Days of Joy
Days of sadness
Days of woe
Earthly troubles and petty cares
Only better prepare us for
Our Heavenly Home
Through the sorrow
Ever be
Lessons present
So Thy love
May I gain from Thee
Ever more,
Ever bless
May I endure all my trials
With no bitterness
And when Thou
Hast decided
To call
Me Home…
May this life have served me well
That I might come to enjoy
Heavenly Joy
Days which fade into the black,
come and go like love's first breath.
Plans and hopes,
so feebly formed.
They too are destroyed.
Our plans might work
but oft they fail
our claims are taken away.
These days of trial will end so soon
just like the break of day.
Too many times we think we fail.
Never to know because of the limits we place
whether we live or die.
Can we know whether to stay or go?
It is not our choice, it is His.
Through prayer and thought unmatched this day
we discover something strange
the greatest part of this life on earth
is contained in the last hours.
There we realize what we've done
the good, the bad, it all.
So stop pretending,
stop running away.
You change your mind a million times,
but His plan is here to stay.
Embrace it, embrace it all
True happiness is this
to give yourself, your love, your all
unconditionally to Him.
He is guiding you toward your path
the path in which you must run.
If you don't you'll surely fail
at this race for the eternal light.
His lady is so lovely now,
Our Mistress through and through
obey her every order now
as He showers favor down on you.
Life is precious to a fault
which is why we must treat with care,
our every word, our every deed
for He is everywhere.
He calls us all for different tasks
sometimes we are fools
thinking we can hide from Him
yet in the end, She always wins.
The Mistress calls you sweetly now
you answer, not looking back
tear stained cheeks will watch you go
knowing you're already claimed.
They'll pray for you
your family and your friends
and when you meet them again
a different person you will be
but they'll love you all the same.
Her gentle hand
this queen of ours
guides you kindly still
through all your obstacles
until she leads you to your Master
in His celestial home.
Minister to Her every word
obey Her just command.
Eventually, with glory seen,
She will open for you the gate
the gate of everlasting love
So love those who love you
be kind and be true
valiantly defend the ones
who may not do the same for you
Obey the words that were taught of old
be faithful to the prayers
learn to love, to cherish Her
the mediator of all your prayers.
Follow her now
do not look back!
Obey Her every word.
We'll meet again, I know for sure
in this life or the next.
May God bless, protect, and keep you in His care all the days of your life until He calls you to His
presence and gives you your just reward. May He guide your every move and give grace to protect your
immortal soul lest you fall into sin gain the fate of all men who benefit not, due to their own choice, from
the saving blood of Christ. May God show you favor in every way as long as you obey His most holy
words. May He make you to walk in His paths and show to you the true meaning of Eternal Life.
The feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos is celebrated on August 15 (in the West, this is known as the Feast of the Assumption).
From the Greek Orthodox: The Feast of the Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is celebrated on August 15 each year. The Feast commemorates the repose (dormition and in the Greek kimisis) or "falling-asleep" of the Mother of Jesus Christ, our Lord. The Feast also commemorates the translation or assumption into heaven of the body of the Theotokos. Information on the Icon of the Feast.
A line drawing of the Icon for coloring is found on pg. 5.
According to New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, nothing is known for certain of Our Lady's death. Pious tradition is that she died between three and fifteen years after Our Lord's resurrection, and she was surrounded by the remaining apostles save Thomas who did not make it back from India in time. St. John of Damascus (P.G., I, 96) thus formulates the tradition of the Church of Jerusalem:
St. Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, at the Council of Chalcedon (451), made known to the Emperor Marcian and Pulcheria, who wished to possess the body of the Mother of God, that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened, upon the request of St. Thomas, was found empty; wherefrom the Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to heaven.
Further from New Advent:
By promulgating the Bull Munificentissimus Deus, 1 November, 1950, Pope Pius XII declared infallibly that the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was a dogma of the Catholic Faith.
One of the greatest accomplishments of mankind is the understanding of the elements, as is made evident through the use of the periodic table. The history of the periodic table is interesting and shows a sense of scientific inquiry in how the universe works. The information in the periodic table shows careful measurement, as well as understanding of the elements of themselves. Knowledge of the elements, through the use of the periodic table, is an essential requirement for anyone to grasp who is interested in the purposes of the physical sciences, which is to understand the functions of the universe.
