From the Pastor: (From In Conversion with God)
Saint Paul tells us which are the qualities that adorn charity. First he tells us that Charity is patient with others. In order to do good we have to know how to bear evil, renouncing in advance any signs of annoyance, bad temper or sharpness of manner.
Patience denotes great fortitude. Charity will often demand patience if we are to bear with serenity the possible defects, the hostility, the suspicion and the bad humor of people we have to deal with. This virtue will lead us to give to such trifles the importance they really have, and not blow them up out of proportion; it will incline us to wait for the appropriate moment if we need to correct them. Charity will help us to give the answer that will often enable our words to reach the hearts of those who are difficult to get on with so that they can improve. Patience is a great virtue which helps us to live in harmony with others. Through it we imitate God, who is so long-suffering with our many errors and always slow to anger. We imitate Jesus, who, although He was well aware of the malice of the Pharisees, lowered himself to be like them in order to win them over, just like good doctors who prescribe the best remedies for those who have the more serious illnesses.
Love is kind-that is to say, it is disposed to do good to everyone. Kindness can only find room for itself in a large and generous heart. What is best in ourselves must be for others.
Love is not jealous…Whilst jealousy is saddened by another’s good, charity rejoices in that same good. Many sins against charity flow from jealousy-scandal, for example, defamation, pleasure in another’s mishaps and chagrin at his good fortune. Often it is jealousy that causes friendships to collapse and fraternal ties to be broken. It is like a cancer that gnaws away at the harmony and peace among men. St. Thomas calls it the mother of hatred..
Charity is not arrogant or rude…Many of the temptations against charity can be summarised as attitudes of pride towards our neighbor. We can only serve others and concern ourselves about them to the extent that we forget about ourselves. Without humility no other virtue can exist, and particular there can be no love. The pride that prevents us from living charity can manifest itself in many ways…The proud person’s horizon is terribly limited: it stops at himself. He can see no further that himself, his own qualities, his virtues, his talent. His is a godless horizon. Love is not ambitious; It does not insist on getting its own way. Charity does not ask anything for itself. Not only is it not ambitious with an overriding desire for gain, but it does no even insist on its own way; it seeks Christ. Love does not rejoice at wrong; it does not compile lists of personal grievances. It endures all things…Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things. All things without exception.
There is much we can give; faith, joy, a little word of praise, of affection… We should never expect anything in return. We should not be upset if people do not reciprocate. Love does not insist on having its own way, on those things that, from a human point of view, we might think are owed to us. If we do not seek any thing for ourselves we will discover that we have found Jesus.
