Charity

Charity to the poor and the needy is a traditional virtue encouraged by all religions. Our relationship to the Highest Good creates a natural bond of family among all members of the community, rich and poor.

We can experience God’s love and compassion for all his children, and especially for those who suffer from poverty, disease, war, famine and natural disasters.

Giving alms and charity is a concrete expression of this spiritual bond of love.

Texts such as the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats from the New Testament liken helping a poor man to giving offerings to God or the highest saints.

Charity is not excused even for the poorest giver, according to several texts. Some passages describe the attitude one should take in giving charity.

The dignity of the transaction should be upheld by all means. “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” describes the value of anonymity for both the donor and the recipient: for the donor to eliminate any occasion for boasting and for the recipient to preserve his dignity.

An even higher form of charity, according to Maimonides, is to extend interest-free loans and other forms of aid to help the poor man get started in a business or trade and thus earn his own living.

In a modern version of the adage, “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today.

Teach a man to fish, and you have fed him for a lifetime,” Father Moon has been developing oceanic fishing enterprises with the intent to help the people of Africa become self-sufficient in food.

Charity in an Expression of God’s Love and Draws Us Near to God

Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord delivers him in the day of trouble.
Psalm 41.1

They feed with food the needy wretch, the orphan, and the prisoner, for the love of Him, saying, “We wish for no reward nor thanks from you.” Qur’an 76.8-9

They sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. Acts 2.45

Charity—to be moved at the sight of the thirsty, the hungry, and the miserable and to offer relief to them out of pity—is the spring of virtue. Kundakunda, Pancastikaya 137 (Jainism)

If there is among you a poor man, one of your brethren, in any of your towns within your land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him, and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be… You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him; because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For the poor will never cease out of the land; therefore I command you, You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and the poor, in the land. Deuteronomy 15.7-11

When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at his left. Then the King will say to those at his right hand, “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?” And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” Matthew 25.31-40: Parable of the Sheep and the Goats

On the Day of Judgment, God Most High will say, “Son of Adam, I was sick and you did not visit me.” He will reply, “My Lord, how could I visit Thee when Thou art the Lord of the Universe!” He will say, “Did you not know that my servant so-and-so was ill and yet you did not visit him? Did you not know that if you had visited him you soon would have found Me with him?” Hadith of Muslim (Islam)

“Ye shall walk after the Lord your God” [Deut. 13.4]. But how can a man walk after God who is a devouring fire? [Deut. 4.24]. It means, walk after His attributes: clothe the naked, visit the sick, comfort the mourner, bury the dead. Talmud, Sota 14a (Judaism)

When the Holy One loves a man, He sends him a present in the shape of a poor man, so that he should perform some good deed to him, through the merit of which he may draw to himself a cord of grace. Zohar 1.104a (Judaism)

The gods have not ordained that humans die of hunger; even to the well-fed man death comes in many shapes. The wealth of the generous man never wastes away, but the niggard has none to console him. He who, possessed of food, hardens his heart against the weak man, hungry and suffering, who comes to him for help, though of old he helped him— surely he finds none to console him. He is liberal who gives to anyone who asks for alms, to the homeless, distressed man who seeks food; success comes to him in the challenge of battle, and for future conflicts he makes an ally. He is no friend who does not give to a friend, to a comrade who comes imploring for food; let him leave such a man—his is not a home— and rather seek a stranger who brings him comfort. Let the rich man satisfy one who seeks help; and let him look upon the long view: For wealth revolves like the wheels of a chariot, coming now to one, now to another. In vain does the mean man acquire food; it is—I speak the truth—verily his death; he who does not cherish a comrade or a friend, who eats all alone, is all sin. Rig Veda 10.117.1-6 (Hinduism)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Parents suffer when one of their children are sick. When one of your siblings is hurt, you feel pain.

When seeing people suffering from poverty or war, a saint feels their suffering more intensely than his own difficulties. Forgetting his own circumstances, he gives all he has to help them.

This way has been bequeathed as the standard of morality the world over, in all ages and nations. It is the philanthropic spirit, the love for humanity. (186:74-75, January 29, 1989)

When you see gaunt children playing on the street, underfed and wearing tattered clothes, you should hug and embrace them as you would your own children. You should feel ashamed if you do not want to do that.

You should feel more shameful than would a parent who abandoned her child feel should she catch a glimpse of him on the street. Seeing him as she passes by the town, where years before she had left him on a doorstep or perhaps in the care of a nanny, she cannot hold up her head.

That is the bond of heart. If your own children were that gaunt, wouldn’t you embrace them and shed tears until your bones melt? (46:281, August 17, 1971)

While walking on the street, if you see an old man with a hump in his back you should think, “My Father might have such an appearance when He visits me.” When you see the rough and swollen hands of a laborer, you should think, “My Father who is searching for me might look worse than him.”

When you meet a beggar, you should be able to bow your head, thinking, “He is not a beggar, but my Father.” Know that God’s heart dwells in each of these miserable and pitiful-looking people. You should love them, regardless of your situation and social position, shedding tears with the heart that each of them is your own father. Only then, can you meet God. (8:345-46, February 28, 1960)

At lunchtime, if you should see an elderly person who is in distress because he does not have enough money to buy food, take him with you to the cafeteria and treat him to a good meal. Serve him as you would serve your grandparents. (215:109, February 6, 1991)

I cannot forget those who visited me when I was lonely in prison and comforted me in my miserable plight. I might forget about my family members or relatives, but never those who sought me because of the bonds of true love. (63:208, October 14, 1972)

Once I rescued a prostitute, a young girl who had fallen into that pitiful situation. I loved her as my own sister; I remember it as if it were yesterday. After listening to her story, I wept with her and truly uplifted her. That kind of deed is greater and more precious than prayer. (May 1, 1977)

I have studied the ocean industry because I know it is a way to feed the starving people of Africa. For twenty years, steadfast, without letting up, I have worked hard to pave this road. I made my own nets, built boats in my own factories, and created my own methods of fishing.

