FAUSTO GOMEZ, OP
What is charity?Charity, or divine love in us, is the virtue among virtues and the theological virtue of love.
There are four meanings of the word love: stonge (family love), eros (passionate sexual love), philia (affective, friendly love) and agape (unconditional, total benevolence and good will that excludes, thanks to God’s grace, anger and bitterness (cf. W. Barclay, In Mt 5:45-48). We speak here of a love which is philia and agape. (Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est).
Charity is a gift of God (Rom 5:5) through Jesus (Jn 3:16), who is the highest revelation of God’s love. It is one love: love of God and love of neighbour, and not one without the other (1 Jn 4:21). Charity, then, is also directed to the neighbour – to all neighbours. “If man does not love his neighbour neither does he love God” (Saint Thomas Aquinas).
Charity, divine love in our hearts, therefore, has two sides: love of God and love of neighbour. The first – and more fundamental side – is love of God. Both are one love; they fertilize each other. When one grows, the other grows, too. I love the Circle of Love of St. Doroteo de Gaza (6th Century). The world is a circle and in the centre of the circle is God. The rays that go to the centre represent the different ways men and women live their lives – far from or close to God and neighbour. The closer one is to God, the closer he or she is to neighbour; and, vice-versa, the closer one is to neighbour, the closer he or she is to God (see his Spiritual Instructions).
God is love. Our love of God is the law of our life. God created us. He maintains us alive. He accompanies us on our earthly pilgrimage to eternal life
Jesus, the Master and Modelof charity, is the Son of God and a Man-for-others. Moreover, as we all know, the commandment of love is the new commandment of the Gospel.
Love gives meaning to life, to freedom: freedom is the power to love. Human life is a web of relationships to others: to God (the eternal Thou), to other human beings (who are not it, or nobody, or just he/she but Thou), and to creation. Love is lived in the practice of virtues, which are mediations of love. Truly, “I only exist in the measure I exist for others, for – after all – to live is to love” (E. Mounier).
Charity is another name for Christian love. It is really the value and virtue of Christian ethics: “The perfection of the Christian life consists simply in charity; in the other virtues relatively…” (St. Thomas Aquinas). In Christian tradition, charity is infused by God and is considered “the form” of all virtues – mother and root and giver of the end to all virtues (II-II, 23, 8; cf. CCC, 25): Charity orders all the acts of all virtues to the last end and gives “form” to all the acts of virtues). I remember the words of St. John of the Cross: “Without charity, no virtue is grateful before God” (Noche oscura).
Charity is the virtue that gives a new sight – the sight of the heart – to all the virtues. Pope Benedict XVI says that the Christian’s program of life, which is Jesus’ program, the Good Samaritan program is “a heart which sees.” And the German Pope adds: “This heart sees where love is needed and acts accordingly” (DCE 31).
Charity depends of and is rooted on grace. It is a “supernatural” virtue in the sense that it is above nature, above our natural capacity, and given as gift by the Holy Spirit, who distributes his gifts. On the contrary, grave or mortal sin is an act against charity and as a consequence charity is lost. God withdraws charity from the sinner who commits grave sin, which when confessed with sorrowful repentance is forgiven, and charity, the other infused virtues and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit ccome back.
A free gift from God, charity is primarily friendship:“the friendship of God with man” (STh, II-II, 23) – true friendship but imperfect friendship. Charity is joyful, peaceful and merciful (3 effects of charity). Like faith and hope, charity prays. Interesting to underline that prayer – as defined by the master of prayer, St. Teresa of Avila – is friendship, which means spending much time with the Oone we know that loves us. Our love of God – God’s gift to us – is, above all, practice of prayer, including the practice of silence. God listens to the sound of silence.
The primary object of the theological virtue of charity is God. The secondary object – not separated from the primary – is ourselves, all other human beings – the needy in particular -, and God’s creation (cf. 1 Jn 13;34; 1 Cor 13:1). Charity distinguished a true Christian: “You are Christians and that very name means that you believe in charity. You must imitate the charity and love of Christ” (Asterius of Amasea).
Charity is expressed by good acts, which are “integral part of having the virtue” to the point that “one cannot have charity without living charity” (Meghan J. Clark). The most proper act of charity is to love, – and not, to be loved. The principal act of loving (delectation) is acted or lived in its consequent acts of joy, peace and mercy.
The main act of charity is also lived in its external effects: beneficence, almsgiving and fraternal correction. While beneficence and almsgiving are external effects, mercy as love of needy neighbor is an internal effect of charity (Meghan J. Clark, “Love of God and Neighbor: Living Charity in Aquinas’ Ethics,” New Blackfriars, July 2011).
God is a lover and so must we, called to be saints: lovers! “To be a saint is to be a lover, ready to leave all, to give all” (Dorothy Day).
It is never late to love: “Love has no age; it is born every day” (Pascal). Tomorrow is late – it never comes! -, so let us begin to love today, or love more. And remember the inspiring saying of St. John of the Cross:
IN THE EVENING OF LIFE [OF EVERYDAY] WE SHALL BE EXAMINED ON LOVE
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