Charity vs. Justice


Charity Justice
Charity = social service. Charity provides direct services like food, clothing, shelter. Justice = social change. Justice promotes social change in institutions or political structures.
Charity responds to immediate needs. Justice responds to long-term needs.
Charity is directed at the effects of injustice, its symptoms. Charity addresses problems that already exist. Otherwise put: LOVE MOPS UP. Justice is directed at the root causes of social problems. Justice addresses the underlying structures or causes of these problems. Otherwise put: JUSTICE TRIES TO MAKE SURE THE MESS ISN'T MADE TO BEGIN WITH.
Charity is private, individual acts. Justice is public, collective actions.
Examples of charity: homeless shelters, food shelves, clothing drives, emergency services. Examples of justice: legislative advocacy, changing policies and practices, political action.


(Source: Office for Social Justice, Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis.)