Author: Nathaniel Slattery
Posted: Month of the Precious Blood, 1st Day, Year of Our Lord 2023
This is something of a sequel to my previous article on charity being dead from the world. At the time of that article, we were fairly happy to look for people to give charity to, and now we have the joy of the other side of things, which all in all is a much more comfortable place for me.
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary was driven from her home by her brother for giving away money to the poor. Of the magnanimity of her actions, and God’s good grace to add the martyrdom of exile to her crowns in Heaven, it is easy to read much material. However, when you study the lives of the saints, you can piece together also from the little details something of the life of Christendom and how we might be able to condition things around here to make it a little more meritorious and saintly. I noticed in her story that when able-bodied men would come for alms, she would always give them some useful labor. This was my policy in the past. I would ask for alms and offer to do work. And I do believe it is very good for the soul to seperate the provision of the body from the work of the hands, since a few simple internal exercises can turn everything into a heavenly reward. However, my hands are never unoccupied anymore. I have no idle amusements but for when the children are delightful to watch, and I fail to resist it; or else when I am visiting with someone and fail to control my vicious appetite for speech. So therefore, I no longer ask for alms in this fashion, because it makes people uncomfortable (see that previous article). Now, I just ask for work.
We are having another child, which adds to it. My wife struggles with her pregnancies and tends to need a lot of support. That, and the fact that I am here on the internet, means that I am asking for work such as editing, tabulating, etc., any kind of remote work. For folks nearby, I ask for menial labor.
Forgive me for the brevity of this. It is a delicious humilitation, but I simply cannot think of more to say. A rare thing for me. Ask anybody.
May the Lord reward you,
St Elizabeth of Hungary and St. Paul the Tentmaker, also those two shoemaking apostles in Gaul, pray for us,
Nathaniel Slattery
425-260-0902