charity does great and difficult things - Tuesday 1st week of Lent

Today we come to third theological virtue, the greatest of the three theological virtues – charity.  Now what is charity?  Charity is a virtue given to us by God so that we can love God above all things for God’s own sake and love others for God’s own sake.  In the definition we did not just simply say loving God or loving others.  Rather we said loving for God’s own sake.  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.  It is a kind of loving that is borne in us because of our faith in God.  It is a loving that is the fruit of our faith in God.  You love not because the person is lovable, not because you are attracted to the person, not because you pity the person, not because naluoy ka, not because maayo sia, relihiyoso sia, catolico sia – no, rather, you love for God’s own sake. 

This is the reason why Pope Gregory the Great says that a man of charity does great and difficult things.  Why is it that one can do great and difficult things when one has charity – because you are loving not for loving’s sake but because of your faith in God.  You can do difficult things because you can love even if the feeling is no longer there, you can love even if this does not make sense anymore, you love even if you lose, even if you suffer, even if you will look funny to other people.  This is because you are loving not for loving’s sake but for God’s sake.

The gospel today says, “If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”  Forgiveness is a consequence not of loving but of charity.  We forgive not because the person is lovable but we forgive for God’s sake. 

All of us have difficulties in loving.  I believe all of us have stories to tell and some of us are still reeling and bleeding because of difficulties in our relationships.  Only charity can help us love greatly.  Only Charity can help us love in difficulty.  Because only the kind of loving that comes from God can help us truly love.