Simplicity (Summer 2026)
The Summer 2026 Simplicity from Norfolk Catholic Worker in Virginia shares A Times Mosaic, a series of reflections on current events; A profile of Ben Salmon, WWI conscientious objector; and the lecture “The Church: Fold of Lambs or Pack of Wolves?” by Fr. Emmanuel Charles McCarthy
Simplicity is the newsletter of Norfolk Catholic Worker in Norfolk, Virginia.
From “A Times Mosaic” in the Summer 2026 Issue:
Many of our friends who join us for breakfast on the street offer their thanks, and the correct response to that gratitude is something that often occupies my mind. A simple “You’re welcome” hardly seems sufficient. I want to thank them as well.
When I was studying Judaism, I learned that within that context, charity is not something to be done merely from a feeling of pity, or even compassion. God commands the giving of tzedakah; it is a holy obligation. It is taught then that those who ask for charity do a good deed, by giving those they ask the opportunity to fulfill a commandment. And so I chose to, in turn, thank those who thanked me for giving. “Thank you, for being here.”
As I spent more time serving our friends, though, I began to feel that there was still something I wasn’t quite getting right in my thinking about this. This exchange of gratitude felt transactional.
But digging deeper, there’s more to that term, tzedakah. It has at its heart a root word meaning justice or righteousness. And as a vector of justice, not merely pity, giving becomes for us a balancing of the scales, an act of proper distribution. We do not stoop to give; we invite our friends to their fair place at the table. Now I say, “Thanks for joining us.”
It’s what one might say to any guest with whom we’ve shared a meal, or just a hot cup of coffee or cool slice of watermelon. ~Anna Jancewicz
Read or download the full issue below:
