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Basics
/ Misc. |
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations
will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous
will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
(Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mt. 25:31-46)
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows
in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world."
(Jms. 1:27)
"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them,
'Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,' but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Indeed someone might say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says,
'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as
righteousness,' and he was called 'the friend of God.' See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route? For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."
(Jms. 2:14-26)
"God
loves the poor, and consequently He loves those who have an
affection for the poor. For when we love anyone very much, we also
love his friends." (St. Vincent de Paul)
"If
we can enter the church day and night and implore God to hear our
prayers, how careful we should be to hear and grant the petitions
of our neighbors in need." (St. Francis of Assisi)
"[F]or
nothing brings such prosperity as almsgiving." (St. Francis
de Sales, Doctor of the Church)
"So
then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, but
especially to those who belong to the family of the faith."
(St. Paul, Gal. 6:10)
"It's
in giving that we receive." (Attr. to St. Francis of Assisi)
"[A]
hundred pounds are a greater gift to a poor man than to a
king." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"When
we give alms, we should think that we are giving to our Lord, and
not to the poor. We often think we are reliving a poor person, and
we find it is our Lord" (St. John Vianney)
"We
ought therefore to do alms that we may be heard when we pray that
our past sins may be forgiven, not that while we continue in them
we may think to provide ourselves with a license for wickedness by
alms-deeds." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
"He
therefore, who bestows food or raiment on the poor, but yet is
stained with wickedness in his soul or body, offers the lesser to
righteousness and the greater to sin, for to God he gives his
possessions, but himself to the devil." (Pope St. Gregory the
Great, Doctor of the Church)
"Don't
you know that God laid down laws about almsgiving not so much for
the sake of the poor as for the sake of those very people who make
an offering?" (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church)
"If
any one saith, that the justice received is not preserved and also
increased before God through good works; but that the said works
are merely the fruits and signs of Justification obtained, but not
a cause of the increase thereof; let him be anathema."
(Council of Trent)
"If
any one saith, that the just ought not, for their good works done
in God, to expect and hope for an eternal recompense from God,
through His mercy and the merit of Jesus Christ, if so be that
they persevere to the end in well doing and in keeping the divine
commandments; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent)
"If
any one saith, that the justified sins when he performs good works
with a view to an eternal recompense; let him be anathema."
(Council of Trent)
"There
are many kinds of alms the giving of which helps us to obtain
pardon for our sins; but none is greater than that by which we
forgive from our heart a sin that some one has committed against
us." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
"We
are warned to do good works while we still have time (see Gal.
6:10) because 'the night is coming, when no one can work' (John
9:4) " (First Vatican Council, Schema)
"No
one is so rich that he does not need another's help; no one so
poor as not to be useful in some way to his fellow man; and the
disposition to ask assistance from others with confidence and to
grant it with kindness is part of our very nature." (Pope Leo
XIII, Graves de Communi Re)
"[T]he
Lord forewarns us that He will put alms done on the right hand,
and on the left alms not done, to show us how mighty are alms to
do away former sins, not to give impunity to a continuance in
sin." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
"You,
then, who are rich and wealthy, buy for yourself from Christ gold
purified in fire; for with your filth as if burned away in the
fire, you can be like pure gold, if you are cleansed by almsgiving
and works of justice. Buy yourself a white garment so that,
although you had been naked like Adam, and were formerly frightful
and deformed, you may be clothed in the garment of Christ.' "
(St. Cyprian of Carthage)
"Believe
me, he who does not think of the wants of the poor is not a member
of the body of Christ. For if one member suffers, all
suffer." (St. Elphege)
"If
you should suffer some disadvantage in helping a needy neighbor,
reflect how much you will differ from your Lord, who gave his life
and blood to help you." (St. Robert Bellarmine, Doctor of the
Church)
"...do
your best to give rather than to receive, for a spiritual man has
possessions simply in order to benefit is neighbor." (St.
Robert Southwell)
"The
good you do will be forgotten tomorrow. It doesn't matter - do
good." (Mother Teresa of Calcutta)
"In
addition, let the poor and all the wretched recall their great
debt to the Catholic religion which keeps the teaching of Christ
unspoiled and preaches it publicly. For He proclaimed that
whatever benefits are conferred on the poor and wretched are
likewise conferred on Himself (Mt. 18:15; 25:40-45). Furthermore,
He wishes that all be informed of the special account He will take
of these works of mercy on the Day of Judgment; that is, He will
give the gift of eternal life to the faithful who engaged in works
of mercy, and He will punish with eternal fire those who neglected
them (Mt. 25.34f)." (Pope Pius IX, "Nostis et Nobiscum",
1849)
"Justice
will never be fully attained unless people see in the poor person,
who is asking for help in order to survive, not an annoyance or a
burden, but an opportunity for showing kindness and a chance for
greater enrichment." (Pope John Paul II)
"[W]e
are forbidden to propose as the end of any good work the pleasing
of any kind of men." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
"[A]
narrow heart contracteth the hand of the giver, a grateful and
mindful heart causeth it to expand." (Pope Leo XIII, "Divinum
Illud Munus", 1897)
"Evil
is not the only thing that is contagious; goodness is as well. It
is necessary that, at this favorable hours, goodness increasingly
abound in us! " (Pope John Paul II)
"Each
class must receive its due share, and the distribution of created
goods must be brought into conformity with the demands of the
common good and social justice, for every sincere observer is
conscious that the vast differences between the few who hold
excessive wealth and the many who live in destitution constitute a
grave evil in modern society." (Pope Pius XI)
"It
is certainly most lamentable, Venerable Brethren, that there have
been, nay, that even now there are men who, although professing to
be Catholics, are almost completely unmindful of that sublime law
of justice and charity that binds us not only to render to
everyone what is his but to succor brothers in need as Christ the
Lord Himself" (Pope Pius XI, "Quadragesimo Anno",
1931)
"The
rich should not place their happiness in things of earth nor spend
their best efforts in the acquisition of them. Rather, considering
themselves as only stewards of their earthly goods, let them be
mindful of the account they must render of them to their Lord and
Master, and value them as precious means that God has put into
their hands for doing good; let them not fail, besides, to
distribute their abundance to the poor, according to the
evangelical precept." (Pope Pius XI, "Divini Redemptoris")
"But
when on one hand We see thousands of the needy, victims of real
misery for various reasons beyond their control, and on the other
so many round about them who spend huge sums of money on useless
things and frivolous amusements, We cannot fail to remark with
sorrow not only that justice is poorly observed, but that the
precept of charity also is not sufficiently appreciated, is not a
vital thing in daily life." (Pope Pius XI, "Divini
Redemptoris")
"[P]ity
for the needy and the sick and works of charity and mutual aid
intended to relieve human needs of every kind are held in highest
honor by the Church." (Second Vatican Council)
"[F]or
we hold burning lamps in our hands (Lk. 12:35), when by good works
we show forth bright examples to our neighbors." (St. Gregory
of Nazianzus, Doctor of the Church)
"[I]t
is a small thing not to do evil, unless also men strive to labor
in good works" (St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Doctor of the
Church)
"Scatter
what you have, then, so that you may not lose; give away, so that
you may keep; lay out, so that you may save; spend, so that you
may gain. If your treasures are to be hoarded, don't be the one
who hoards them, for in doing so you will surely be throwing them
away." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church)
"The
rich man is not one who is in possession of much, but one who
gives much." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church)
"A
spiritual alms is even more precious than a material one."
