Charitable Donations

Merriam-Webster defines charity as:

a. benevolent good will toward or love of humanity;

b. aid given to those in need;

c. an institution engaged in relief of the poor.

Anyone who attends a church even semi-frequently is familiar with this concept. And, even if one does not attend a church, this concept of helping those less fortunate is common in our society. In fact, it is most cogent in tragic situations: Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, the tsunamis in Asia, etc. Americans come to bat without hesitation.

Today, a visiting priest from Kenya presided over the Mass. I can't remember his name. The cantor for some reason departed from protocol and did not formally introduce him to the congregation. This struck me as odd.

His English was moderately comprehensible ~ there were only 5 times during his homily that I had to glide over a word that was inaudible or garbled~ and his manner was pleasant enough.

His homily began with a joke about paying attention. It made everyone laugh. Then he launched into the meat of it all: charitable donations, specifically, a mission appeal for his church in Kenya. He proceeded to describe the work he does there, the congregation he serves, how he believes that his congregation does the best they can with little resources. He detailed the costs of sending seminarians to school by illustrating that out of 10 vocations he receives in a year that his bishop can only afford to send 5 to seminary.

Underlying this all was how Kenyans have little and Americans have much.

He talked about the orphans and how they become a ward of the church. He detailed what costs are involved, paralleling it to the costs of raising kids. Understandable.

But, this is where he transgressed into a fragile arena. He likened those orphans to the seeds of terrorism.

"If they do not get the support they need to pull them from poverty, they will turn to sin and be more likely to turn to drugs, sex, and crime which will make them fertile ground for terrorist activity."

Unbelievably, he went even further. He then used good 'ole Catholic guilt on the congregation. Can you imagine that?

Addressing the women, he asked "How many pairs of shoes are enough, ladies?" He repeated it several times. I sat primly in the pew, envisioning my closet and the multiple stacks of shoe boxes that reside there. I tried to keep a smile on my face as my mind calculated how many times I actually wear each pair of those shoes in a year. Then, I did a quick cost analysis and rationalization for why I need all those shoes. Something to do with matching the clothes in my wardrobe and replacing old shoes that were worn down or out.

Catholic guilt is a powerful tool. I know because I have lived with it all my life.

He turned his sights to the men in the congregation. "How many shirts are enough, gentlemen?" Again, repeating it several times. Even though I am not a man, I still sat pristinely in the pew, mentally ensconced in my closet, looking at the rows of hangers and rationalizing why I need all those clothes.

But I don't buy haute couture and I only buy what can be worn with several other items in several different ways. That's OK, isn't it?

For a moment, his guilt worked on me. I began to feel that maybe I should be giving my money to the mission appeal. After all, just because my husband has been out of a job for two years, I am still better off than most people in his country right? I have a house, a few cars, and know where my food is going to come from every day. I have a warm bed to sleep in, in a house that is safe and secure from invasion.

And I thank and praise God every single day for these things.

Struggling over his homily, the thought strikes me: I would give so much more to help those in need if it weren't for the corruption that has seeped into every facet of charitable giving. Think about all the instances where the wolf in sheep's clothing has made off with millions upon millions of dollars of money intended to help those in need.

Think about the food drops that have been stolen and/or confiscated by warring factions in multiple countries. All of the helpless souls who starved because of this.

Think about the middle men who get their hands on the money that is donated magnanimously every single day. Money that could have supported a family for a year instead used to buy fancy cars, jewelry, clothes, and who knows what else.

This is where the responsibility collides with reality. And this is where I grind my teeth and wonder how much of my money is really going to help those in need. And I hate to waste money but even more, I hate to see my hard-earned money go to thieves and villains.

My husband and I work very hard for what we have. We have never been selfish in our donations but we have found that over the years we need to be prudent. The evils of many a ploy for charitable donation have led to jaded opinions of all of them, benevolent or not.

Maybe Merriam-Webster's definition needs to be modified.

Or maybe the organizations that are truly benevolent need to be more in the open about their operations.

In either case, I don't savor donating money anymore. I will donate things. I will donate my time. In fact, I would much rather take a mission trip to help those in need, maybe those orphans in Kenya of which the visiting priest spoke of, than to dump money into an operation fraught with usury, corruption, and greed.