charity and faith - Tuesday 3rd week of Lent

Charity, the third and the greatest of the theological virtues is a virtue given to us by God so that we can love God above all things and love others.  Charity is different from just simply loving because charity is loving God for God’s own sake and it is loving others for God’s own sake.  Charity therefore presupposes faith in God.  Jesus was referring to charity when in the beatitudes he said “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.

Love coming from our emotions cannot forgive, only charity can forgive.  Love coming from our emotions cannot love again kon nadudla ka na, kon natuntuhan ka nanaman.  There is a limit to human loving.  Only charity can make us love truly because it is a loving which is underlined by faith. 

The catholic church through the years has helped us to practice charity by giving us a list.  In fact there are two lists so that we can practice and therefore increase the virtue of charity in our hearts.  And what are these two lists.  They are, first, the corporal works of mercy, and second, the spiritual works of mercy.  The corporal works of mercy has 7 items.  It tells us to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, and to bury the dead. 

Then there is also the spiritual works of mercy which also lists 7 items, namely, to instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, admonish the sinners, comfort the sorrowful, bear wrongs patiently, forgive all injuries, pray for the living and the dead.

Of course loving cannot be limited to just these two lists.  Remember what Pope Gregory the Great said – charity can do great and difficult things.  But these lists help us to focus.  I remember sang una pirme ako ginapa-allocutio sa mga legion of Mary.  Ambot kon ang iban sang inyo miembro sang sian nga grupo.  They form themselves into small groups and then they meet every week.  Part of the meeting is praying especially the rosary, but also part of the meeting is to report on what they call substantial works.  Ginareport nila kon pila ka masakit ang ila ginbisitahan, kon pila ka badlis ang ila ginpatigayon, kon pila ang ila gintudlu-an nga magkonpesar, kon pila ang ila ginlaygayan ukon ginsaway, pila ang ila ginpatigayon nga mapakasal sa simbahan.  Kon kaisa masiling kita nga daw ka bata-bata, but this little structure helps them, keeps them conscious in the practice of charity as spelled out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

Today we celebrate the annunciation.  The angel announced to Mary that she would become the Mother of God.  In our second reading the letter to the Hebrews says that it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins.  Thus Christ came into the world so that he can offer his will in total obedience to the Father even till death.  Charity is not an exercise of the heart as symbolized by Valentine’s day.  Loving or charity is an exercise of the will.  Kabudlay pero ginbuot ko.  And that is what we also celebrate today in the Annunciation.  This is not just a celebration of the announcement of an angel.  This is also a celebration of Mary’s will to love, her will to serve, her will to become an instrument of the Father for the world’s salvation when she said, be it done to me.  May you also have not just the heart to love but the will, the resolve to love because that is what charity is.