Don’t shortchange charity

In 2021, Pope Francis used today, World Mental Health Day, to pray for those “affected by mental disorders and also the victims, often young, of suicide.” This June, Francis mentioned teen suicide again, decrying a “culture that leads young people to think that they are ‘losers.’” Francis also emphasized the basic human right to medical care and social services—so critical for mental health—but he also pointed to us individual Christians, who in our “haste” don’t often stop long enough to care for each other. “It is easy to delegate charity to others, yet the calling of every Christian”—according to Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan—“is to become personally involved.” His advice? Learn from Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, who said, “charity must not remain locked in the depths of one’s heart.”