Choose a topic from Part 2B:
1. The object of charity, that towards which the act of charity is directed, is God, and our fellow men in God. Says St. John (I John 4:21): "This commandment we have from God, that he who loveth God love also his brother."
2. Charity is love and friendship. We have charity when we love God and neighbor, and wish for our neighbor the good of God's friendship. Thus, out of charity, we love charity itself.
3. We cannot wish to creatures less than man, that is, to irrational creatures, the "fellowship of everlasting happiness." Therefore we cannot love such creatures out of charity.
4. We are to love ourselves out of true charity. For our love of ourselves is the standard of the sort of love we must have for others. Says Holy Scripture (Levit. 19:18): "Love thy neighbor as thyself."
5. Even our body is to be loved out of charity, for it is God's creature to be used by reason in man's service of God. St. Paul says (Rom. 6:13): "Present . . . your members as instruments of justice unto God." We are not, however, to love the disorder of bodily tendencies which are the result in us of the primal fall.
6. We are to love our neighbor out of charity, even if hebe a sinner. We must hate sin, yet we must love the person whosins, wishing him repentance, pardon, and eternal life, forGod's sake.
7. Sinners do not love themselves truly. They love only anapparent good in themselves, and they love external and creaturalgoods as things worth having for their own sake. And thus sinnersmiss the goal of charity which is endless happiness in God.Sinners, therefore, do not love themselves, for, as Holy Writ tellsus (Psalm 10): "He that loveth iniquity, hateth his ownsoul."
8. We have the direct command of our Lord that we are tolove our enemies. In St. Matthew (5:44) we read: "Love yourenemies: do good to them that hate you: pray for them thatpersecute and calumniate you."
9. We must, therefore, love our enemies in general, and wemust also be ready, if God wills to put opportunity in our way, toshow them, as individuals, the signs and offices of love.
10. We are to love God's angels out of charity, for wehope to share with them "the fellowship of everlastinghappiness"; this expectation is an element in the friendshipcalled charity.
11. The fallen angels, that is, the demons in hell, cannotshare the "fellowship of everlasting happiness," andtherefore they are outside the scope of charity.
12. St. Augustine (De Doct. Christ. i) says:"There are four things to be loved: one is above us, God;another is ourselves; a third is near us, our neighbor; a fourth isbelow us, our body."
"Lord, take from me everything that hinders me from going to You. give me all that will lead me to You. Take me from myself and give me to Yourself."
St Nicholas Flue
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"Let persons in the world sanctify themselves in their own houses, for neither the court, professions, or labour, are any hindrance to the service of God."
St Philip Neri
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"Though the path is plain and smooth for people of good will, those who walk it will not travel far, and will do so only with difficulty if they do not have good feet, courage, and tenacity of spirit.
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St John of the Cross, OCD - Doctor of the Church
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