When charity goes too far

[TEPO]

It wasn’t his life savings, was my point. He can give away all his money any time he wants. Giving away others’ money is not charity, it’s theft.

Oh, I forgot to mention he was actually a multi-millionare and he had his fiancé sign a contract before they got married that all the money in his life savings was only his and not hers… She signed it before they tied the knot.

 

[Julia_Mae]

What I don’t understand is why my fellow Catholics are so staunchly opposed to accepting the other six Holy Catholic Virtues, as being equal.

Goes against the teaching of the Church. See above.

 

[Julia_Mae]

Oh, I forgot to mention he was actually a multi-millionare and he had his fiancé sign a contract before they got married that all the money in his life savings was only his and not hers… She signed it before they tied the knot.

*uh-huh. *

It’s his money. So what’s your problem with him giving it away?

 

[TEPO]

They are NOT “equally important.” This is the teaching of the Church:

Charity

1822 Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.

1823 Jesus makes charity the new commandment.96 By loving his own "to the end,"97 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."98

1824 Fruit of the Spirit and fullness of the Law, charity keeps the commandments of God and his Christ: "Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love."99

1825 Christ died out of love for us, while we were still "enemies."100 The Lord asks us to love as he does, even our enemies, to make ourselves the neighbor of those farthest away, and to love children and the poor as Christ himself.101

The Apostle Paul has given an incomparable depiction of charity: "charity is patient and kind, charity is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Charity does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Charity bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."102
1826 “If I . . . have not charity,” says the Apostle, “I am nothing.” Whatever my privilege, service, or even virtue, "if I . . . have not charity, I gain nothing."103** Charity is superior to all the virtues. It is the first of the theological virtues: **"So faith, hope, charity abide, these three. But the greatest of these is charity."104

…

Time out… I need to read over this several more times.

 

[nuntym]

+JMJ+

So basically you are telling me that there are limits and possibly even a ‘pecking order’ on our charitable expressions towards others… I somewhat agree.

, Second Part of the Second Part, Question 26: The Order of CharitySumma Theologica

What I don’t understand is why my fellow Catholics are so staunchly opposed to accepting the other six Holy Catholic Virtues, as being equal. Is a perfect balance of all seven not ideal…? Maybe the theological virtues are greater than the Cardinal virtues…? I’m not so sure.

As St. Paul said:

[BIBLEDRB]1 Corinthians 13:13[/BIBLEDRB]

And remember again the definition of the virtue of charity: Charity is, first and foremost, loving God with your all heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind and with your whole strength, then loving your neighbor as yourself for the sake of loving God. Such a definition implies that everything about you, including all your other virtues, are subservient to charity, and all should lead to charity. Not only that, but charity also “supercharges” the other virtues, in that charity perfects them. And further more, there will come times when charity must even exceed all the other virtues, especially the virtue of prudence, when charity seems to make someone act beyond common sense. But then, that is to be expected, since the object of the virtue of charity is none other than God, Who exceeds anything we could ever have, know, or understand.

 

[Julia_Mae]

…

Time out… I need to read over this several more times.

In that case, you’ll want the rest of the section:

1827 The practice of all the virtues is animated and inspired by charity, which “binds everything together in perfect harmony”;105 it is the form of the virtues; it articulates and orders them among themselves; it is the source and the goal of their Christian practice. Charity upholds and purifies our human ability to love, and raises it to the supernatural perfection of divine love.

1828 The practice of the moral life animated by charity gives to the Christian the spiritual freedom of the children of God. He no longer stands before God as a slave, in servile fear, or as a mercenary looking for wages, but as a son responding to the love of him who “first loved us”:106

If we turn away from evil out of fear of punishment, we are in the position of slaves. If we pursue the enticement of wages, . . . we resemble mercenaries. Finally if we obey for the sake of the good itself and out of love for him who commands . . . we are in the position of children.107

1829 The fruits of charity are joy, peace, and mercy; charity demands beneficence and fraternal correction; it is benevolence; it fosters reciprocity and remains disinterested and generous; it is friendship and communion: Love is itself the fulfillment of all our works. There is the goal; that is why we run: we run toward it, and once we reach it, in it we shall find rest.108

 

[TEPO]

I’m so confused right now.

It says charity is greater than faith.

 

[RyanBlack]

I’m so confused right now.

It says charity is greater than faith.

