Charity as a Social Principle
No society can survive without justice; and yet for society it is even more important to have charity, which goes beyond justice without destroying it. Justice founds society, charity nurtures it; one is the brain, the other is the heart; one is the skeleton, the other is the blood.
Rome with its law became highly developed in the evolution of civilization: give to each what belongs to each. But it did not reach Christ, who says: give to the others also what is your own.
Justice says: do not rob others’ things. Charity suggests: give your things to those who need them. That is, with justice we give to others what is theirs; with charity we give them also what is ours.
Hence it is not only the re-establishment of a pre-existing or presupposed equilibrium, but its growth and betterment, going towards an equity that law does not achieve. An employer who gives to a worker the payment agreed upon, remains within the bounds of justice; but if, in addition to a salary insufficient to keep a family, more were given than had been agreed upon, then the employer would enter into charity. It does not take away; but it adds. In law, as it has been codified and understood, you can die starved and abandoned. But not in charity: so long as there is someone who eats and lives, such persons give their own bread and also their help to others. And if the force of justice coldly keeps people in their place, like things in a pigeon-hole, the force of charity binds them together in a family-like solidarity, smashing divisive cliques and circulating warmth and smiles.
A spreading and cohesive force, richer and more nurturing than justice, charity is not content to keep persons in their place in the world. It tends to make a place in the world for everyone – a family – always open and ready to recreate the source of life and hope.
Therefore, while justice has been represented with scales in hand and blindfolded eyes, charity has its eyes wide open to see also where the gaze of the distracted and the happy does not penetrate. And it does not measure what it gives, and offers, with open hands, without thinking too much about what is deserved by the person – the brother or sister – it is giving to.
This service, this doing all one can for one’s brothers and sisters, this handing over to them our goods, our energy and our lifeblood, to the extent that our life becomes their life, usually, in Christian identification, is a service given, through our brothers and sisters, to Christ himself. And because of the reversibility of the Mystical Body, it is a service, the most the true, the most outstanding, that we give to ourselves. The father serves his children, the citizen servers the community, the priest serves the faithful, the one who commands serves the one who obeys, and so on; and we are all served by Christ who gives his life for all.
This love is born within the order of grace. But it does not stop there. We are Christians, we are brothers and sisters, we are in the Church, always. Hence every society, civil and economic too, if composed of Christians, is included in this circle of the divine, and gains from it. Living by charity simplifies one’s own human problems and helps in solving the eternal problems.
This is charity seen as the great social virtue. And Christ is a debtor who pays a hundred to one. He can give eternity for modest – perhaps even soiled – bill of credit.
La società cristiana, Città Nuova: Rome, 2010, pp.98-101.
Ruski Krstur (Voivodina) is a small town of about 4000 inhabitants, in the heart of the Ruthene ethnic minority in Serbia. It is an agricultural region, impoverished by war. As government subsidies have been withdrawn, emigration has grown hugely, particularly to Canada. In this place, however, a group of young people had no wish to leave their village. With great commitment they struggled, and managed, to build a future for themselves and for many others. This is their story. In the 90s two entrepreneurs, Slavko Rac and Janko Katona (who were already in business) decided to open an ice cream kiosk. They were successful and opened a second kiosk in another town, giving work to six other young people. But things did not stop there. An agricultural firm, called Juarbis, was set up and it grew rapidly as a result of State development investment. By 2008 it had 40 employees and was the leading business of its kind in the region. ‘But we hit problems again,’ said Marija Majher, the current director of Juarbis, ‘and in 2009, with a drop in milk production, the firm lost the largest part of its income. It was a tough blow. Nonetheless, we really get on well with another in our group. We’ve been working together for 10 years and we were determined to get through this together. In the last few years we have tried to keep the lines of communication open with our 500 contacts, who supply us with milk and agricultural produce. The inspiration for our business model is the ‘art of loving’, which is rooted in the Gospel, as proposed by Chiara Lubich. It has meant that we have built profound, living relationships with others.’ Building upon Chiara’s intuition about sharing the business’s profits three ways, apart from creating new jobs, the firm has promoted the ‘culture of giving’ and communion. This has given rise to educational and cultural initiatives in the town and last, but not least, there have been direct interventions in emergency situations, giving practical help and setting up development projects. ‘To our surprise,’ Marija Majher went on to say, ‘two of us were elected with large majorities in the local elections. This has been an opportunity to do something more for our people, whose poverty and suffering we know personally so well. It has led us, once again, to Chiara’s experience in Trent after World War 2, where she was trying to solve the social problems of the city, beginning with the destitute and drawing in the whole of the community. In a similar way our three firms, and some of our friends from the local Caritas, are trying to sponsor activities all over the town, such as ecological projects or collecting wood to heat the homes of people who are sick or elderly. These very people, those who are sick or elderly, have taken part in weekly get-togethers for conversation and entertainment, and we try to help them in other ways, for instance, taking them to medical appointments. A project that as yet is still a dream is to use the expanses of abandoned land around many of their houses to build a care home that truly meets their needs. We have also taken children and young people into consideration by running workshops for journalism, acting, cookery, decoration. These are extremely animated with games and parties. The family is always at the core of our activity, and we have done some special projects for some whose houses have suffered as a result of fire, and for others we have paid for their electricity and, for one particularly large family, we bought a washing machine. The ‘Family for Family’ project was proposed to the entire local community, as a way of putting our strengths and our capacities at thedisposal of others, so that we can help one another mutually.’
My name is Magued and I grew up in a Christian family. When I was three my mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. This illness progressed until she was paralysed and blind. From when I was small I learned how to help her together with my dad, my brother and my sister. I dreamed that my mum would get well again, and be like my friends’ mothers, but as time passed I realised that this was not to be.
One evening a few months ago my sister phoned me when I was out with my friends, and asked me to come back because she did not feel well. I went home and sat beside her and we began to pray together. We were not used to doing this but it was as though a voice said to me: “pray with her Magued.” A little while later she felt worse, she leant her head on me and passed away.
On 13 September 2012 the annual meeting for 300 delegates of the Focolare Movement from around the world began with a welcoming speech by president 
“If each one of us were to share with at least five other young people what we have lived during these days in Budapest, then perhaps we really could change the world.” This was courageously spoken by one Palestinian Muslim from Jerusalem who then concluded: “Don’t forget to pray for the situation in Palestine.” His words were echoed by an Algerian, also a Muslim: “If it was possible to live these days with young people of so many ethnic groups, cultures, languages and religions, then it can also be done in the places we live.” These words were spoken on the last morning of the Genfest, which was dedicated to 
For the faithful of other religions an alternative program was provided which allowed them to meet for sharing experiences of their commitment to dialogue in everyday life. This interreligious gathering really took the hearts and minds of all who attended. It turned out to be quite a special moment that strengthened the bridges amidst the diversity of religions and cultures. The moderators of the assembly included an Algerian Muslim, a Japanese Buddhist and a Jordanian Christian.