The history of the periodic table has gone through many stages of evolution, starting around the mid-seventeenth century and continuing until today. The need for organization, or rather for something like the periodic table, began with the discovery of new elements. Although Dmitri Mendeleev is considered the "father" of the periodic table, the need for a classification system arose before him and the resulting periodic table is a result of the hard work of many scientists (Western Oregon University 1). In the year 1669, a German amateur alchemist and merchant, Hennig Brand, attempted to make a stone that turned metals to gold, called a “philosopher’s stone” (“Periodic Table History” 1). His attempts failed, as would be expected, but he did discover a new element. His discovery was of phosphorus and in 1680, Robert Boyle also discovered and publicized this element (“Periodic Table History” 1). The known elements would continue to increase and by 1869 science knew of 63 elements (Western Oregon University 1). By this time also, characteristics and similarity in the elements was being noted, causing them to be placed in different classification. Meanwhile, science continued to discover new elements, which also had to place placed in these different classifications. It was said that “as chemistry advances towards perfection, by dividing and subdividing, it is impossible to say where it is to end” so were the discoveries happening so quickly (Lavoisier 1). By 1817 Johann Dobereiner noticed that “the atomic weight of strontium fell midway between the weights of calcium and barium, elements possessing similar chemical properties” which led to the foundations of the Law of Triads (Western Oregon University 1). Following him, many other scientists studied this concept and in 1862, A.E.Beguyer de Chancourtois, a French geologist, published the first periodic table (Western Oregon University 1). A paper written in 1863, by English chemist John Newlands, proposed a classification of the 56 known elements into 11 groups based on similar physical properties. He published his own version of the periodic table, as well as introduced the Law of Octaves, in the year of 1864 (Western Oregon University 1). In 1869 and 1870, Russian Dmitri Mendeleev and German Lothar Meyer, respectively, published very similar periodic tables independently of each other into the scientific community (Western Oregon University 1). By the time 1894 came, Sir William Ramsay and Lord Rayleigh discovered the noble gases and these were added to the periodic table as group 0 (“Periodic Table History” 1). The trend of discovering, measuring, and adding elements has continued as science advances.
Something that makes the periodic table so useful is the careful measurements of the properties of the elements. Measurements and observable facts are foundational to any scientific understanding in all branches of science. As quoted in a Christian High School Science text, William Thomas, Lord Kelvin states the following in regards to measurement:
When you can measure what you are speaking about and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express in in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely (Steele et al 5).
Based on the premise presented here by William Thomas, because the elements are arranged in measurable and observable value the scientific community knows something about the elements. The elements are sorted in the table based on similarities in physical properties and in order of Atomic Number, or how many protons are in the atoms of the element. Also included is the atomic mass, the chemical symbol and the name of the element. From the placement of an element on the periodic table, many chemical properties can be discerned, such as the number of valance electrons and the charges of the elements. Further, also using the periodic table, the changing of an unstable element (natural or isomer) to a stable element (natural or isomer) in nuclear radioactive decay can be predicted. Thus, having a grasp of understanding of the elements organized in the periodic table opens up a wide range of possibilities for the scientific community.
Today, over one hundred types of elements are known, each possessing a different makeup in the atomic structure of protons, neutrons, and electrons (Bennett et al 114). This in itself provides for a vast topic of study, yet to truly understand something, the history of the subject in question is often employed. The method in which the elements were formed is called the nucleosynthesis. This is the process of making new atomic nuclei from pre-existing nucleons, usually through the merging of hydrogen nuclei to others. This happened in two stages: with the origin of the universe and inside stars (“Formation of the Elements” 1). The origin of the universe is found in the Big Bang theory, which is based on the application of the laws of physics to the idea that everything that exists began as an “incredibly tiny, hot, and dense collection of matter and radiation” (Bennett et al 474). Hydrogen and helium was quickly abundant after the Big Bang, at different amounts, throughout the universe. Gravity began to clump amounts of these two elements together. These clumps eventually formed galaxies and stars. Higher mass elements were formed by the merging and bonding of nuclei, through nuclear fusion. Then, with the death of a star, during the nova or supernova, these “high mass elements, along with … massive nuclei created … were thrown out into space to eventually become incorporated into another star or celestial body” (“The Formation of the High Mass Elements” 1). The formation of the elements eventually led to the formation of the planets, including the planet Earth. This leads to many more concepts and potential disciplines to study, and to think the basis of life started with the stars.
