Charity Begins ...... Where?
I read a blog account of a person meeting and talking in the drizzling rain with a homeless woman. The writer talked about how she stifled an impulse to invite the homeless woman to sleep on the couch in her home.
It got me thinking about charity. Just how much responsibility do we have, individually, for the well being of others?
Should she have extended that invitation to the homeless woman? For one rainy night? And the next rainy night? For forever?
And then what .... put her out to forage as usual in the dumpsters and trash cans for food before returning to the couch to sleep? Or should she feed this woman, also?
Angels in disguise, we are warned. We never know, we are told. Should we offer charity because it might be an angel or really nice person under all that filth and 14 layers of clothes? Or because simply, it is the right thing to do? Or do nothing?
In another group, someone posted asking for help with a charity that helps the truly destitute in India. And most responses said, 'Yeah, that is fine, but how about starting and doing all these good works here in the USA."
Should all our charitable activities take place only in our own neighborhoods and towns, and cities?
Just where .... and how far ..... should charity begin and go?
It got me thinking about charity. Just how much responsibility do we have, individually, for the well being of others?
Should she have extended that invitation to the homeless woman? For one rainy night? And the next rainy night? For forever?
And then what .... put her out to forage as usual in the dumpsters and trash cans for food before returning to the couch to sleep? Or should she feed this woman, also?
Angels in disguise, we are warned. We never know, we are told. Should we offer charity because it might be an angel or really nice person under all that filth and 14 layers of clothes? Or because simply, it is the right thing to do? Or do nothing?
In another group, someone posted asking for help with a charity that helps the truly destitute in India. And most responses said, 'Yeah, that is fine, but how about starting and doing all these good works here in the USA."
Should all our charitable activities take place only in our own neighborhoods and towns, and cities?
Just where .... and how far ..... should charity begin and go?
