Thoughts on the Spiritual Treasure of Charity

I've been thinking about charity lately.  We often think that charity involves giving large (or small) amounts of money--or perhaps, time--to 501C3 organizations and the like. While true, philanthropy is but a small part of what charity actually is.

In reality, charity is about generosity of spirit.  It is about the highest form of love--agape.  At it's core, agape love is love for the other such that one wishes only the highest good for them.  As Christians, we are called to charity for both our neighbor and our enemies--wishing the greatest good for them, not thinking of ourselves.

"He (Christ) must increase and I must decrease," Saint John tells us.  This is the foundation of the virtue of charity. We no longer focus on ourselves, but on the greater good of others.

Charity Even in Thought
This begins with our very thoughts.

This verse from Philippians chapter 4 is the crux of charity:

Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

We must have as our goal, custody of the heart and mind.  Are we quick to assume the worst of others' motives?  Is it not on our radar to find or assume mitigating circumstances for the angry stranger or the grumpy spouse?  Are we generally cynical, pessimistic and self-centered?  These things are sins against charity and must be rooted out through great amounts of prayer to the Holy Spirit.

Thoughts Lead to Words
The book of James tells us,

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?

and Matthew reminds us:

From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. 

In order to root out uncharitable things that we say, we must first root out the uncharitable things we think.

Solutions
What to do? First and foremost, learn the difference between "venting" and poisonous verbal attacks.  "Vent" to a journal.  Vent to a therapist.  Vent to God in prayer.  He is always listening.  Give to God your anger and frustration, your jealousy and irritability.  Lay them at the foot of the cross and ask for His help. He will not let you down.

Avail yourself of the sacrament of confession and Holy Communion.  Give your struggles over to God and get His grace in return.

Say the Jesus Prayer as much as you can--especially in challenging situations.  This can go a long way to focusing your mind away from uncharitable thoughts and words.

Charity is a challenge today.  It is not something that is often in "the world" but it is truly a spiritual treasure.

Ask God for Freedom from Sin

Do you feel as though you are not making progress in your spiritual life?  Are you in a spiritual rut?

Totus Tuus Ministries has a very down-to-earth and helpful page on overcoming one's root sin.  According to this website, all sins can be traced back to one of three basic sins:  Pride, Sensuality or Vanity.

Each sin has to do with where we place our sense of security. Pride involves basing one's security on the self, sensuality bases security in things and feelings, and vanity places security in what others' think of me.

After reading the specific characteristics of each of the 3 root sins, you decide which one you may be struggling with the most at this time. Then,  list the manifestations of  that sin in your life.

To root out the sin, choose its opposite virtue and list specific things you will do to practice that virtue in your life.  Then, pick someone (Christ, or a saint, for example) whose life exemplifies that virtue for you to imitate.

The website has examples of the above program for each of the three root sins and is very helpful in making this concrete and easy to understand.

Totus Tuus Ministries is especially helpful for those who do not have a spiritual director, although it can be used for anyone.

Perfection in the New Year

I must admit I cringe every time I change my sidebar virtue each January.

Perfection, Lord?  Really?!  I'm supposed to be perfect?!?!  I can't imagine...which, of course, is the point.  Spiritual perfection, I learned from a Carmelite article (also linked via the image of God the Father on the sidebar) is nothing more than love (also called charity).

Love, unprejudiced by selfishness, is the message of Christ.  Agape love, is love as Jesus loves--total self-giving.  This "giving till it hurts" is difficult, but it is what we are all called to.  Crying out to God for help and strength is the only way to accomplish this.

Quite a resolution for the New Year!

Virtue of the Month

I've just added a new feature to my sidebar: The Virtue of the Month. Apparently, there is a tradition of studying, practicing and praying for a different virtue for each month. I already post the monthly devotion on the sidebar (for October it is Our Lady of the Rosary). This can help us focus our prayer for each month.

The Virtue of the Month is a way for us to practice what we pray for. By studying a different virtue each month, we can add that intention to our prayers, asking God to grant us the grace to practice that virtue. I'm going to try to link whatever picture I chose for each virtue, to some sort of helpful website. This month, it is linked to a Carmelite website on Our Lady of Confidence.

October--Confidence in God

October's virtue is confidence, or trust in God. Our Lady had the ultimate trust in God. When the Angel Gabriel announced that she was to become pregnant with her savior, Mary initially questioned how that was to happen. After the Gabriel explained it, Mary said, "Be it done unto me according to thy word." That's trust. Not completely unquestioning, necessarily, but quick to trust in her Lord.

Let's ask God this month for the grace to trust in Him and His will.

Our Lady of Confidence, pray for us!

Edited to add: I will also try to remember to link my Monthly Devotion picture to a pertinent website. The picture of Our Lady of the Rosary is now linked to the Rosary Army site.

Virtues and Vices for Lent

Since it is Lent, I thought I'd blog about the never-cheery but ever-pertenent subject of the Seven Deadly Sins. The Whitestone Journal has a lot of very good information about the Seven Deadly Sins and the virtues that oppose them.

Vice.............Virtue

(1)Pride..........Humility

Seeing ourselves as we are and not comparing ourselves to others is humility. Pride and vanity are competitive. If someone else's pride really bothers you, you have a lot of pride.

(2) Envy..........Love

"Love is patient, love is kind…" Love actively seeks the good of others for their sake. Envy resents the good others receive or even might receive. Envy is almost indistinguishable from pride at times.

(3) Wrath/Anger..........Kindness

Kindness means taking the tender approach, with patience and compassion. Anger is often our first reaction to the problems of others. Impatience with the faults of others is related to this.

(4) Sloth..........Zeal

Zeal is the energetic response of the heart to God's commands. The other sins work together to deaden the spiritual senses so we first become slow to respond to God and then drift completely into the sleep of complacency.

(5) Avarice/Greed..........Generosity

This is about more than money. Generosity means letting others get the credit or praise. It is giving without having expectations of the other person. Greed wants to get its "fair share" or a bit more.

(6)Gluttony..........Faith and Temperance

Temperance accepts the natural limits of pleasures and preserves this natural balance. This does not pertain only to food, but to entertainment and other legitimate goods, and even the company of others.

(7)Lust..........Self control

Self control and self mastery prevent pleasure from killing the soul by suffocation. Legitimate pleasures are controlled in the same way an athlete's muscles are: for maximum efficiency without damage. Lust is the self-destructive drive for pleasure out of proportion to its worth. Sex, power, or image can be used well, but they tend to go out of control.

This reminds me of something I once read: If something consistently bothers you about another person, pray for that person, and for yourself, practice the opposite virtue.