The charity which is one of the three theological virtues, is love, which, according to Holy Scripture (1 Corinthians 13:13), is greater than faith.

 

[yellow8yellowM]

Charity is the power of defending that which we know to be indefensible.
-G.K. Chesterton

You can never love God or neighbor enough; therefore, charity can never go too far. (Neighbor being defined as all other humans).

 

[Matt_Collins]

So say for example, a homeless person is crying in an alley -you ask what’s the matter, and they tell you that they’re so hungry and tired and wished they could get a room for the night and a decent dinner. Being the charitable person that you are, you tell them to wait there -you run to the bank and empty your life savings and return to the alley and give the whole thing away…

When you return home to your pregnant wife she slapps you in the face… Was that slap “justified”, and we’re you being “prudent” when you gave away all your money…?

I put the words “properly understood” in bold italics for a reason.

 

[JRKH]

I’m so confused right now.

It says charity is greater than faith.

Yes it can be confusing…but when it is figured out it is beautiful…

The charity which is one of the three theological virtues, is love, which, according to Holy Scripture (1 Corinthians 13:13), is greater than faith.

TEPO…
Ryan mentions something very important here that may be the root of the problem.

In the Greek, the word translated as “Charity” in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (KJV) is the same word that is translated “love” in Matthew 22:36-40 where Jesus tells us what the greatest commandments are.

The Problem of course becomes one of how we have come to define the words in our modern world.

Charity:
1.generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless: to devote one’s life to charity.
2.something given to a person or persons in need; alms: She asked for work, not charity.
3.a charitable act or work.
4.a charitable fund, foundation, or institution: He left his estate to a charity.
5.benevolent feeling, especially toward those in need or in disfavor: She looked so poor
that we fed her out of charity.

Love:
1a (1) : strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties (2) : attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3) : affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests
b : an assurance of affection
2: warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion
3a : the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration
b (1) : a beloved person : darling —often used as a term of endearment (2) British —used as an informal term of address
4a : unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1) : the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2) : brotherly concern for others
b : a person’s adoration of God
These quite different modern definitions have the same root word in Greek…Agape, or brotherly love.
There are of course usage variations in the Greek which I am not at all familiar with and others may be able to clarify. But I note that while the KJV translates 1 Cor 13:13 as “the greatest of these is charity” the New KJV translates it as “the greatest of these is love”.

Hope that this helps a little

Peace
James

 

[Julia_Mae]

I’m so confused right now.

It says charity is greater than faith.

You can g have faith without charity, but you cannot have charity without faith. Charity is faith in action. Charity is hope for all involved. Charity is why Jesus came in the first place. Charity is the essence of love.

 

[TEPO]

yellow8yellowM;9895712:

RyanBlack;9895666:

nuntym;9895605:

Julia Mae;9895579:

Matt Collins;9895438:

Yes it can be confusing…but when it is figured out it is beautiful…

TEPO…
Ryan mentions something very important here that may be the root of the problem.

In the Greek, the word translated as “Charity” in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (KJV) is the same word that is translated “love” in Matthew 22:36-40 where Jesus tells us what the greatest commandments are.

The Problem of course becomes one of how we have come to define the words in our modern world.

Charity:

1.generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless: to devote one’s life to charity.
2.something given to a person or persons in need; alms: She asked for work, not charity.
3.a charitable act or work.
4.a charitable fund, foundation, or institution: He left his estate to a charity.
5.benevolent feeling, especially toward those in need or in disfavor: She looked so poor
that we fed her out of charity.

Love:
1a (1) : strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties (2) : attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3) : affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests
b : an assurance of affection
2: warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion
3a : the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration
b (1) : a beloved person : darling —often used as a term of endearment (2) British —used as an informal term of address
4a : unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1) : the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2) : brotherly concern for others
b : a person’s adoration of God
These quite different modern definitions have the same root word in Greek…Agape, or brotherly love.
There are of course usage variations in the Greek which I am not at all familiar with and others may be able to clarify. But I note that while the KJV translates 1 Cor 13:13 as “the greatest of these is charity” the New KJV translates it as “the greatest of these is love”.

Hope that this helps a little

Peace
James

You can never love God or neighbor enough; therefore, charity can never go too far. (Neighbor being defined as all other humans).

