Anything Under the Sun
On character change (3)
Let's now dwell on charity.
CHARITY
Charity is the virtue by which we love God above all things and love our neighbors as ourselves for the love of God. It is the highest of the theological virtues. Because - the practice of all other virtues is animated and inspired by charity.
St. Paul described it as - "charity is patient and kind, charity is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Charity does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable nor resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong but rejoices the right."
The basis of charity is the mandate of Jesus, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you" and "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved; abide in my love."
Here are some food for thought on charity:
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A story in Mountain Province runs: A traveler in the mountain saw on the way a guava tree with many fruits. He picked only one fruit. His companion asked him why only one fruit. He answered: "There are still many people following us who also like the fruit. Let us leave some for them."
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Pope John Paul II visited Agca, his would be assassin in the prison cell and forgave him.
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The more we indulge in soft living and pamper our bodies, the more rebellious they will become against the spirit. - St. Rita de Cascia.
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If everyone would take only according to his needs and leave the surplus to the needy, no one would be rich, no one poor , no one in misery. - St. Basil
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Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifices, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word, always doing the smallest thing right doing it all for love. - St. Therese de Lisieux.
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In China, during a famine, a neighbor came to a house to ask for food. The father of the house asked whether there was food and the mother answered, it was only good until tomorrow. Then the fathered ordered: "Give half of the food to the man. The father's child asked why he gave food to the man. The father answered: "What's the difference? Anyway, we will die the next day."
The opposite of Charity is greed which is a sin. In a retreat, a priest told this story: During the Last Judgment before the supreme Judge Jesus, a person is being judged. The Devil accused him of so many sins. The Guardian Angel of the man said: This is a matter of weighing the bad and the evil done by this man.
The devil presented witnesses to show the sins of man. The Guardian Angel also presented many, many more witnesses than those of the Devil. Among the witnesses of the Guardian were people who received charitable acts from the man.
So the more charitable acts we do, the more witnesses we will have during the Last Judgment Day to help us.