Charity is the center and heart of the Church’s social doctrine. Every responsibility and commitment is derived from charity. This is synthesis of the entire law as Jesus teaches us. This is built in real substance of personal relationship with God and neighbor. This is a relationship that stems from the family and small groups to social, economic and political wellness. We know the condition to love God comes to us because HE himself is love and everything has origin in God’s love. All goodness in us is shaped by this reality and everything of and for love is directed towards God alone. As Jesus today reminds us that love of God and neighbor summarizes everything we can know from God’s commandments. Charity is the love we receive from God and give it out.
Love is a divine law that we have received. It is a measure for our actions. Every deed we do is measured by how much it correlates with this law of love, the reason St. Theresa of Child Jesus tells us whatever you do no matter small it is, do it with love. St. Augustine would tell us, “Love and do what you want,” because this love of charity cannot destroy. Loving God makes us possess him as we hear from scripture “whoever loves God possess God himself-whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him" (1Jn 4:16).
Put God First in Your Relationships
Loving God transforms us so we radiate the same love. It's like a star that obtains its light from the sun and radiates it to others. It glows for others. Loving God edifies us or makes us, in way, divinized. We share the very life of God. As we know as believers, we need to deny ourselves; not neglecting who we are-but surrendering oneself before the master. This calls us to abandon the negative conceptions of self-preservation or self-security and autonomy without recognizing how finite we are. St. Augustine, tells us, “Without grace of God we are prone into error.” Our love even of God Himself needs God first. Making God first in everything. This is the Spirit of Gratitude which in return builds charity towards the neighbor.
St. Pius X, (Pope from 1903-1914), who died in the beginning of WWI and whom we commemorate today, demonstrated love of neighbor by saving the poor, especially indigenous people in Peru. He even shared a relief commission to Messina in Italy after an earthquake, and sheltered refugees at his own expense. Unless Love begins from God, whatever we do might be for ourselves. Loving God makes our charity work bring its glory rather than fame and self-gratification.
For the Love of God
Love cannot be idle (St. Gregory). We know and see how lovers do great and impossible things for the ones they love. With possession of such love brings one into charitable acts to another. One opposes all that hurts for we know from Scripture, “All things work for good for those who love God (Rom 8:28). Sometimes, being overwhelmed may be part of love due to sacrifices we make for others, but the pleasantness and goodness that comes with such love is greater. At the end, the practice of Charity grants us happiness especially eternity since it fulfills our search of meaning and God, and as St. John of God tells us, “If a person is seeking God, His beloved (God) is seeking him much more.”
May we learn from St. Pius X the sacrificial love. May we ask God to increase our love for Him and our neighbors.