The waters off Africa have an abundance of fish. If only the people of Africa could harvest them, they would have food to spare. How then could they possibly die of starvation?… Sixty thousand people starve to death every year, mostly in Africa. Ask your own conscience.

These people are starving due to the want of food, whereas here in America you eat so much that you become as plump as a cow and then have to work hard dieting and exercising to reduce that weight. Should you not be punished by God? (261:307, July 24, 1994)

The Manner of Giving Charity

A kind word with forgiveness is better than charity followed by injury; God is Self-sufficient and forbearing. O you who believe, do not make your charity worthless by reproach and injury, like him who spends his wealth to be seen by men. Qur’an 2.263-64

One should give even from a scanty store to him who asks. Dhammapada 224 (Buddhism)

Even a poor man who himself subsists on charity should give charity. Talmud, Gittin 7b (Judaism)

He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise. Luke 3.11

When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6.3-4

Enlightening beings are magnanimous givers, bestowing whatever they have with equanimity, without regret, without hoping for reward, without seeking honor, without coveting material benefits, but only to rescue and safeguard all living beings. Garland Sutra 21 (Buddhism)

O you who believe, give of the good things which you have earned, and of the fruits of the earth which We have produced for you, and do not aim at getting anything bad for the purpose of giving it away, when you would not take it for yourselves save with disdain… If you publish your almsgiving, it is well, but if you hide it and give it to the poor, it will be better for you, and will atone for some of your ill-deeds. God is Informed of what you do… [Alms are] for the poor who are straitened for the cause of God, who cannot travel in the land [for trade]. The unthinking man accounts them free from want because of their restraint. You shall know them by their mark: They do not beg of men with importunity. And whatever good things you give, surely God knows it. Qur’an 2.267-73

And in their wealth and possessions, they remembered the right of those [needy] who asked and those who [for some reason] were prevented from asking. Qur’an 51.19

The highest degree of charity—above which there is no higher—is he who strengthens the hand of his poor fellow Jew and gives him a gift or [interest-free] loan or enters into a business partnership with the poor person. By this partnership the poor man is really being strengthened as the Torah commands in order to strengthen him till he is able to be independent and no longer dependent on the public purse. It is thus written, “Strengthen him [the poor person] so that he does not fall and become dependent on others” (Leviticus 25:35).

A lower standard of charity is one in which the benefactor has no knowledge of the recipient and the latter has no knowledge of the individual source of charity—“giving in secret.” This is practicing the mitzvah of charity for the sake of the mitzvah.28 Such charity is like the courtyard in the [ancient] Temple where the righteous used to place their donations secretly and the poor would benefit from them in secret. Similar to this secret courtyard is the act of one who puts his money into the charity box. Below this rank is the case where the recipient is known to the benefactor but the latter is unaware of the source of the charity. This is what the sages used to do when they would go in secret and place their gifts at the door of the poor. It is fitting to do this and be meritorious in those cases where the officials in charge of the communal charity do not behave righteously. Where the recipient is aware of the source of the charity but the giver does not know to whom the money is being given, the degree is lower. Yet, there is merit since the poor are saved from direct shame. Of less merit is charity where both are known to each other but the gift is made before the poor asks for it. Of lower degree is where one gives charity after being asked for it. Lower still is one who gives less than what is fitting but with good grace, and least of all is one who gives unwillingly. Maimonides, Mishneh Torah: The 8 Degrees of Charity (Judaism)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
When you meet a poor person and give him alms out of sympathy, never say, “Hey, you are a young fellow who can work. What’s the matter with you?”

I suggest you say to him, “Though it is but a small token, if you revere it highly you will receive many blessings in the future.”29 You can say this to everyone to whom you give alms. (127:89, May 5, 1983)

When you offer your substance to build the Kingdom of Heaven, do not think that you are offering what belongs to you; think that your offering already belongs to Heaven.

Likewise, when you give to others, do not think that you are giving to them out of your own pocket. Give with the mind that it comes from the treasury of Heaven.

The person receiving it will know your mind; thus he will recognize that he is actually receiving from God. Then God will take note and return it to you ten times over. (102:119-20, November 27, 1978)

The most excellent giving is to give generously to others although you yourself are in want. (Way of God’s Will 2.2)

Our mind urges our body to help the poor and sacrifice for others, even though we may be going through hardships of our own. (41:60, February 13, 1971)

It is said, “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” If you lend ten thousand dollars to someone and then remember it with added interest, you cannot be an owner of the Kingdom of God.

You should forget about the money you lent. When parents raise children, do they remember how much money they spent for their care? Do they tally up a bill and present it to their grown children, demanding payment with interest?

No, a parent’s heart is to forgive and forget it all. Moreover, after forgetting what they have given, parents are anxious that they could not have given something better. (36:85, November 15, 1970)

When I was a student in Seoul, my home was outside the city, in Huk Suk Dong.

For a nickel, I could ride a streetcar to school. The ride took only a short time, while on foot the journey took over an hour.

Every day I walked, to save that nickel to give to some needy person on the street. By the time I came home, the nickel was gone, not to the train conductor but to a needy person. (244:25, January 29, 1993)

I observed the beggars closely; there were many on the street by the Noryangjin Station and the Hwasin Department Store. As I walked, I would quickly distinguish the old ones from the young ones.

I would not give to the young ones; I only gave to those who were handicapped, blind or elderly. Likewise when you give alms, give to those who truly need it. (50:308, November 8, 1971)