A brief 30 second discussion during an hour-long podcast triggered this blog post. The podcast was discussing the Beatitudes within Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. The discussion was around solidarity versus charity. I had never considered the difference before and upon reflection, wow, what a game changer.
Charity is defined as both an organization set up to provide help and raise money for those in need as well as the voluntary act of providing, typically in the form of money, for those in need. Solidarity is defined as an agreement between, and support for, the members of a group based on community of interests, objectives, and standards.
Solidarity is a horizontal, reciprocal, and empowering approach that involves standing with, rather than above, those facing hardships. Whereas charity is a vertical top-down, ‘giver to receiver’ approach from a position of relative security, potentially maintaining distance between the giver and receiver. Charity maintains a hierarchy with the giver in control. Solidarity breaks down these hierarchies, fosters authentic participation and recognizes the dignity of all involved.
Charity provides temporary relief by addressing the symptoms, solidarity focuses on long-term systemic change by dismantling the root causes. The goal of charity is to provide aid. The goal of solidarity is to provide justice and systemic transformation. Charity can be inward-looking with accountability to donors; solidarity is always outward-looking with accountability to the community served.
Solidarity exceeds the private practice of doing good that charity offers; it embodies the responsibility of the community to make sure everyone has what they need, that everyone pursues a fair sense of justice for every other human being, and that everyone lives in right relationship with one another, creation, and God.
In essence, charity “gives”, while solidarity “stands with.” Charity is all that some can offer and the charity of treasure, as well as time and talent, is needed. Charity can keep things at bay. Solidarity gives a voice to affecting change. We can give this voice through prayer, advocacy, and amplifying. Prayer is a means to seek guidance, strength, and wisdom. Advocacy is “putting flesh on prayers” by engaging in civic responsibilities like contacting representatives, voting, and participating in community dialogue. Amplifying is elevating and expanding opportunities to share stories and solutions.
Solidarity mirrors Jesus as “Emmanuel” (God with us). Jesus did not just send aid and observe from a distance; He took on flesh and joined human suffering. He showed solidarity by becoming vulnerable. St. Paul calls attention to Jesus’ mentorship in Galatians 6:2, ” Bear one another’s burdens, and so you will fulfill the law of Christ.” This emphasizes mutual support rather than one-way assistance. To bear one another’s burdens is to serve our neighbor through love.
Paul also makes special note of solidarity in his first letter to the Corinthians (12:26) that “if one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.” In the Gospel of Matthew (25:40) we hear Jesus’ criterion of judgment will be the works of mercy treating the vulnerable, the “least of these,” with dignity as if they were Christ himself, rather than distant beneficiaries.
The Beatitudes, which are in both Matthew’s Gospel (Sermon on the Mount) and Luke’s Gospel (Sermon on the Plain), are the embodiment of solidarity. They place us in the story of our neighbor so that we can identify with their human experience. They shift our focus from individual virtue or personal reward to the social realities of suffering and injustice. They call communities to evaluate their faith by how they respond to poverty, exclusion, and oppression, and how they shape a vision of justice rooted in compassion and humility.
The word “Blessed” was used to praise the fortunate condition of persons who were believed to be favored with the blessings of God. By blessing the poor, the grieving, the meek, and those who hunger and thirst for justice, Jesus centers God’s concern for those harmed by unequal systems rather than for those who benefit from them. These sayings redefine “blessedness” not as comfort or success, but as solidarity with the marginalized.
Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount is written for a Jewish Christian community. Much of Jesus’s teaching is spiritualized, focusing on the Law and its interpretation, e.g. blessed are the poor in spirit. Luke’s Sermon on the Plain is written for a Gentile Christian community and Jesus’ teaching here, for me, hits closer to home as it is more real world, e.g. blessed are you who are poor. Luke’s blessings are paired with woes – woe to the rich, the full, those who laugh, and those of whom all speak well. The Sermon on the Plain is about a God who stands with the oppressed rather than the powerful.
The world tends to adore the rich and dehumanize the poor. We see proximity to wealth as opportunity and proximity to poverty as risk. We hope for the rich’s wealth to trickle down to us rather than for the poor’s struggles to drag us down. It is society’s affinity towards the rich that makes them powerful and society’s apathy towards the poor that keeps them oppressed.
To follow the Jesus of the Beatitudes today is to embrace a faith rooted in justice, compassion, and solidarity with those on the margins. To be called to inner transformation that leads to public action. Moving from charity to solidarity means moving from asking “How can I help?” to “How can we work together to change this?”
To stand in solidarity with the blessed is to share in their blessedness.