Learning about the elements and the periodic table help to form a better understanding of the order and functions of the universe. If it was not for the many great thinkers of centuries past, the origin of the universe and knowledge of the physical sciences would be extremely limited. They were able to find, identify, measure, and classify the basic building blocks of the world and of life. From their hard work in developing a classification system, many new chemical laws were discovered. With the accomplishment of the classification of elements in the periodic table, a wider perception of scientific inquiry can be explored.
Works Cited
“A Brief History of the Development of the Periodic Table.” Western Oregon University. 2012. Web. 28 July 2012 from http://www.wou.edu/las/physci/ch412/perhist.htm
Bennett et al. The Essential Cosmic Perspective (6th ed.). San Francisco: Pearson Education, 2012. Print.
“Formation of the Elements.” The Smoot Group, 2012. Web. 28 July 2012 from http://aether.lbl.gov/www/tour/elements/element.html
“Formation of the High Mass Elements.” The Smoot Group, 2012. Web. 28 July 2012 from http://aether.lbl.gov/www/tour/elements/stellar/stellar_b.html
Lavoisier, Antoine. “Elements of Chemistry.” David M. Knight, ed., Classical Scientific Papers--Chemistry, Second Series, 1970. Web. 1 August 2012 from http://web.lemoyne.edu/~GIUNTA/lavtable.html
“Periodic Table History.” Lenntech. 2011. Web. 29 July 2012 from http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/history/history-periodic-table.htm
Steele, DeWitt and Gregory Parker. Science of the Physical Creation in Christian Perspective (2nd Ed.) Pensacola: A Beka Book, 1996. Print.Christianity was a strange and novel religion in which the believers refused to worship more than their own God. To the Romans, this concept of unrelenting monotheism was radical and absurd. For centuries, the Romans had encountered every form of religious sentiment from the mystery religions in the Orient to the Cult of Isis toward the South in Africa. For some of these religions, the Romans would incorporate the elements which were not too offensive into their own religion. When Christ instituted the Religion of All Ages, the Romans, who had already encountered every sort of strange religion, were shocked and perturbed by the belief held by the Christians, ultimately persecuting them, indicating that there is fundamental difference between this new religion and every other religion throughout history.
On the surface, it would seem that there are not that many differences between Christianity and other religions. The Jewish people claimed to be monotheistic. The love for the dead, or at least for relics, is a practice that has been employed in human religion and is associated “with many other religious systems besides that of Christianity” (Thurston para. 1). The Gospel, or the Message of Christ, when written down does contain some similarities to other religions. It can be argued that the Gospel is deeply rooted in the Jewish Religious traditions through the mention of the Law, Festivals, and the governing Hebrew scriptural passages associated with the Judaism of the day (Davies 391). Still, the Gospel is situated in the Greco-Roman world soundly as that it appeals to the “Greek religious intelligentsia…in documents called The Hermetica” (Davies 398). Some of the Greeks who followed the discipline of Hermetica adapted a philosophical amalgam in a “synthesis of Platonism and other philosophies” (Davies 399). The Hermetica, like the Gospel, empathized knowledge, truth, true life, and the Word who is “The Son of the Primal God” (Davies 401). Thus, the themes of the Gospel are embedded in both the Jewish Religion and Greek Philosophy.
Following Greek thought, there was an element of stoicism which the Christians possessed. They looked toward the second coming, ignoring the cares of the world. Some Christian communities had such a radical position on this that a Christian leader has to rebuke the Christians saying, “The charge we gave you on our visit was that the man who refuses to work must be left to starve” (2 Thess. 3:10). Because of the Greek influence all over the known world, conquered by the Romans, quickly after the form of Christianity, there was influences by the Greeks. Gnosticism, which was one of the first challenges of the Church, proposed the concept that human beings gain salvation through special knowledge (Harris 258). The speculative idea that man needs to know in order to gain salvation is reflected in the thinks of Greek society.
