Need a reflection for tonight on love and charity!

[vatoco6]

Tonight is my last meeting for our local Catholic Charities board of directors. As I have been on the board for six years, I volunteered to give the reflection before the meeting.

I have been looking, and I have no clue what to read! Something short, but poignant is good.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Therese

 

[BLB_Oregon]

I am reminded of Mother Theresa’s famous quote:
God did not call me to be successful.
He called me to be faithful.

She also liked to give out “cards” with the following:
The Simple Path

The fruit of silence is PRAYER.
The fruit of prayer is FAITH.
The fruit of faith is LOVE.
The fruit of love is SERVICE.
The fruit of service is PEACE.

And of course the famous sign on the wall of Shishu Bhavan, the children’s home in Calcutta run by the Missionaries of Charity:

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
LOVE THEM ANYWAY.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
DO GOOD ANYWAY.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
SUCCEED ANYWAY.

The good you will do will be forgotten tomorrow.
DO GOOD ANYWAY.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
BE HONEST AND FRANK ANYWAY.

What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight.
BUILD ANYWAY.

People really need help but may attack you if you help them.
HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU’VE GOT ANYWAY.

You will find longer sections along a similar vein in the book, “Mother Theresa, A Simple Path.” compiled by Lucinda Vardey, published by Ballantine Books, NY, 1995.
Many of these note the terrible povery of loneliness that exists in the West, whose only remedy is not money, but the direct experience of love in action. To me, that is the very essence of Catholic Charities.

PS Thank you for the witness of our faith you have provided by your work for Catholic Charities. May God reward you abundantly, now and forever.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

Why not St. Paul? From my Douay-Rheims Bible, 1 Corinthians 13

<<<If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 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. 4 Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up; 5 Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But, when I became a man, I put away the things of a child. 12 We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know I part; but then I shall know even as I am known. 13 And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity. >>>

 

[Didi]

Tantum ergo:

4 Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up; 5 Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never falleth away:

A powerful meditation to go along with these verses is to place your own name before each virtue:

Didi is patient
Didi is kind
Didi envieth not
Didi dealeth not perversely
Didi is not puffed up
…and so on

It really causes you to pause and think about how often we fail to embody these virtues and how much we need to rely on Our Lord to work through us.