Much has been on my mind lately, as the Christmas season begins to rush by. It would seem that this is the perfect time to address one f the three Theological virtues that I mentioned in one of my earlier postings ('Cardinal Virtues' 3.3 ) if you will recall I mentioned that the three theological virtues were Faith, Hope and Charity. I will address ‘Hope’ in my next posting and work my way to ‘Faith’ before I close this series, but for now I would like to return to Charity. Charity was dealt with partially in the posting ( 'Forgiveness' 3.6 ) but there I stayed focused primarily on that part of Charity called ‘Forgiveness’. I occurs to me that I should add some more to the topic here.
First, as to what the word ‘Charity’ means, in our culture Charity now means simply what used to be referred to as “alms” that is, giving to the poor. However, originally it had a much wider meaning, the true meaning of ‘Charity’ means “Love, in the Christian sense.” But I must remind you again that love in the Christian sense, does not mean an emotion that one feels. Love is not, nor has it ever been a state of feeling, but rather of will; that state of will which we have naturally towards ourselves, and must learn to have about others.
If you recall in my posting on Forgiveness I pointed out that our love for ourselves does not mean that we like ourselves. It means that we wish our own good. In the same sense, Christian Love (Charity) for our neighbors is quite different from liking or affection. Speaking only for myself, I like some people, but not everyone. I’s important to understand that is not a sin, or a virtue, but simply a natural response, just as I like some types of food, and dislike others (spinach for example). It is just a fact, however it is what we do with it that is either sinful or virtuous.
If I like someone it is easy (make that easier) to be ‘charitable’ towards them, it is thus our responsibility to encourage our affections to “like” people as much as we can. Not because liking is itself the virtue of charity, but rather because it is a help to being charitable. While natural likings should normally be encouraged, it would be idiotic to think that the way to become charitable is to sit and try to manufacture affectionate feelings. We are not to waste our time concerning ourselves about if we ‘love’ our neighbor or not, we are to act as if we do.
Love is a choice, it is an action, and here lies one of the great secrets to life: when we behave as if we love someone, we will find our self coming to love them. As much as popular culture may tell you otherwise, Actions lead feelings, never the other way around. Think about this, if you hurt, someone you dislike, you will discover that you dislike them even more, however if you do him a favor, if you forgive him, show grace towards him (not out of a selfish desire to show him what a great person you are, or t make him owe you one), you will discover yourself liking him more. Whenever we do something good for another ‘self’ just because he or she is a ‘self’ made (like you) by God, and that ‘self’ desiring it’s own happiness as we desire ours, we will have learned to love that self just a little more (or at least to dislike it less).
So while those who live solely in this world treat certain people kindly because he or she ‘likes’ them; the Christian trying to treat everyone kindly, finds him or herself liking more and more people as they go on – including many whom he or she could not ever imagined themselves liking at all in the beginning. Day by day becoming more loving, FOREVER.
The exact same spiritual law works horribly in the opposite direction as well. The more cruel you are, the more you hate; and the more you hate, the more cruel you will become – and so on in a vicious circle - FOREVER. All the while thinking that you are a ‘good’ person, for those who live in the dark choose not to see their own evil, until it is forced upon them, when they realize the steps coming to claim them are not those from heaven. At which point it is too late, Forever is a very long time.
Good and evil both increase at a compound interest rate. That is why all those little decisions you and I make everyday are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the strategic beginning point that in a few months you may be able to achieve victories you never dreamed of. Conversely, a trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the bridgehead from which adultery, fornication, divorce, slander, murder and all forms of evil is launched from.
Before I leave this subject I feel I should address one last point, we are all told that we ought to love God, yet there are times when we can not find it in ourselves to do so. For some this is a fleeting moment, for others it can be a haunting everyday presence. It causes great duress to those in those times. What then? It is the same answer as before, do not sit around trying to manufacture feelings, rather ask yourself “If I were certain that I loved God, what would I do?” When you find your answer, go and do it.
God’s love for us is a much safer subject then our love for him. Nobody can always have devout feelings, and even if you could, feelings are not what God principally cares about. Christian love towards others or towards God is an affair of the will. If you are trying to do His will, you are obeying His commandment, “Thou shall love the Lord thy God”. Regardless of your feelings, His love for you is constant. It is not wearied by your sins, or indifference. Therefore, His love is quite relentless in it’s determination that we must be cured of those sins we choose, at whatever cost to us, at whatever cost to Him.
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