Christianity is even not without its sacrifice. Jesus is the “Lamb of God” and His death a fulfillment of the “ritual slaying of the paschal lambs” (Harris 256). The worship of the Christians is an unbloody continuation of the ultimate sacrifice at Calvary where the Incarnate God took on the fault of all men and died. This is the most perfect sacrifice from which all life springs forth. This sacrifice, although in reparation, was not needed by God. Instead, this was a gift freely given. The sacrifices of the pagans were demanded.
Many religions typically worship toward a direction, but for Christians, it is different than Islam and Judaism. The Muslims worship toward Mecca and the Jews worship toward the Temple in Jerusalem. Christians pray toward the rising sun, as Christ will return as the Sun of Righteousness. St. John of Damascus stated:
It is not without reason or by chance that we worship towards the East. But seeing that we are composed of a visible and an invisible nature…being sharers in the Mysteries and in the grace of the Spirit…Since, therefore, God is spiritual light, and Christ is called in the Scriptures Sun of Righteousness and Dayspring, the East is the direction that must be assigned to His worship (“Why We Pray Facing East” 1).
So, as it can be seen, there are elements which false religions share with the True Religion, these are purely external. The real differences lie not in the liturgical practices of the religion, but the belief.
One striking fact which took place in the Modern Age is the Protestant Persecution of the Catholics is that these English Catholics would rather face death than pray with those who were unpleasing to God. The early Christian martyrs took this one step further. Although they could have simply offered incense to the gods of the pagans. Like the English Catholics who refused to pray the Lord’s Prayer with the Protestants, the Early Christians refused to fall into this trap. In the words of Justin Martyr, “No right-thinking person falls away from piety to impiety” after the Roman prefect said, “Let us, then, now come to the matter in hand, and which presses. Having come together, offer sacrifice with one accord to the gods” in the account of his martyrdom (Ante-Nicene Fathers). This shows his strong fidelity to the Faith.
The Faith established by Christ, the beliefs of the Christians, is different than every other religious belief system throughout the history of the world. Because, as St. Paul wrote, this shows “that the obligations of the law are written in their hearts; their conscience utters its own testimony,” all religion points to the truth of the Christian Faith (Roman 2:15). This idea is acknowledged by the Church herself as she references the Sibyl, ancient seerers of the gods in antiquity, in the Dies Irae of the Requiem Mass. The elements to the pagan religions which hold similarities to the True Faith are due to the fact that the Truth is written in the hearts of men. All creation was preparing for the coming of her Creator and Lord which was echoed in the bits of truth in the pagan religions. There are those who might even argue that Socrates found truth before Truth was born. Christianity is fundamentally different than every other religion; however, the religions of man often have elements of the Truth attached to them. This provides for an interesting and insightful study of the history of religion and how this applies to man today.
Works Cited
Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885.) 7 Dec. 2013 http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0133.htm. Web.
Davies, W.D. Invitation to the New Testament. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, 1966. Print.
Harris, Stephen L. The New Testament (7th ed.) New York: McGraw Hill, 2012. Print.
Thurston, Herbert. "Relics." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 5 Dec. 2013 http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12734a.htm. Web.
“Why We Pray Facing the East”. (2013). Orthodox Prayer. 7 Dec. 2013 http://www.orthodoxprayer.org/Facing%20East.html Web.
In the great confusion of the modern-day world, many distinctly Catholic terms have been greatly profaned. These misused terms are employed to build up the smoky façade of a healthy Church in order to distract Christians from the truth of this matter. That is, the Church is very ill due to the poisonous choke-hold of the internal enemies of the Church. These wolves in shepherd’s clothing openly embrace liberal and modernist ideals in the name of conforming the Church to fit the needs of modern man. A term which, while being purposely ambiguous, has come to be an excuse for every progressive movement in the church. One of the most misused and ill-defined terms is Charity. As a theological virtue, this should be employed to lead man to God; instead, this word is bastardized by weak-willed individuals in place of the better defined terms of tolerance, joy, patience, prudence, and benevolence. Even still, without true charity behind these virtues, they lose their heroic value and contribute to the great disparity of the world. With charity left in this ill-defined state, more souls will be lost under the timidity-induced pretext of being charitable. Man has undermined the charity granted to him by valuing the opinions of man above the law of God which will ultimately lead to the self-destruction of the Church and the damnation of many souls.
