Monthly Spiritual Message, February 2008
By Br. Carmel Flora OFM Cap
The Peace Prayer of St. Francis speaks, first of all, of the most important virtue of “Love of God and Love of our neighbour.” In this article, I am using the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and will be quoting from it as the best source of understanding and appreciation of Love, or Charity.
“Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things, for his own sake, and our neighbour as ourselves for the love of God. Jesus makes charity the ‘new commandment’. By loving his own ‘to the end’, he makes manifest the Father’s love which he receives. By loving one another, the disciples imitate the love of Jesus which they themselves receive. Whence Jesus says: ‘As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.” And again, ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.’
“Fruit of the Spirit and fullness of the Law, charity keeps the commandments of God and his Christ: ‘Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love’. Christ died out of love for us, while we were still ‘enemies.’ The Lord asks us to love as he does, even our enemies, to make ourselves the neighbour of those farthest away, and to love children and the poor as Christ himself. The apostle Paul has given an incomparable depiction of charity: ‘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 or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Charity bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.’
“‘If I have not charity’, says the Apostle, ‘I am nothing…I gain nothing. Charity is superior to all the virtues. It is the first of the theological virtues: ‘So faith, hope, charity abide, these three. But the greatest of these is charity.’ The practice of all the virtues is animated and inspired by charity, which ‘binds everything together in perfect harmony,’ it is the form of the virtues; it articulates and orders them among themselves; it is the source and goal of their Christian practice. Charity upholds and purifies our human ability to love, and raises it to the supernatural perfection of divine love.
“The practice of the moral life animated by charity gives to the Christian the spiritual freedom of the children of God. He no longer stands before God as slave, in servile fear, or as a mercenary looking for wages, but as a son responding to the love of him who ‘first loved us’. If we turn away from evil out of fear of punishment, we are in the position of slaves. If we pursue the enticement of wages,…we resemble mercenaries. Finally, if we obey for the sake of the good itself and out of love for him who commands,…we are in the position of children. The fruits of charity are joy, peace, and mercy; charity demands beneficence and fraternal correction; it is benevolence; it fosters reciprocity and remains disinterested and generous; it is friendship and communion. Love is itself the fulfilment of all our works. There is the goal, that is why we run toward it, and once we reach it, in it we shall find rest.”(End of quotes from the Catechism, n.1822-1829) .
One of the best ways of loving God and our neighbour more sincerely and deeply, is to reflect on the power of the Eucharist in our lives. One of the Secular Franciscans in the Fifteenth Century who showed his great appreciation of the Eucharist was Saint Thomas More. He was appointed Lord High Chancellor in the court of King Henry VIII. He participated in the Eucharist as often as was allowed in his times, and this did not go unnoticed.
Someone who thought this was not “politically correct” challenged him about it, saying that his high position was not compatible with such a display of Religion; that he had many and important things to do in his high state! St. Thomas answered this criticism with the words: “You are advancing the very reasons for the need of frequent Communion. If I am distracted because of the many duties of my position, holy Communion helps me to become recollected. If opportunities are offered to me each day to offend my God, I arm myself anew each time for the combat by the reception of the Eucharist. If I am in special need of light and prudence, in order to discharge my burdensome duties, I draw nigh to my Saviour and seek council and light from Him.”
We see the truth of his words as we consider what happened to him. He had the strength to oppose the King, who wanted his approval of a second marriage. Thomas refused to approve of what was already condemned by Rome, and he was thrown into prison. Neither the threats of the king nor the pleadings of his own wife could make him change his mind. They told him that he could save his life and live with them a little longer, and not abandon them now!
However, Thomas said: “Had you told me I could live a few thousand years, that might make a difference. But surely, even he would be a poor merchant, who would run the risk of losing an eternity for the sake of a thousand years.” How true are his words. How difficult it is to love truly as the Saints loved, as Jesus Himself loved when he endured the Cross!
Carmel Flora OFM Cap.
National Spiritual Assistant SFO – Oceania
