Beyond the fish and the fishing line

“Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings… And overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice.” (Nelson Mandela)[1]

Charity is presented almost without exception as a rare virtue in the public space, found only in the best of us. This is why charitable gestures, nowadays, have become discreet sources of self-gratification, and methods of converting material capital into social and image capital. If we, however, replace charity with justice, the ego boost following from the flashy, altruistic gesture dissolves, itself replaced by a sense of duty which we usually instinctively avoid.

From a biblical perspective, justice and charity are both moral duties, privileges, and a source of blessing for those who want to live according to God’s counsel: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Charity

Justice

Share your food with the hungry

Provide the poor wanderer with shelter

When you see the naked, clothe them

Not to turn away from your own flesh and blood

Loose the chains of injustice

Untie the cords of the yoke

Set the oppressed free

Break every yoke

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
…he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden…

(Isaiah 58:6-11)