True Charity has been abandoned in favor of an anthropocentric attraction which, because it is not based on achieving a final end, will ultimately lead to the decline of civilization as a whole from the virtue of Christianity to the depravity of a fallen world. Charity, in its truest form, is defined by God because it naturally flows from His goodness. As such, it is the life force for all of the other virtues. Pope St. Gregory the Great penned to the Bishop of Constantinople “if charity the mother of virtues abides in your heart towards us, you will never lose the branches of good works, seeing that you retain the very root of goodness” (Barmby, trans., 1859). In his work on the Faith and the Creed, St. Augustine states that charity is rooted in the truth. Further, he condemns those who would break charity saying that “by false doctrines concerning God heretics wound faith, by iniquitous dissensions schismatics deviate from fraternal charity, although they believe what we believe” (Salmond, trans., 1887). The saints, fathers, and doctors of the Church all seem to agree that charity is a source of Christian perfection. Even when the apostles penned the gospels and early epistles, they acknowledge the importance of love.
Charity, which rightfully comes from God, must be defined in human terms and put into practice by the faithful of the Holy Catholic Church. In the modern word, charity has been greatly weakened by opposing definitions and an obsessive approach to achieving political correctness in a world ordered on temporal social justice. Man fears correcting his brother because he wishes to remain charitable. Sadly, this is a confusion of charity, for it is a spiritual work of mercy to admonish the sinner. God is forgotten from the very actions which should bring Him the greatest honor and glory. Charity is not a weak emotion which is carried out simply by being nice to everyone the Christian soul encounters. Charity is a strong, heroic virtue which inspired numerous saints and confessors of the past toward the end of the salvation of souls. If the true definition of charity is not reclaimed by those of the True Faith, then many souls will be lost in an attempt at tolerance.
Charity is a difficult word to define because it represents an abstract thought which flows directly from the perfections of God. Charity is often confused with other terms, such as benevolence and tolerance. Because it is such a misused term, very few people have a clear idea to what this word actually represents. Charity is listed among the three theological virtues, yet often it is reduced to action. According to the Oxford English dictionary, charity is “1. The voluntary giving of help, typically in the form of money, to those in need; 2. An organization set up to provide help and raise money for those in need; and, 3. Kindness and tolerance in judging others (Oxford University Press, 2014).” The first two definitions of this word are actually natural fruits to the virtue of charity, not the virtue itself. The third definition lacks distinction and remains an incomplete explanation. It is then necessary to look towards Catholic sources in order to find a good definition of this term. Looking toward Catechisms – the Roman Catechism, Baltimore Catechism, and Catechism of the Catholic Church, respectfully – the definitions are as follows:
But as our Lord and Savior has not only declared, but has also proved by His own example, that the Law and the Prophets depend on love, and as, according to the Apostle, charity is the end of the commandment, and the fulfilment of the law, it is unquestionably a chief duty of the pastor to use the utmost diligence to excite the faithful to a love of the infinite goodness of God towards us, that, burning with a sort of divine ardor, they may be powerfully attracted to the supreme and all-perfect good, to adhere to which is true and solid happiness, as is fully experienced by him who can say with the Prophet: What have I in heaven? And besides thee what do I desire upon earth?
This, assuredly, is that more excellent way pointed out by the Apostle when he sums up all his doctrines and instructions in charity, which never falleth away. For whatever is proposed by the pastor, whether it be the exercise of faith, of hope, or of some moral virtue, the love of our Lord should at the same time be so strongly insisted upon as to show clearly that all the works of perfect Christian virtue can have no other origin, no other end than divine love (Catechism of the Council of Trent, Preface, question X).
Charity is a Divine virtue by which we love God above all things for His own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God (Baltimore Catechism, #109).
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… 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 (CCC 1822 & 1827).
Thus, from these explanations, it can be seen that charity, as a virtue, is the expression of the duty of man toward God. Because God is Love, charity is an imitation of this love toward man and the just return of this love toward God.