The charity which is one of the three theological virtues, is love, which, according to Holy Scripture (1 Corinthians 13:13), is greater than faith.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part, Question 26: The Order of Charity

As St. Paul said:

[BIBLEDRB]1 Corinthians 13:13[/BIBLEDRB]

And remember again the definition of the virtue of charity: Charity is, first and foremost, loving God with your all heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind and with your whole strength, then loving your neighbor as yourself for the sake of loving God. Such a definition implies that everything about you, including all your other virtues, are subservient to charity, and all should lead to charity. Not only that, but charity also “supercharges” the other virtues, in that charity perfects them. And further more, there will come times when charity must even exceed all the other virtues, especially the virtue of prudence, when charity seems to make someone act beyond common sense. But then, that is to be expected, since the object of the virtue of charity is none other than God, Who exceeds anything we could ever have, know, or understand.

They are NOT “equally important.” This is the teaching of the Church:

Charity

1822 Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.

1823 Jesus makes charity the new commandment.96 By loving his own "to the end,"97 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."98

1824 Fruit of the Spirit and fullness of the Law, charity keeps the commandments of God and his Christ: "Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love."99

1825 Christ died out of love for us, while we were still "enemies."100 The Lord asks us to love as he does, even our enemies, to make ourselves the neighbor of those farthest away, and to love children and the poor as Christ himself.101
]

No! Charity, properly understood, can never be overdone. There can never be a true conflict between charity and any other virtue, human, cardinal, theological, or whatever.

Because God is love and God infinite.
​

Well, Catholic teaching says that Charity/Love is the greatest of all virtues… But this doesn’t mean that it is more “important” than the other virtues. If the Church actually did mean that, then why are some of them called cardinal virtues…? Cardinal means: “of prime importance”…

Greatness and Importance are two different things, are they not? So it is fair then, to say that all the Virtues are equally important, while Love is seen as the greatest…?​

 

[TEPO]

…Think about it.

 

[RyanBlack]

Well, Catholic teaching says that Charity/Love is the greatest of all virtues… But this doesn’t mean that it is more “important” than the other virtues. If the Church actually did mean that, then why are some of them called cardinal virtues…? Cardinal means: “of prime importance”…

Greatness and Importance are two different things, are they not? So it is fair then, to say that all the Virtues are equally important, while Love is seen as the greatest…?

No. They are certainly all important, but they are not equally important.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

The human (cardinal) virtues are rooted in the theological virtues, which adapt man’s faculties for participation in the divine nature: for the theological virtues relate directly to God. They dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have the One and Triune God for their origin, motive, and object. (1812)

The theological virtues are the foundation of Christian moral activity; they animate it and give it its special character. They inform and give life to all the moral virtues. They are infused by God into the souls of the faithful to make them capable of acting as his children and of meriting eternal life. They are the pledge of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being. There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity. (1813)

“If I . . . have not charity,” says the Apostle, “I am nothing.” Whatever my privilege, service, or even virtue, “if I . . . have not charity, I gain nothing.” Charity is superior to all the virtues. It is the first of the theological virtues: “So faith, hope, charity abide, these three. But the greatest of these is charity.” (1826)

The practice of all the virtues is animated and inspired by charity, which “binds everything together in perfect harmony”; it is the form of the virtues; it articulates and orders them among themselves; it is the source and the goal of their Christian practice. Charity upholds and purifies our human ability to love, and raises it to the supernatural perfection of divine love. (1827)

Clearly, the theological virtues are more important than the cardinal virtues. It is also clear that love, or charity, is the greatest and most important of all the vitues.

 

[JRKH]

Well, Catholic teaching says that Charity/Love is the greatest of all virtues… But this doesn’t mean that it is more “important” than the other virtues. If the Church actually did mean that, then why are some of them called cardinal virtues…? Cardinal means: “of prime importance”…

Greatness and Importance are two different things, are they not? So it is fair then, to say that all the Virtues are equally important, while Love is seen as the greatest…?

Yes I think it is fair to say that all virtues are equally important and that Love is seen as the greatest.
However, I would caution that by delineating - by separating the items and attempting to “rank” them in some way - there comes a danger of denigrating one virtue in favor of another. This is an error that some of our protestant brothers fall into. The old argument of “faith v works” being the prime example.

St Paul in his great exposition on the necessity of Love, is not ranking other things. Instead, he is driving home the point that Christianity is not an “intellectual” ascent only. Rather it is a transformation driven by the very essence of God and His relation to us - which is Love.

