Charity + Love Prevail
By Anna Laughery
George Floyd is on our hearts and minds. Inequality, racism, injustice and injury are on our hearts and minds. The evil and violence of the riots are in our hearts and minds. As a Minnesotan, I have had a front row seat to the terror and trauma that has run rampant through our cities. Right now, the hearts of our world are heavy and the minds racing, trying to come to grips with the reality that has slapped us in the face over the last week. But in the midst of our distress, the question remains: what do we do?
Disclaimer: I am not the most qualified to write on this topic. I am white, part of the middle class and aware of the many blessing that have brought me to where I stand today. I am not the most educated on racial injustice, violence and class disparity. But I have read and intensely studied the Scriptures, the Fathers and Mothers of the Church, and the life of Jesus, so I speak as a Christian and through the wisdom of the faithful who walked through this difficult life before us.
As I have watched the events of the past week unfold, a quote from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov has echoed in my mind.
“The more I love humanity in general the less I love man in particular. In my dreams, I often make plans for the service of humanity, and perhaps I might actually face crucifixion if it were suddenly necessary. Yet I am incapable of living in the same room with anyone for two days together.”
This quote proposes a hard truth with which we all, especially those of us who are faithful to our Christian baptism, need to grapple. It is good and right to get upset and angry at the injustices that are perpetrated in our nation. In fact, it is our Christian duty to do so. But if we just get upset at and rage against the system through our social media posts, we are not living in the real world and are living in ideological charity. This type of charity removes us from the gritty reality of the people in these horrible situations and allows to feel as if we are doing something by ‘being committed to the cause’. It abstracts us from the real and allows us to stay comfortable, all the while appeasing our guilty consciences. Real, concrete charity is uncomfortable. It requires change, action, and painful self-reflection. It requires us to wake up every day and commit to loving everyone we meet, not just those whom it is convenient to love. If we practice ideological charity, we love and fight for the common good of a faceless humanity, but that often excuses us from fighting for the neighbor next to us, who has a face, a name and a story. It can excuse a flippant uncharitableness in our everyday lives which is the opposite of Christlike love. It is our Christian duty to love those we encounter, our neighbor, as we love our very selves.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t use our voices on social media, but I have to be honest: Facebook and Instagram reposts are not going to end racism. Concrete charity is. Online petitions are not going to change hearts. Concrete charity is. Purposeless venting and rage are not going to fight injustice. Concrete charity is. If we stay in the realm of ideological charity, simply loving humanity as a whole and voicing our support for an abstract cause, evil has already won. But just as Christ defeated evil with concrete charity on his cross, we too can change the world with its power.
The tragic death of George Floyd has been a wakeup call for millions around our country. But will we stay painfully awake, or will we drift back into a comfortable slumber? If we don’t let this change how we love the person in front of us, then we’ve failed; if we let this lead only to Facebook shouting matches, then we’ve failed. If we are still rude to the woman who checks out our groceries, the waiter who messes up our order, the neighbor with the loud dog, the family member who hurts us, the stranger we see on the other side of the road, then we have failed. If we don’t die to self and step out of our comfort zone to fight for truth, goodness and beauty, then we have failed. If we don’t use our voices for true, authentic charity, then we have failed. If we don’t change the eyes with which we see, the ears with which we listen, the mouth with which we speak and the heart with which we love, then we have failed. I am not trying to oversimplify the situation, because I know racial inequality is a deep and complex issue. But our first step can be this: to change our hearts with concrete charity. If we do, charity and love will prevail.
Anna Laughery is a monthly contributor for theYCW and is a theology student from Minnesota, an avid reader of books and a lover of a good snowy night. Though she wishes she could be a student forever, she hopes to work for the Church someday to help protect the children who are at risk in her community.
We would like to feature a series of articles around the topic of race. If you would like to contribute, please email us at hello@theycw.com. Even if you have only a few sentences to share, whatever color your skin is, we want to hear from you.