There are obvious contradictions between the definitions of the Church and those of man. This would become even more evident if the definitions of the word love were to be examined as well. The words charity and love are often used interchangeably in spiritual works, but for the sake of brevity and clarity, love will not be defined here. Instead, it will be noted that when the word love is used, it will most often refer to the duty of man toward God. Man’s influence, whether realized or not, has seeped into the Church throughout the past several hundred years, contributing to the overarching philosophy of the Church today. Pope emeritus Benedict, in Caritas in Veritate (2009), rightfully penned that “[t]o defend the truth, to articulate it with humility and conviction, and to bear witness to it in life are therefore exacting and indispensable forms of charity.” Charity is rooted in the Love of God for His Creation. The love of souls and Truth naturally flows from this root. Charity is not, therefore, a form of concupiscence or attraction. Neither is it simply benevolence, for benevolence flows naturally from charity, but it cannot be viewed as synonymous with charity. Charity is a heroic and theological virtue which should permeate every action of the Christian soul.
Charity has as its seat the human will. Charity can be influenced by the emotions, but it must reside in the “rational will” otherwise it would not be a virtue (Sollier, 1910). Charity has as its end and its origin the Love of God; however, because man is made in the image and likeness of God, it natural that charity will also apply to him (Sollier, 1910). True charity, or love, rightfully uses the emotions and sentiments of a human person to direct the heart and soul toward the final good, who is God. Charity is not based in emotion, rather it is based in the will which is informed by the intellect. It is a virtue which speaks to the higher powers of man and has dominion over the lower faculties of man. Affection is a sentiment which belongs to charity, but it does not possess a supernatural power. Benevolence animates and flows from charity, but it is not charity. Benevolence might be viewed as a fruit of charity. There are times that charity must exist without the warmth of benevolence for the good of the soul. Finally, concupiscence prompts hope and it is the longing of the soul for the good (Ming, 1908). In its strictest sense, it is the desire of the soul for a good by the lower faculties of man, which often causes this longing to become disordered (Ming, 1908). In First Timothy (1:5), St. Paul writes that the end of the commandment, that is the law, “is charity from a pure heart, and a good conscience, and an unfeigned faith.” Real love is a natural extension of the virtue of charity; thus, it is not merely affection, benevolence, or concupiscence. Charity has a higher purpose than mere affection or kindness. It is a means through which man might find his final end, his final good.
In the last one hundred years, or so, there has been a change in the view of charity from the supernatural to an over-emphasis on social charity. Social charity, which is a manifestation of true charity toward the end of teaching souls about God, is a way of relieving the soul of her worries in order to allow her focus on loving God. “Social charity, moreover, ought to be as the soul of this order, an order which public authority ought to be ever ready effectively to protect and defend. It will be able to do this the more easily as it rids itself of those burdens which, as We have stated above, are not properly its own” (Pius XI, 1931). When the focus of social charity is changed from teaching souls the love of God to only providing for the temporal needs, then these actions lose their divine origin. They become reduced to benevolence. The care for the temporal needs of a person does have its place in true charity, but only in so far that the soul be saved from the grip of sin and damnation.
Charity has faced many challenges because of this shift in philosophy. When benevolence becomes the highest good, the drive for the Love of God is lost. This runs the risk of reducing all aspects of religion to mere sentiment, which is what Pius X describes in Pascendi (1907):
Moreover, the first actuation, so to say, of every vital phenomenon, and religion, as has been said, belongs to this category, is due to a certain necessity or impulsion; but it has its origin, speaking more particularly of life, in a movement of the heart, which movement is called a sentiment… In presence of this unknowable, whether it is outside man and beyond the visible world of nature, or lies hidden within in the subconsciousness, the need of the divine…excites in a soul with a propensity towards religion a certain special sentiment, without any previous advertence of the mind: and this sentiment possesses, implied within itself both as its own object and as its intrinsic cause, the reality of the divine, and in a way unites man with God. It is this sentiment to which Modernists give the name of faith, and this it is which they consider the beginning of religion.
This reduction of religion to mere sentimentalism introduces the idea of religious indifference, which is opposite of true Christian charity. In a sense, after the French Revelation, the concept of charity was made synonymous with the idea of fraternity. Then, because this idea was a false doctrine introduced to weaken the strength of Christian philosophy, it was reduced to political correctness and kindness. No longer could the Christian soul correct an erring brother, for it was uncharitable to do so. This should not bode well for the truly Christian soul, for even Our Savior corrected the erring brother which sharp, but true words.
