Santorum gave a fine answer about working on welfare reform in the 1990s because it helped people get jobs and escape the culture of dependency. He spoke of the dignity of work and the value and pride of people providing for their own families.

But as interesting as Santorum’s answer was, the question was revealing.
 What Williams was saying, and what countless people have said to me over the years as I’ve discussed politics and faith, is this: Don’t you think, as a Christian, that governments should be taking care of people?


The simple answer is no.
 Yes, governments may have a role when there are no other ways to help people but I would argue that it is un-Christian to turn first to the government. The Church still teaches, even if our schools and parishes do not, that as Catholics we are called to fulfil corporal works of mercy.
 Feed the hungry.
 Give drink to the thirsty.
Clothe the naked.
Shelter the homeless.
 Visit the sick.
 Visit those in prison.
Bury the dead.
We’ve surrendered most of that to the government. We are simply too busy to bother.
Aside from visiting the sick and those in prison, the rest are all covered today by government social programs.

While that may seem like advancement for society, it is far from advancement for our souls.
The Catholic Church teaches that we will enter heaven due to our faith and our works here on Earth. Jesus made that clear in Matthew 25 when He said, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”


You will note that Jesus did not say, “For I was hungry and you built an adequate wealth redistribution plan to feed me.”
No, He calls on each one of us to help our fellow man directly in whatever way we can.


Today, though, due to the lingering effects of the social Gospel message, it is assumed that if you are a serious Christian you must believe government is the answer to problems such as poverty. Go against that grain and you will be considered heartless, as Santorum is for his political allegiance.


Yet for all the promise and all the good intentions of those who pushed the social Gospel message, our government is less Christian than ever before. There is plenty of social but no Gospel whether at city hall, provincial legislatures or on Parliament Hill.


As Catholics, of whatever political stripe, we need to stop believing that government programs are the only answer to the problems we see in our communities. We need to start believing that we can be the answer, or that our parish, our Knights of Columbus Council or our Catholic Women’s League can become the catalyst to fix something.

(Brian Lilley is a newspaper columnist and TV host for Sun News Network.)