“President Nelson Honored by Catholic Community Services”

The reason for the honor is the humanitarian service given by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-nelson-catholic-community-services

The Church and the Saints give a great deal of such service.  However, a certain class of critics (who may or may not do any such service themselves) typically have harsh words on the subject.  Here’s how it goes:

a.  If nothing is said about the Church giving humanitarian service

b.  That shows the Church to be nothing more than a soulless corporation that doesn’t care for the poor and the suffering and, thus, fails to follow the example of Christ (in whom the critic may or may not believe; whose actual historical existence the critic may even reject).

c.  If, however, something is said about the Church giving humanitarian service

d.  That shows the Church to be nothing more than a soulless corporation cultivating its corporate image and, thus, violating the teaching of Christ by boasting of its (ill-motivated) good works (which are actually performed by its members and not by the Church itself, which is thought somehow to exist independently, apart from its members)

e.  Whether on the basis of (b) or (c), the Church is to be condemned.

Fortunately, such perpetually jaundiced critics constitute a small and insignificant bunch.  Catholic Community Services of Utah (CCS) is far from alone in seeing the good that’s being done, partially because CCS itself is actually in the trenches, too.

Since I was a boy, I’ve seen it over and over again, among parents of members of my Boy Scout troop and my Little League team and in a host of other cases:  Some people step forward to help.  Many do not.  But a small group of others stand on the sideline to criticize the performance of those who’re actually doing the work.  Everybody has a role, I suppose.