Church grateful to UN for International Day of Charity in memory of Mother Teresa
September 06, 2013 - “The Catholic Church is grateful that an International Day of
Charity is introduced for the first time into the calendar of the United Nations in
memory of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Honouring her person, life and legacy also means
recognizing the innumerable charitable works the Catholic Church carries out daily
in favour of the poorest of the poor, ever faithful to the commandment and example
of her Founder. The Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations in New York,
Indian Archbishop Francis Chullikatt made the statement in a press release on Thursday,
as the UN marked its first International Day of Charity on the 16th death
anniversary of saintly nun who died on Sept. 5, 1997. Instituted by the UN last December,
the day was marked with a special event in New York on Thursday. Explaining the
Christian notion of charity, Archbishop Chullikatt said, “We are proud to commemorate
this day as an act of recognition and esteem on the part of the international community
for the service and dedication of countless individuals, Catholic organizations and
religious men and women, who like Blessed Mother Teresa, have brought the light of
their selfless love to those in need.” The prelate noted that the Catholic Church
is the world’s largest non-governmental provider of education and health service delivering
no less than 26% of the world's health care. “So many Catholic charitable organizations,”
he said, “work indefatigably for humanitarian relief and development throughout the
poorest regions of the world. UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon welcomed the first
observance of the International Day of Charity in memory of Mother Teresa, whose life
and good works for some of the human family’s poorest and most vulnerable members
inspired emulation across the world. On the day the UN encourages charity through
education and awareness-raising activities.
Below is the full text of Arbhbishop
Francis Chullikatt's press release:
ON THE CHRISTIAN NOTION OF CHARITY Thoughts
for the International Day of Charity Despite tremendous progress in science and
technology, countless millions continue to endure various forms of poverty, not only
material but also – and increasingly – spiritual. Thanks in large measure to the means
of social communication, the plight of the poor and suffering is no longer a distant
cry for help but one that reaches the attentions of many. A growing sensitivity to
those in need and a willingness to respond is becoming universally perceptible. This
heightened solidarity with the less fortunate and desire to share in their situations
and difficulties is heartily to be welcomed. Two reasons for this increase in solidarity
on the part of so many people and organizations engaged in charitable works were identified
by Pope Benedict XVI. First among these is the innate desire in every human being
to love and be loved. This urge to love is inscribed in the nature of everyone, regardless
of their religion. Ultimately, it is love, in all its multifaceted shades, that drives
or animates us in all of our activity. The second reason is more explicitly religious,
for it is the Christian impulse in the world which “constantly revives and acts out
this imperative, so often profoundly obscured in the course of time" (DCE n. 31). With
its deeper understanding of love, Christianity has made significant contributions
to the culture of humanity. The ancients interpreted love either as eros, a self-seeking
impulse, or alternatively, as philia, a sentiment characteristic of friendship. The
Christian understanding of a God-who-is-love reveals how each human being has love
as his very raison d’être and requires in response that this love be transformed into
its highest form, agape, namely: the gift of self to the other. This notion of love,
accordingly, no longer is satisfied with self-seeking (eros) or even reciprocity (philia),
but demands true concern for the other – even a For more information about the
Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations, please visit
www.holyseemission.org, which also contains links to the Holy See Press Office. willingness
to sacrifice one’s own self for the other. The novelty of this Christian notion of
love (caritas) is found in the figure of Christ crucified: the one who holds back
not even his own life for the sake of the world. From the beginning, the Church,
following the instruction and example of her Founder, and in His name, has never wavered
in tendering whatever material and spiritual comfort she could offer to the poor and
suffering. For, beyond the merely pragmatic (or philanthropic) aspect of helping one's
neighbor, the Church seeks more profoundly to manifest to the world God's enduring
love for humanity. Few are those who are not moved when confronted with the suffering
neighbor; but fewer yet are those who grasp that Christian charity pursues a meaning
that supersedes the risk of paternalism inherent in philanthropy. Charity manifests
a truer sense of care and compassion, communicating authentic love to the poor and
suffering, since it stems not from excess or return but from the very sacrifice of
self. In the exercise of Christian charity, the Church gives on what she has herself
received from God. This Christian notion of charity, furthermore, is authentically
at the service of integral human development. Charitable activities in our times require
from their agencies both high degrees of professionalism and constantly enhancing
and empowering structures. Whereas this is, doubtless, necessary, it is scarcely of
itself sufficient. Dealing with transcendent human beings means grappling with actual
persons who always need something more than merely technical assistance or philanthropic
care. People cannot be compartmentalized into their constituent parts: public or private,
physical or psychological, earthly or heavenly, religious or secular. Rather, each
person can only truly be seen in their wholeness and integrity. Only a holistic approach
to the person permits of solutions to the root causes of their problems and helps
them develop fully in their corporeal and incorporeal dimensions. Countless men
and women throughout the history of the Church have given witness to an heroic degree
of selfless love toward their neighbors. The Church is particularly happy that
the international community, by designating precisely September 5th as the first International
Day of Charity, wishes to recognize the extraordinary witness of charity exemplified
in For more information about the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to
the United Nations, please visit www.holyseemission.org, which also contains links
to the Holy See Press Office. recent times by Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
The motivation and reason for the Church’s mission of charity is none other than Jesus
Christ Himself, and the desire to bear witness to His love. In her tireless work for
the poor and the outcast this was also Blessed Mother Teresa's inspiration and strength.
Her life’s witness of love derived from what Christ taught. In the service of charity,
Mother Teresa sought not merely to provide humanitarian relief or to change social
structures. As she clearly stated at her Nobel Lecture: "We are not just social workers.
We may be doing social work in the eyes of the people, but we are really contemplatives
in the heart of the world, for we are touching the Body of Christ twenty-four hours"
(December 11, 1979). Her life and example continue to challenge the Church’s charitable
organizations to be faithful to their specific identity and in their work to always
defend and promote life. The Catholic Church is grateful that an International
Day of Charity is introduced for the first time into the calendar of the United Nations
in memory of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Honoring her person, life and legacy also
means recognizing the innumerable charitable works the Catholic Church carries out
daily in favor of the poorest of the poor, ever faithful to the commandment and example
of her Founder. In fact, the Catholic Church remains the world’s largest non-governmental
provider of education and health service delivering no less than 26% of the world's
health care. So many Catholic charitable organizations work indefatigably for humanitarian
relief and development throughout the poorest regions of the world. We are proud
to commemorate this day as an act of recognition and esteem on the part of the international
community for the service and dedication of countless individuals, Catholic organizations
and religious men and women, who like Blessed Mother Teresa, have brought the light
of their selfless love to those in need.