The document explores the complex relationship between charity and justice in addressing homelessness, emphasizing the importance of both short-term and long-term solutions. It outlines three dimensions of justice according to Catholic social teaching and reflects on the role of power and the Christian witness in advocating for systemic change. A more effective response to homelessness is proposed through a model that integrates relationship-focused charity with justice actions.

1. The Challenge of
Homelessness:
Charity vs Justice

2. Key Terms that Come to Mind
Charity Justice
Short Term Long Term
Love Fairness
Help Equity
Giving Righting Wrongs
Giver/Recipient Entitlement
Money Systemic Causes
Assistance Justice Leads to Charity
Compassion Compassion
Symptoms

3. Standard Definitions

4. Standard Definitions
The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité"
which was derived from the Latin "caritas". Originally in Latin the word caritas meant
preciousness, dearness, high price...
...(T)he act of giving money, goods or time to the unfortunate,
..(T)he most obvious expression of the virtue of charity is giving the objects of it the means
they need to survive. (Wikipedia)

5. Standard Definitions
The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité"
which was derived from the Latin "caritas". Originally in Latin the word caritas meant
preciousness, dearness, high price...
...(T)he act of giving money, goods or time to the unfortunate,
..(T)he most obvious expression of the virtue of charity is giving the objects of it the means
they need to survive. (Wikipedia)
Catholic social teaching distinguishes three dimensions of basic justice: commutative
justice, distributive justice, and social justice
• Commutative justice calls for fundamental fairness in all agreements and exchanges
between individuals or private social groups
• Distributive justice requires that the allocation of income, wealth, and power in
society be evaluated in light of its effects on persons whose basic material needs are
unmet.
• Social justice implies that persons have an obligation to be active and productive
participants in the life of society and that society has a duty to enable them to
participate in this way.

6. Theological Reflection: “Doing Justice”
The link between justice and power:
“…what does it mean to say that ours is a God of
justice? ...Fundamentally, justice has to do with the
exercise of power. To say that God is a God of
justice is to say that (God) is a God who cares
about the right exercise of power or authority…
When power is exercised in a way that violates
those (right) standards we call it injustice.”
*Pages 71 and 72 in Good News about Injustice by Gary Haugin of the International Justice Mission

7. Theological Reflection: “Doing Justice”
Power and “Powers”

8. Theological Reflection: “Doing Justice”
Jesus’ Challenge to the “Power
System” (doing justice as challenge)
Key: Engaging in Symbolic Acts and “Telling
Stories” (Providing an Alternate Narrative)

9. Theological Reflection: “Doing Justice”
Jesus’ Challenge to the “Power
System” (doing justice as challenge)
Key: Engaging in Symbolic Acts and “Telling
Stories” (Providing an Alternate Narrative)
Oppressive
Structure or Symbolic Act New Narrative
System
Laws and Codes
• Healing on Sabbath • Humanity
• Writing in Sand • Forgiveness-not condemnation
Eating with sinners
Ritual (Purity) Restoration-not exclusion
(as a sinner)
Cleansing of the True faith not a “place” but a
Temple Religion
Temple Courts relationship

10. Theological Reflection: “Doing Justice”
The Challenge as “Witness”
John Howard Yoder’s The Christian Witness to the State

11. Theological Reflection: “Doing Justice”
The Challenge as “Witness”
John Howard Yoder’s The Christian Witness to the State
...the Christian accepts the powers that be and speaks to them in a corrective way.
...the Christian witness to the state will not be an imagined pattern of ideal society... An
ideal or even a “proper” society in a fallen world is by definition impossible. The
Christian speaks not of how to... seek to create the ideal society but of how the state
can best fulfill its responsibilities in a fallen society. The Christian witness will therefore
always express itself in terms of specific criticisms, addressed to given injustices in a
particular time and place, and specific suggestions for improvements to remedy the
identified abuse.

12. Theological Reflection: “Doing Justice”
The Challenge as “Witness”
John Howard Yoder’s The Christian Witness to the State
...the Christian accepts the powers that be and speaks to them in a corrective way.
...the Christian witness to the state will not be an imagined pattern of ideal society... An
ideal or even a “proper” society in a fallen world is by definition impossible. The
Christian speaks not of how to... seek to create the ideal society but of how the state
can best fulfill its responsibilities in a fallen society. The Christian witness will therefore
always express itself in terms of specific criticisms, addressed to given injustices in a
particular time and place, and specific suggestions for improvements to remedy the
identified abuse.
• The witness to the state must be representative of the church’s clear conviction...
• The witness of the church must be consistent with her own behavior. Only if she
herself is demonstrably and ethically working on a given problem does the church
have a right to speak to others...
• There should be no sense of a responsibility to “cover the field” with a full gamut of
statements of every kind of subject that be of any moral significance.

13. Theological Reflection: “Doing Justice”
The Key...
Matthew 9
Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching
in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the
kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind
of sickness.
Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them,
because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep
without a shepherd.
Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but
the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the
harvest to send out workers into His harvest."

14. A More Complete Model for
Thinking About Responding to the
Challenge of Homelessness

15. A More Complete Model for
Thinking About Responding to the
Challenge of Homelessness

16. A More Complete Model for
Thinking About Responding to the
Challenge of Homelessness
Charity

17. A More Complete Model for
Thinking About Responding to the
Challenge of Homelessness
Charity Justice

18. A More Complete Model for
Thinking About Responding to the
Challenge of Homelessness
Charity Justice

19. A More Complete Model for
Thinking About Responding to the
Challenge of Homelessness
Relationship-Focused
Charity Justice

20. A More Complete Model for
Thinking About Responding to the
Challenge of Homelessness
Relationship-Focused
Charity Justice
Service Distribution-Focused