Karl Marx had said that religion is the opium of the people. Marxism argued that the poor needed justice, not charity, insisting that when justice prevails, charity becomes redundant. Tongue in cheek, the late Chilean Jesuit, Alberto Hurtado, who spent his life assiduously working for the down and out, quipped: "Charity can be the opium of the rich".
Both statements are caustic reminders that Christianity has too often not lived up to its core values of loving God and loving one's neighbour. There is much more to love than mere sentimentality and the occasional inclination to donate some money to a charitable cause.
Charity Day, tomorrow, is an opportunity to reassess the true character of Christian charity.
In his first encyclical Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI sets the record straight. Both charity and justice are indispensable. Pope Benedict recognises the struggle for a just society as a political task and not the direct responsibility of the Church as an institution.
Yet, he insists that, through the purification of reason and through ethical formation, the Church has a great deal to offer towards the requirements of justice and their political realisation.
The wealth of the social teaching of the Church is witness to this commitment. The pursuit of justice and the common good is the responsibility of all Christians in the secular domain, each according to his competence and status.
Love for others will always be necessary, even in the most just society. The Pope appeals to the state to recognise the wealth of so many voluntary and Church-run organisations that have generously created and maintained initiatives to ameliorate the conditions of those in need, be they the elderly, the abandoned, the drug addicts, the handicapped or the refugees. Those who at some stage in their life required such services and found them readily available can attest to Christian solidarity in practice.
Thankfully, the Church in Malta has a rich history in reaching out to those in need through various organisations and agencies. Its homes for the elderly and young children have been run by religious orders, for many, many years. Human nature being what it is, hiccups there may have been and will be in the future but this takes away nothing from the valid contribution such organisations and agencies have always made to society.
Very often, the Church was also the first to recognise certain needs in the community and its example has served as a stimulus for society and the government to give their fair share of support.
A perfect example of such altruistic charitable endeavour was the setting up of residential homes for the handicapped in Siġġiewi by the late Mgr Mikiel Azzopardi. This project, which demands the support of numerous selfless volunteers and considerable amounts of recurrent expenditures, is a living example of divine providence and generosity.
An agency like Caritas, set up by the indefatigable Mgr Victor Grech, has been grappling for years with the new scourge of drug addiction and other manifest problems such as usury.
Likewise, Mgr Philip Calleja has tirelessly committed himself to helping refugees and migrants for many years. The Jesuit Refugee Service has also played an increasing role in coping with the desperate plight of these people.
These and so many other services that do not get much publicity depend on the continual disinterested support and commitment of numerous volunteers who find the time and energy to dedicate not only material aid but their very selves.
As so well expressed in Deus Caritas Est, "The increase in diversified organisations engaged in meeting various human needs is ultimately due to the fact that the command of love of neighbour is inscribed by the Creator in Man's very nature".
Charity Day should serve as an opportunity for all to examine any possibility we might have to give our own direct share in reaching out to those in need.