Charity is the third theological virtue, and is actually regarded as the most important. We’ve certainly heard different definitions of what charity is, and usually when people use this word they are referring to an organization that feeds the poor. The theological virtue of charity can take the form of voluntarily helping the less fortunate, but can also look like many other things.
Charity is in fact something that all Christians must foster within their hearts. It is a virtue we are all called and required to pursue in our journey toward sanctity. Without it we risk having cold hearts. And we risk rejecting other people and finding ourselves on Jesus’s left side during His judgement, and be sent into the eternal fire (Matthew 25:41-46).
What is Charity?
By charity, we love God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves for love of God. Charity, the form of all virtues, binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1844
With this definition we see clearly that the love for God is above any love for any person. Charity is in a special type of love, and is different than what people usually think of when they hear the word love. The usual definition of love is a natural passion, where we feel an affinity for something good. Love is a human emotion, that every person feels for certain people or things.
As a theological virtue, charity is infused into our hearts. And we use this virtue to will the good of others for the love of God, and we will that God is above everything else in our hearts. Charity is more of an act of will than a passionate feeling. This is important to distinguish. Passionate love is helpful in many ways, but charity deeply impacts our souls because we make a choice to love God above all else and others as ourselves. Charity changes who we are because each act of true charity brings us closer to God, which in turn makes us want to do more charitable acts.
Charity is willing the good of another for their own sake, not because we get anything out of it. Charity can be compared to friendship, where others needs are important to us simply because they are someone we love. And the object of charity, is to have God as our Beloved, our first and best friend.
Why Do We Need Charity?
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.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1823
Jesus placed great importance on charity. He continuously told us in the gospels that we need to love others. It’s a commandment, and one we are required to do.
If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as a sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbol. And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I can remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
St Paul makes a clear statement here, that Charity is of the utmost importance. Charity is more important than any special charisms (tongues and prophecy), even more important than our Faith. And even more surprising, if we do good deeds (distribute all goods to the poor), it doesn’t mean anything if we do not do it with charity! Intentionality is important!
And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity.
1 Corinthians 13:13
Charity is even greater than faith. Greater than hope. Out of the three theological virtues, we see that the greatest is in fact charity. Charity even effects faith and hope, gives it meaning, direction, and binds together the virtues in harmony. Charity is the superior virtue that makes all other virtues better. We need to love God above all else and love others as deeply as we love ourselves so that we can have profound faith and unshakeable hope!
Love of God
The love of God is central in charity. Charity becomes love for others when we have a deeper love for God. Since this type of love comes from our love for God, we cannot have real charity without loving Him. Because of this, it is impossible for atheists or other non-Judeo-Christian religions to have real charity. We do certainly see these groups of people perform acts of love, but they have different motivations for these acts. As stated before, the object of charity is to have God as our first and best friend.
God is the Creator, he made everything for us. God is also Our Savior, who saved us even when we denied Him. And God guides us, He wants us to come home to Him in His Kingdom. So it’s clear that He loves us profoundly and deeply. But we need to make a choice to love Him. We have this wonderful gift of free will, given to us by God, so that we can experience a deeper kind of love. It’s more real and incredible when we can choose to love God.
In fact we can’t really and truly love God without choice. That is why God gives us this gift. The problem is, we can choose not to love Him. We can choose to love ourselves, other things, or even other people more, and this becomes a disorder. We reject what we are made for in this situation. This is why charity is so important, it places God above all other things, where He should be.
In order to be friends with God, we need to treat Him as a friend. He is already trying to be our friend on His end, it’s up to us on our end to respond. As we seek friendship with God, the things that He holds as important become more important to us. Mass, the sacraments, prayer, revering His saints and Mary, His commandments, and reading His word, are all things we need to do to show we love God and desire friendship with Him.
Love of Others
From our love of God, our love of others grows and we do acts of charity simply because we love them. God created all of us with the greatest care and love. Each and every one of us are the one lost sheep, that the Good Shepherd leaves the 99 to seek out and rescue. The death of Jesus on the cross is incredible, because He died for every person individually and personally.
So as we grow toward God in love, we understand that each and every person on this planet is important to Christ. We also place great importance on Christ’s commandment to us, to love each other as ourselves.
There’s an even greater importance of loving others and doing things for others when we here the word from Christ, “whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me.”
St Paul On What Charity Looks Like
Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up; is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked anger, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Here we see what charity looks like. It is full of patience and humility, it doesn’t seek anything for ourselves. Charity is in truth, so there is no such thing as lying to be charitable. In charity we bear all things, including all wrongs. We believe all things that Christ taught us, and hope for the future all of us are called to, our salvation. In charity, we endure all hardships for love of God and neighbor. And charity never falls away. Like God’s love for us, which charity comes from, it does not ever end or fail.
How Can We Increase Charity?
Loving God more brings us more charity. So as we embrace charity, and perform acts of charity, we actually increase it more and more. In other words, be charitable and you will become more charitable.
We can also pray for more charity of course. Since charity is a theological virtue, it is an infused virtue from God. We can ask Him for more charity, and we should ask often. God gives this virtue out freely, since it is the most important virtue and strengthens other virtues. To love God and love others is what God created us for, so it pleases Him very much to have us ask for this virtue.
Learn more about God and love Him more. Remember that charity is love of God above all others and love of others for His sake. So as we know more about God and love Him more, the more charity we have! So read scripture, reflect on the crucifixion and His wounds, spend time in adoration, be in a state of grace, and go to mass often.
In Conclusion
So charity is an infused grace that allows us to love God above all else and also love others for the sake of loving God. This virtue is vitally important for all Catholics, as Christ made it clear that we need to love God and love our neighbors. If we do not have any charity in our lives, we risk a horrible fate in Hell, when Christ will tell us that we failed to feed or cloth Him. Every Catholic must seek a life with charity, and must grow in charity. So pray for it, practice it, and grow in it today!