Charity

CHARITY: LOVING AS GOD
LOVES
As Christians, we are called
upon to meet needs in our
community and express God’s
love in ways that open doors
to share the Good News of
the Gospel. We are called to
sow love in the lives of others.
Showing a genuine concern
for the good of others, with
unselfish acts of kindness
such as: compassion, caring,
thoughtfulness, service, and
other humanitarian and noble
actions is what we call
CHARITY
CHARITY: THE
NEW
COMMANDMENT
“Now I give you a new
commandment: love one
another. Just as I have loved
you, you also must love one
another. By this everyone
will know that you are my
disciples, if you have love
for one another.”
- John 13:34-35
“You have heard that it was said: Love your
neighbor and hate your enemy. But this I tell you:
Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you, so that you may be children of
your Father in Heaven. For He makes His sun rise
on both the wicked and the good, and He gives
rain to both the just and the unjust. If you love
those who love you, what is unique about that?
Do not even tax collectors do as much? And if
you are friendly only to your friends, what is so
exceptional about that? Do not even the pagans
do as much? For your part, you shall be righteous
and perfect in the way your heavenly Father is
righteous and perfect.”
- Matthew 5:43-48
Charity is the Love of God, in which we
can participate. Charity is the highest
form of love, because it signifies the
unique selfless and sacrificial love God
gives to us and is expressed in our own
selfless love for others. By loving
selflessly, without expectation of
receiving, we can love as God loves.
• Charity teaches us to have a
Christ-like love for our
neighbors. This kind of love is
unconditional and by it, we can
reach out to our brothers and
sisters and help relieve any
physical, mental, moral or
spiritual needs they may have. It
also means wanting some good
for someone else. Examples of
this are the way all parents are
supposed to love their children,
the way Mother Teresa loved
the poor, or the way we are all
supposed to love our enemies. It
does not refer to concern for our
own enjoyment, but rather a
willingness to work for someone
else’s well-being.
What does the Church say about love as Jesus
does?
• Love. The life that is love in the Kingdom of God is first of all “not that
we have loved God, but that He has loved us and sent His Son as an
offering for our sins” (1 Jn 4:10). The basis for moral living, then, is not
our good intentions or efforts, but rather the incredible fact of God's
love for us. Now, since “God has loved us so, we must have the same
love for one another” (1 Jn 4:11), a love that is “forgiving” (cf. Eph
4:32), universal, “for all” (cf. 1 Thes 3:12), and necessary, for without
love we are merely “a noisy gong, a clanging cymbal” (cf. 1 Cor 13:1).
Two direct effects of this love are fellowship (koinonia) and service
(diakonia). Fulfilling the commandment “Love your neighbor as
yourself” (Rom 13:9) creates community fellowship, the “fellowship of
the Holy Spirit” (2 Cor 13:13). So too we bear one another's burdens
and serve “in all humility” (Acts 20:19), “in the newness of the Spirit”
(Rom 7:6).
• CFC 742
• Our moral tradition presents at least two significant ways of
exercising neighborly love. The first is the traditional
corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and the second is the
more general treatment of moral virtues (cf. CFC 970).
The Corporal
Works of
• Mercy
The corporal works of mercy are
drawn from St. Matthews account of
the Last Judgment—feed the hungry,
give drink to the thirsty, clothe the
naked, shelter the homeless, visit
those in prison, visit the sick, and bury
the dead. The basic source of this
merciful acts is not our own good
intentions but rather God's grace (cf.
CFC 972)
The Spiritual
Works of Mercy
• instruct the ignorant, advise the
sinner, counsel the doubtful,
comfort the sorrowful, bear
wrongs patiently, forgive all
injuries, and pray for the living
and the dead—are grounded on
Christ's teaching on fraternal
correction, (cf. CFC 975)
The ultimate means to
our joy is a focus not
on personal joy, but
on the joy, we give
God and one another
through charity and
love.

Charity

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CHARITY: LOVING AS GOD

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