“You will find that the poor will do much more for you than you will do for them.”-Joseph Emmanuel Bailly to Blessed Frederic Ozanam

What I find so edifying and relevant about this particular quote is that it reflects perfectly the truly Catholic view of social justice and material assistance to those in poverty. By viewing those in poverty with an almost impersonal form of pity or by focusing on material wants only, one will unintentionally degrade the poor by ignoring their individual humanity. As Ozanam once wrote: “Help humiliates when there is no reciprocity, when you give the poor man nothing but bread or clothes…what, in fact, there is no likelihood of his ever giving you in return…But it honors when it treats the poor man with respect, not only as an equal but as a superior, since he is suffering what perhaps we are incapable of suffering; since he is the messenger of God to us, sent to prove our justice and our charity, and to save us by our works.”

As I see it, those of us in the “privileged west” often miss a powerful opportunity for growth in holiness when we engage in what is not really pure charity but philanthropy. To quote Ozanam again: “Philanthropy is a vain woman for whom good actions are a piece of jewelry and who loves to look at herself in the mirror. Charity is a tender mother who keeps her eyes fixed on the infant she carries at her breast, who no longer thinks of herself, and who forgets her beauty for her love.” That last part is key. To feed one’s ego through charitable giving is to, of course, miss the point completely. Service to others is to feed the spirit of humility, not of pride which kills true love. For when we decrease Christ increases as John the Baptist put it.

I apologize for the long post but I strongly feel that this very funny video hit on something very important. Thank you sally rogers for bringing up that Travel Channel documentary. I have not seen it but it sounds like a great show!

The show had 5 guys from an indigenous tribe from the South Pacific come to the US and UK and observe and comment on our crazy ways. It was hilarious and did shine an interesting light on our culture. Can’t remember the name of the show, but it was great.

I love the t-shirts and the “Radi-Aid.”

Along the same lines, I recommend this movie – on indigenous/racism issues:

Babakiueria (“Barbecue Area”)

http://www.creativespirits.info/resources/movies/babakiueria-barbecue-area