In order for charity to exist, Christians must adhere to the principles of the True Faith. The Athanasian Creed begins with the words “Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith; Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.” This should drive the Christian to convert all souls for Christ, but modern philosophy has degraded this necessity. “This Vatican Council likewise professes its belief that it is upon the human conscience that these obligations fall and exert their binding force. The truth cannot impose itself except by virtue of its own truth, as it makes its entrance into the mind at once quietly and with power” (Paul VI, 1965). The idea of religious freedom comes from a bastardization of true charity. This is clearly illustrated further in Dignatitus Humanae (1965) “religious freedom, in turn, which men demand as necessary to fulfill their duty to worship God, has to do with immunity from coercion in civil society.” Man should not be coerced to worship God, it is true, but man must realize his duty to worship his Creator. It is the proper end for man to give back to God what belongs to Him. Man, born sons of wrath, must be taught to fear the Lord in order to love Him. In the Psalms and Proverbs, the poets and prophets repeatedly state that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. To truly fear the Lord is to know Him properly. To realize His goodness and infinite power, the soul must make the choice to be docile before His might and love Him or to love their own pride. There is no coercion in performing this act of justice when understood properly. Reducing religion to that which belongs in the human conscience strips this duty of charity.
Charity as defined by God is considered a theological virtue because it is the “habit or power which disposes us to love God above all creatures for Himself, and to love ourselves and our neighbors for the sake of God” (Ryan, 1908). Charity is strongly united to and inspired by the Truth. It, like the Truth, cannot be compromised for any reason. If it is compromised, then the supernatural habit must have been lost. If man truly knows God, then he must love God. It is through charity that man is able to truly serve God in this world. The habit of this heroic virtues is illustrated clearly by the example of numerous confessors and martyrs who, for love of God and their own souls, as well as the souls of others, witnessed publicly on behalf of the Truth. Martyrdom is a perfection of charity because it is only through the Love of God that man is willing to give up his life. In order to live true Christian lives, man must possess this virtue. Without love, works and powers of this world are dead, as St. Paul pens to the Corinthians (c.f. 1 Corinthian 13). Thus, it must be realized that charity animates the soul toward the greater good, God.
The natural end of true charity is God. Charity is set up in opposition to sin, death, and hell. It was through the greatest act of charity that redemption was wrought. In order for man to find full communion with God, he must obey God in all things and believe all of the truths which the Catholic Church teaches. Charity, married so closely to Truth, proves that error has no rights. If someone believes error, then that person is at risk of losing his immortal soul. To Love God is to seek Him in all things, for it is to know Him that man learns to love Him. It can be said that the “mind cannot rise to the contemplation of the Deity, whom nothing approaches in sublimity, unless it be entirely disengaged from the senses, and of this in the present life we are naturally incapable” (Catechism of the Council of Trent, Part 1, Article I.). It is through the higher powers of man that he can learn of God. When this knowledge is achieved, it must compel man toward the conversion of sinners for love of God, as God would have all men for Himself. Charity is an imitation of God in one of the highest forms possible. Man must strive to do the holy will of God “for the love of God” so to live in full the “vital union with Christ” (Boylan, 1946). Rightly applied charity is the center for the path of Christian Perfection because it is through charity that all other virtues are given life. Because the action of Calvary was a form of perfect charity, practicing charity is a share in the redemptive nature of the Cross.
From this examination of charity, it can be gleaned that the sentiments attached to the word are sorely lacking compared to the true definition of charity. Charity is an attribute and an imitation of the Supreme Being. It is vitally important for man, as a whole, to return to living that true charity which is defined by God. If charity continues to be abandoned and ignored, especially by the shepherds and princes of the Church, then many souls will perish. It is the leaders of the Church, as well as individual Christians, who will be held accountable for the lack of true Christian charity. Further, it will be the bishops who will be held accountable for the countless lost souls which are damned due to the lack of the charity. In the end, when before the judgment seat of God, very few will be able to affirmatively answer the question of Love of God which will be put before them. Christians should prayer earnestly that their charity increase daily. Adapting the words of the man whose son was possessed by a demon, “Lord, I do love thee; teach me to love thee more.” Charity, which is defined by God through the Church, is an integral part of salvation.
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