To me charity is anything you do that helps others. It is also
something that you did that you did not need to do. When you perform an act of
charity you should feel good knowing that you have done something good solely because
you are a good person. Personally I feel that I am not a very charitable
person. Up until now I have kept most of my possessions to myself and haven’t
really done anything that helps others. I have performed various acts of
service, but I haven’t really helped people on a consistent basis. I hope that
when I am older I will have the means to be very charitable. I hope to someday
become successful and then use my success to help the less fortunate. I suppose
that part of the reason why I haven’t been so charitable up until now is
because I feel that I lack the means to make much of an impact. Though any
little bit of charity is important, I want to make a larger impact.
According to Merton, charity is something
that we do that helps bring us closer to Christ. When we perform charity we are
not just helping the other person, we are also helping ourselves. Through
performing these acts we bring ourselves closer to living a life that Jesus
would want us to live.
Charity leads us to contemplation. For
when we are charitable we find our purpose or meaning in this life. Reflecting
on what we have done is a lot easier when we have lived a charitable life,
because living a life of charity allows us to be proud of the life that we have
lived.
Austin,
ReplyDeleteI agree and disagree with your idea of charity. I enjoyed the way you described charity in your own words at the beginning of the passage. I think there is a great deal of meaning if you perform gracious acts that are not required or expected of you. I agree that people who choose to be charitable are typically honest good people. However I disagree that you cannot make a big impact through charity at the present moment. Though college students may not be the wealthiest individuals, you can still perform small works of charity that will go a long ways. Furthermore, even donating time towards a charitable event is just as important as money.