation of American culture without which these other initiatives may be for naught.In this author's opinion, the best hope here would come from a Republican Party, but one that is somehow "reformed" - specifically reformed by Catholics:
It also goes without saying that for such a new political paradigm to have a chance to take hold, truly public-spirited politicians would have to “teach” the public about the reasonableness, value, and necessity of it. They would have to get beyond simply rounding up votes for the next election and recover the long-lost educative function of politics.
The strongest likelihood is that efforts such as these would have to come from the conservative side. In practical political terms, this means from some elements—especially serious, knowledgeable Catholics—within the Republican party.As the author takes us through the proper role of government in meeting the needs of people, I couldn't help but think of how us Catholic men at work can take a couple of simple steps to address those among us who are needy.
First, commit to saving a portion of your gross income for charity. Second use your discretion to pick one or two - no more than a few - charities worthy to receive your money. I say "no more than a few" because it takes effort to discern which charities both really help people and don't waste a high percentage of your donations in administrative expenses. (A good place to start your investigation would be charitynavigator.org.)
Whether reforming the Republican Party is worth you effort, only you can decide. Whatever role government should have in helping the needy is open to debate. Just don't take up too much of your time in political debate and political maneuvering, especially if you know of people or good organizations who can use your help and will spend the money you give them wisely.
It's very simple: Your saving money to contribute to those in need really isn't an option. It's something to not only consider, but it's something we're obligated to do as working Catholics.
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