By Timothy P. Williams, Senior Director of Formation and Leadership Development
“The Society has held from the beginning,” our Manual reminds us, “that the funds donated to the Conference belong to the poor…members should never adopt the attitude that the money is theirs, or that the recipients have to prove that they deserve it.” [Manual, 23] When we describe the Society as pursuing both charity and justice, this is what we mean: the money given to us for the poor belongs to the poor.
In this, the Society lives the basic understanding of justice taught by our church: the “constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor.” [CCC, 1807] To give them, in other words, what they deserve. As Christ Himself taught, we should share our extra coat with the one who has none, and “whoever has food should do likewise.” The Lord created no one in order that they should starve to death, and he gave the abundance of this earth to all of us, for all of us.
We often view, and rightly so, our works in the Society as a fulfillment of the Corporal Works of Mercy to which Christ calls us. And yet, as St. Gregory the Great teaches, “when we administer necessaries of any kind to the indigent, we do not bestow our own, but render them what is theirs; we rather pay a debt of justice than accomplish works of mercy.” [Pastoral Rule, III:25] In other words, the poor need not prove themselves deserving – God’s abundance, given to us, is theirs already, and this is a matter of simple justice.
To understand this teaching is not to find a way to demand the donations of others. It is rather a much more challenging demand: to find our own second coats. It is terribly easy to demand good works of others, but our church does not teach us to make such a demand of others. Justice compels us to love the neighbor, in strength, in kind, and in the same degree as our self-love and our love of God.
So, justice by itself is not enough. As Blessed Frédéric wrote, we must “make charity accomplish what justice alone cannot.” [136, to Lallier, 1836] As. Pope Saint John Paul II further explains, “justice is frequently unable to free itself from rancour, hatred and even cruelty. By itself, justice is not enough” for “justice must find its fulfilment in charity”. [JPII, 2004 Message]
Our call to justice precedes our call to charity, but does not obviate it, for while “justice and love sometimes appear to be opposing forces… they are but two faces of a single reality”. [Ibid] Justice does not call us to make demands of others. Justice levies its own demand upon us, a demand that gently leads us away from self-interest, that enables us to truly love the neighbor exactly as we love ourselves, as people deserving of all the fruits of God’s creation, fruits that belong to them as much to us. And our Conference treasuries, which exist only to be given away, are definitionally our extra coat.
Contemplate
Do I allow myself to see Conference funds as “ours” to be saved for later, or for the more deserving?
Recommended Reading
Letters of Frédéric Ozanam, Vol I
Contemplación: Dos Caras de una Única Realidad
Traducción de Sandra Joya
“La Sociedad ha sostenido desde el principio”, nos recuerda nuestro Manual, “que los fondos donados a la Conferencia pertenecen a los pobres… los miembros nunca deben asumir la actitud de que el dinero es suyo, ni de que quienes lo reciben tienen que demostrar que lo merecen”. [Manual, 23] Cuando describimos a la Sociedad como una organización que busca tanto la caridad como la justicia, queremos decir lo siguiente: el dinero que se nos da para los pobres pertenece a los pobres.
En esto, la Sociedad vive la comprensión fundamental de la justicia que enseña nuestra Iglesia: la “voluntad constante y firme de dar a Dios y al prójimo lo que les corresponde”. [CIC, 1807] En otras palabras, darles lo que merecen. Como Cristo mismo enseñó, debemos compartir nuestra túnica sobrante con quien no tiene, y “quien tenga qué comer, haga lo mismo”. El Señor no creó a nadie para que muriera de hambre, y nos dio la abundancia de esta tierra a todos, para todos.
A menudo consideramos, y con razón, nuestras obras en la Compañía como un cumplimiento de las Obras Corporales de Misericordia a las que Cristo nos llama. Y, sin embargo, como enseña San Gregorio Magno, «cuando distribuimos cualquier necesidad a los indigentes, no les damos lo nuestro, sino que les damos lo suyo; más bien pagamos una deuda de justicia que realizamos obras de misericordia». [Regla Pastoral, III:25] En otras palabras, los pobres no necesitan demostrar su merecimiento: la abundancia que Dios nos da ya es suya, y esto es una simple cuestión de justicia.
Entender esta enseñanza no significa buscar la manera de exigir las donaciones de los demás. Es más bien una exigencia mucho más difícil: encontrar nuestro propio sustento. Es muy fácil exigir buenas obras a los demás, pero nuestra Iglesia no nos enseña a exigirles eso. La justicia nos obliga a amar al prójimo con fuerza, con bondad y en la misma medida que nuestro amor propio y nuestro amor a Dios.
Así pues, la justicia por sí sola no basta. Como escribió el beato Federico, debemos «hacer que la caridad logre lo que la justicia por sí sola no puede» [136, a Lallier, 1836]. Como explica además el papa san Juan Pablo II, «la justicia con frecuencia no logra liberarse del rencor, del odio e incluso de la crueldad. Por sí sola, la justicia no basta», pues «la justicia debe encontrar su plenitud en la caridad». [JPII, Mensaje de 2004]
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Nuestra llamada a la justicia precede a nuestra llamada a la caridad, pero no la anula, pues si bien «la justicia y el amor a veces parecen fuerzas opuestas… no son más que dos caras de una misma realidad». [Ibíd.] La justicia no nos llama a exigir a los demás. La justicia nos impone su propia exigencia, una exigencia que nos aleja suavemente del interés propio, que nos permite amar verdaderamente al prójimo exactamente como nos amamos a nosotros mismos, como personas merecedoras de todos los frutos de la creación de Dios, frutos que les pertenecen tanto como a nosotros. Y nuestros fondos de la Conferencia, que solo existen para regalar, son, por definición, nuestro abrigo extra.
Contemplar
¿Me permito considerar los fondos de la Conferencia como “nuestros” para guardarlos para más adelante o para quienes más los merecen?
Perfect reading on praying for God to enter our souls so we can be transformed into HIS SERVANTS leaving our judgments outside the door — and entering without judgment, rather with LOVE and VISION of Christ before us.
Please read and reflect on Fr. Don Haggerty’s “Showing Divine Love” for September 9, 2025 Meditation on pgs 146 and 147 of the Magnificat. Fr. Haggerty challenges us to create an atmosphere of transformation – by praying BEFORE the Home Visit and inviting the Holy Spirit to come into our selves , as well as the Friend in Need — as we enter their “casa” to make our Home Visit. Just like today’s contemplation –we are called to see in Those We Serve – our brother, Jesus Christ! With our judgments left outside the entry door – so that we can “experience a fresh vision of another person,” as Fr Haggerty writes in his meditation “Showing Divine Love.” Both the SVdP Contemplation of today (9/15/25) “Two Faces of a Single Reality” and Fr. Haggert’s 9/15/25 reflection – challenge us as Home VIsitors, to experience the transformation that can only come when we pray and reflect on a Christ-like view BEFORE we walk through the door of Those We Serve.