Catholic Charities: an alternative statement

Here's the thing, folks.

Let's get the recent reports out of the way first. Yes, Catholic teaching — as was recently and clearly stated by the Vatican — tells us that placing children in the care of same-sex "couples" is wrong, gravely wrong, plain and simple.

But you know what? We, you and I, don't need Catholic teaching to tell us this. All we need is what God already gave us...a conscience.

You know it as well as we do...homosexual activity is wrong. Plain and simple.

Homosexual "marriage" is not only wrong, plain and simple...it's absurd. It doesn't exist. And if your mama or papa or lawmakers or courts are too timid to tell you this, we're not.

Got that?

Good.

You know what else is wrong? Sure you do. Killing babies in the womb is wrong. Artificially preventing babies the right to life is wrong. Got that?

Good.

Knowing this may help you to understand why the agency once known as "Catholic Charities" no longer exists as you once knew it. We're out of the "charity business."

Because "charity" isn't a "business" at all. It's something we're all supposed to do. Period.

As individual Catholics, we will do the following:

We will feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. We will take care of the temporal — and, by all the saints — spiritual — needs of widows, widowers, and orphans.

We will visit the imprisoned. We will care for the sick.

We will either succeed or fail in these efforts. But, we will do our best, using our individually received, God-given talents to do this without government intervention, without black-tie galas, without the type of "fundraising" that puts mammon before Almighty God.

No more offices. No more "boards." No more press releases, or "honorees."

(We learned something from the Gospel we heard on Ash Wednesday.)

Contrary to what you might have heard, we are not in the least bit "saddened" by this at all. Indeed we are filled with joy at the opportunity to do the will of God, Whom we love with our whole hearts, minds, bodies, and souls.

As we love our neighbors as ourselves.

By the way...this should go without saying, but we're saying it anyway. We don't want your checks. We don't want to read your "pious endorsements" in the secular press, or in any media at all.

What we want is for your to get off your rather rotund behinds, roll up your Brooks Brothers shirtsleeves, and get to work. Without expecting anything wordly in the way of compensation. No dough, no PR, no dinners in your honor.

Got that? Good.

By the way, this is our last public statement about our goals and our work. If you need more information, please consult our Boss's words on the subject. Here. And here.

Okay? Let's get to work.