And I'm going to try to prove it to you. We faithfully follow the letter of the law, but the spirit is not in us. The other day Madeline Murray, the famous atheist, appeared on a local television show. So-called Christians called in, one after the other, berating and condemning Mrs. Murray, calling down the wrath of God upon her, refusing to pray for her, and assigning her to hell. We congratulate ourselves for our charity when we give a small pittance out of our great abundance toward the crushing needs of the poor.
Charity demands more than justice.
And justice demands more than we are willing to give. When St. Francis was young, even before his conversion, he was generous. He used to send alms to the lepers even though they revolted him so much he could not bear to take it to them himself. Later, during his conversion, he finally overcame his revulsion, went to the lepers, gave all he had, embraced them, and kissed them. Then he knelt before them and asked their forgiveness for his earlier injustice to them.