So my advice is that we not try to rank these things, but rather to embrace them all to the extent that we are able, and Ask God to fill in the rest so that we are able to live all of the virtues equally and in a manner pleasing to our Father in heaven.

Peace
James

 

[TEPO]

No. They are certainly all important, but they are not equally important.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

The human (cardinal) virtues are rooted in the theological virtues, which adapt man’s faculties for participation in the divine nature: for the theological virtues relate directly to God. They dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have the One and Triune God for their origin, motive, and object. (1812)

The theological virtues are the foundation of Christian moral activity; they animate it and give it its special character. They inform and give life to all the moral virtues. They are infused by God into the souls of the faithful to make them capable of acting as his children and of meriting eternal life. They are the pledge of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being. There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity. (1813)

“If I . . . have not charity,” says the Apostle, “I am nothing.” Whatever my privilege, service, or even virtue, “if I . . . have not charity, I gain nothing.” Charity is superior to all the virtues. It is the first of the theological virtues: “So faith, hope, charity abide, these three. But the greatest of these is charity.” (1826)

The practice of all the virtues is animated and inspired by charity, which “binds everything together in perfect harmony”; it is the form of the virtues; it articulates and orders them among themselves; it is the source and the goal of their Christian practice. Charity upholds and purifies our human ability to love, and raises it to the supernatural perfection of divine love. (1827)

Clearly, the theological virtues are more important than the cardinal virtues. It is also clear that love, or charity, is the greatest and most important of all the vitues.

**
“Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality. Love becomes an empty shell, to be filled in an arbitrary way. In a culture without truth, this is the fatal risk facing love.”**
vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.html

Truth, I think, is a combination of Faith, Hope and Love -is it not…? Therefore, without the others, Charity becomes “emptied of meaning”… Right?

 

[TEPO]

Yes I think it is fair to say that all virtues are equally important and that Love is seen as the greatest.
However, I would caution that by delineating - by separating the items and attempting to “rank” them in some way - there comes a danger of denigrating one virtue in favor of another. This is an error that some of our protestant brothers fall into. The old argument of “faith v works” being the prime example.

St Paul in his great exposition on the necessity of Love, is not ranking other things. Instead, he is driving home the point that Christianity is not an “intellectual” ascent only. Rather it is a transformation driven by the very essence of God and His relation to us - which is Love.

So my advice is that we not try to rank these things, but rather to embrace them all to the extent that we are able, and Ask God to fill in the rest so that we are able to live all of the virtues equally and in a manner pleasing to our Father in heaven.

Peace
James

…

 

[nuntym]

+JMJ+

JKRH said “all virtues are equally important and that Love is seen as the greatest.”

Picture a building. Is the building itself more important than the foundation? In a sense, no of course not, the building without a foundation will crumble, and a foundation without a building is just a pit in the ground.

However in another sense, yes the building is more important, in that the purpose of the foundation IS to make a building.

And so it is with Charity and all the other virtues. Charity and all the other virtues are in a sense equally important, because, without all the other virtues, Charity ceases to be Charity. However, the purpose of all the other virtues IS Charity. Also, without Charity, the other virtues become less virile. Therefore, Charity is in this sense the greatest and most important of the virtues.

 

[TEPO]

+JMJ+

JKRH said “all virtues are equally important and that Love is seen as the greatest.”

Picture a building. Is the building itself more important than the foundation? In a sense, no of course not, the building without a foundation will crumble, and a foundation without a building is just a pit in the ground.

However in another sense, yes the building is more important, in that the purpose of the foundation IS to make a building.

And so it is with Charity and all the other virtues. Charity and all the other virtues are in a sense equally important, because, without all the other virtues, Charity ceases to be Charity. However, the purpose of all the other virtues IS Charity. Also, without Charity, the other virtues become less virile. Therefore, Charity is in this sense the greatest and most important of the virtues.

Yes, and i agree with JKRH on that… But Let’s just go back to the original post and forget the example that I gave, it was a bad example…

Do you believe that it’s possible that there are Christians that focus everything on Charity (the end result), while neglecting the other virtues (the building blocks of charity)…?

I believe that this does happen, and it can occur with mature, well seasoned Catholics and Christians who may have forgotten some basic truths. Are there whole cities being built, filled with big beautiful buildings -all without foundations…?