Compassion: A 14-Day JourneySýnishorn

True Religion
This beautiful piece of prophetic poetry speaks against religious practices that are not grounded in love for God and care for the needy (cf. Mt 22:34-40). The test of any church program or religious activity is whether it effectively reflects personal transformation; in other words, do social justice, generosity and personal holiness proceed from this program or practice (see Mt 23:23; Jas 1:27)? If our engagement with "church" fails to produce compassionate communities and holy individuals, we won't be trusted when we claim God's love or Christ's name (see 1Co 11:17-22; Jas 2:1-4, 14-19; 1Jn 3:16-18). In the words of veteran Bible expositor J. Alec Motyer, we must rid ourselves of the false assumption that we can be "truly religious and socially indifferent" at the same time.
In his preface to a text on Catholic social teaching, law professor Leonard P. Liggio reflects on

the reality that the budgetary crises of the developed countries require the withdrawal of the state from many activities undertaken in the confusions of boundless expectations. The new realities mean a return to self-involvement of citizens in the affairs that their health, retirement, and so on. Of the many areasÉeducation may be the most important. It is the education of our children upon which the future of the economy and of the resources for the health and pensions of older generations will depend. Yet the recognized shortcomings of the state education system, especially for the disadvantaged for whom it was especially introduced, seem the most difficult to resolve owing to entrenched structures.

Among the private initiatives in the 21st century will be the increased attention charity by the better off. In the USA there continues to be an expansion of charity. Those with middle class as well as higher incomes and wealth observe the private institutions that are offering assistance and make their charitable judgments on the basis of their attention to these instructions. Many people are participating as volunteers in the assistance programmes. Some are dedicated to moving the disadvantaged from static welfare to the dynamic of self-help. The Christian is motivated by compassion to assist the disadvantaged to achieve the dignity of labourÉWhere the state withdraws it gives room for voluntary, Christian initiative to "breathe." This is not so just in the spheres of welfare and charity, but in the cultural sphere too.

Christian financial stewardship leader Howard Dayton leaves us with some food for thought about the issue: "In some mysterious way that we cannot fully comprehend, Jesus personally identifies with the poor. Do you want to minister to Christ? You do so when you give to the poor. If that truth is staggering, then the reciprocal is terrifying. When we do not give to the poor, we leave Christ Himself hungry and thirsty."