(St. John Vianney)
"Giving
and receiving - this is the principle of the multiplication of
goods. It holds good in agriculture, in teaching, in any sort of
trade." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church)
"We
are leaving nothing undone to provide timely relief for so many
ills and all possible comfort for the accumulated miseries that
weigh on not a few nations. But of the almost countless ills born
of the dire struggle none so hurts or so wounds Our paternal heart
as that which involves a host of innocent children, millions of
whom it is estimated are in many countries without the necessities
of life and are suffering from cold, hunger and disease. Often,
too, in their utter dereliction they feel the want not only of
food, clothes and shelter but also of the affection which their
tender years so need... Let all remember and reflect that these
children will be pillars of the next generation and that it is
essential that they grow up healthy in mind and body if we are to
avoid a race infected with sickness and vice... Those who are
themselves less wealthy should give what they can with open hand
and willing heart. Those who live in luxury should reflect and
remember that the indigence, hunger and nakedness of these
children will constitute a grave and severe indictment of them
before God, the Father of mercies, if they harden their hearts and
do not contribute generously. All, finally, should be convinced
that their liberality will not be loss but gain, for we can safely
say that one who gives from his means to the poor is lending to
God Who, in His own time, will repay his generosity with abundant
interest." (Pope Pius XII, "Quemadmodum", 1946)
"For,
Venerable Brethren, We almost seem to see with Our own eyes the
vast hosts of children weakened or at death's door through
starvation. They hold out their little hands asking for bread 'and
there is no one to break it unto them' (Lam. 4, 4). Without home,
without clothing, they shiver in the winter cold and die. And
there are no fathers or mothers to warm and clothe them. Ailing,
or even in the last stages of consumption, they are without the
necessary medicines and medical care. We see them, too, passing
before Our sorrowful gaze, wandering through the noisy city
street, reduced to unemployment and moral corruption, or drifting
as vagrants uncertainly about the cities, the towns, the
countryside, while no one - alas - provides safe refuge for them
against want, vice and crime. How, then, can We desist, Venerable
Brethren, when We love those children of Ours so intensely in the
heart of Jesus Christ (Philip 1, 8); how can We desist from
appealing again and again to you all individually and collectively
and to all throughout the world who, like you, are inspired with a
sense of mercy and piety, so that the full force of Christian
charity - and it is a mighty force - may be pooled by willing and
generous souls in order to mitigate and relieve their piteous
condition. Let us use all the means that modern progress offers or
recommends. Let new methods be devised which may, through the
cooperation of all provide an effective remedy for present ills
and for those which are feared in the future. Thus, may it
speedily come about that with God's help and inspiration the
snares of vice, which hold so many derelict children as an easy
prey, may give way to the attraction of a virtuous life; that
their blank idleness and gloomy sloth may give way to honest and
cheerful employment; that for their hunger, starvation and
nakedness they may have adequate relief from the Divine charity of
Jesus Christ, which should be most alive, eager and strong among
His followers at a time like this." (Pope Pius XII, "Quemadmodum",
1946)
"This
zeal in coming to the rescue of our fellow men should, of course,
be solicitous, first for the eternal good of souls, but it must
not neglect what is good and helpful for this life. We should
remember what Christ said to the disciple of the Baptist who asked
him: 'Art thou he that art to come or look we for another?' He
invoked, as proof of the mission given to Him among men, His
exercise of charity, quoting for them the text of Isaias: 'The
blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear,
the dead rise again, the poor have the Gospel preached to them.'
And speaking also of the last judgment and of the rewards and
punishments He will assign, He declared that He would take special
account of the charity men exercised toward each other. And in
that discourse there is one thing that especially excites our
surprise, viz., that Christ omits those works of mercy which
comfort the soul and referring only to those which comfort the
body, He regards them as being done to Himself: 'For I was hungry
and you gave Me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me to drink; I
was a stranger and you took Me in; naked and you covered Me; sick
and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me'. To the
teachings which enjoin the twofold charity of spiritual and
corporal works Christ adds His own example, so that no one may
fail to recognize the importance which He attaches to it. In the
present instance we recall the sweet words that came from His
paternal heart: 'I have pity on the multitude,' as well as the
desire He had to assist them even if it were necessary to invoke
His miraculous power. Of His tender compassion we have the
proclamation made in holy Writ, viz., that 'He went about doing
good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil.'"
(Pope Leo XIII, "Graves De Communi Re", 1901)
"What
we learn from nature itself as our teacher is also a Christian
dogma and on it the whole system and structure of religion rests,
as it were, on its main foundation; namely, that when we have left
this life, only then shall we truly begin to live. God has not
created man for the fragile and transitory things of this world,
but for Heaven and eternity, and He has ordained the earth as a
place of exile, not as our permanent home. Whether you abound in,
or whether you lack, riches and all the other things which are
called good, is of no importance in relation to eternal happiness.
But how you use them, that is truly of utmost importance."
(Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum)
"We
are sorry to note that not infrequently nowadays it happens that
through a certain inversion of the true order of things, ready and
bountiful assistance is provided for the unmarried mother and her
illegitimate offspring (who, of course must be helped in order to
avoid a greater evil) which is denied to legitimate mothers or
given sparingly or almost grudgingly." (Pope Pius XI, "Casti
Connubii", 1930)
"It
is a capital evil...to take for granted that the one class of
society is of itself hostile to the other, as if nature had set
rich and poor against each other to fight fiercely in implacable
war. This is so abhorrent to reason and truth that the exact
opposite is true; for just as in the human body the different
members harmonize with one another...so likewise nature has
commanded in the case of the State that the two classes mentioned
should agree harmoniously and should properly form equally
balanced counterparts to each other. Each needs the other
completely: neither capital can do without labor, nor labor
without capital." (Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum)
"Let
no one therefore, dearly beloved, flatter himself on any merits of
a good life, if works of charity be wanting in him, and let him
not trust in the purity of his body, if he be not cleansed by the
purification of almsgiving. For 'almsgiving wipes out sin,' kills
death, and extinguishes the punishment of perpetual fire. But he
who has not been fruitful therein, shall have no indulgence from
the great Recompenser, as Solomon says, 'He that closeth his ears
lest he should hear the weak, shall himself call upon the Lord,
and there shall be none to hear him.' And hence Tobias also, while
instructing his son in the precepts of godliness, says, 'Give alms
of thy substance, and turn not thy face from any poor man: so
shall it come to pass that the face of God shall not be turned
from thee.' This virtue makes all virtues profitable; for by its
presence it gives life to that very faith, by which 'the just
lives,' and which is said to be 'dead without works:' because as
the reason for works consists in faith, so the strength of faith
consists in works. 'While we have time therefore,' as the Apostle
says, 'let us do that which is good to all men, and especially to
them that are of the household of faith.' 'But let us not be weary
in doing good; for in His own time we shall reap. And so the
present life is the time for sowing, and the day of retribution is
the time of harvest, when every one shall reap the fruit of his
seed according to the amount of his sowing. And no one shall be
disappointed in the produce of that harvesting, because it is the
heart's intentions rather than the sums expended that will be
reckoned up. And little sums from little means shall produce as
much as great sums from great means." (Pope St. Leo the Great,
Doctor of the Church)
"God's
gifts, therefore, we must use properly and wisely, lest the
material for good work should become an occasion of sin. For
wealth, after its kind and regarded as a means, is good and is of
the greatest advantage to human society, when it is in the bands
of the benevolent and open-handed, and when the luxurious man does
not squander nor the miser hoard it; for whether ill-stored or
unwisely spent it is equally lost." (Pope St. Leo the Great,
Doctor of the Church)
"The
laity fulfill this mission of the Church in the world especially
by conforming their lives to their faith so that they become the
light of the world as well as by practicing honesty in all their
dealings so that they attract all to the love of the true and the
good and finally to the Church and to Christ. They fulfill their
mission also by fraternal charity which presses them to share in
the living conditions, labors, sorrows, and aspirations of their
brethren with the result that the hearts of all about them are
quietly prepared for the workings of saving grace. Another
requisite for the accomplishment of their task is a full
consciousness of their role in building up society whereby they
strive to perform their domestic, social, and professional duties
with such Christian generosity that their manner of acting should
gradually penetrate the whole world of life and labor. This
apostolate should reach out to all wherever they may be
encountered; it should not exclude any spiritual or temporal
benefit which they have the ability to confer. True apostles,
however, are not content with this activity alone but endeavor to
announce Christ to their neighbors by means of the spoken word as
well. For there are many persons who can hear the Gospel and
recognize Christ only through the laity who live near them."
(Second Vatican Council)
"Now
right reason demands that we should take into consideration
something on the part of the giver, and something on the part of
the recipient. On the part of the giver, it must be noted that he
should give of his surplus, according to Luke 11:41: 'That which
remaineth, give alms.' This surplus is to be taken in reference
not only to himself, so as to denote what is unnecessary to the
individual, but also in reference to those of whom he has charge
(in which case we have the expression 'necessary to the person'
[the official necessities of a person in position] taking the word
person as expressive of dignity). Because each one must first of
all look after himself and then after those over whom he has
charge, and afterwards with what remains relieve the needs of
others. Thus nature first, by its nutritive power, takes what it
requires for the upkeep of one's own body, and afterwards yields
the residue for the formation of another by the power of
generation. On the part of the recipient it is requisite that he
should be in need, else there would be no reason for giving him
alms: yet since it is not possible for one individual to relieve
the needs of all, we are not bound to relieve all who are in need,
but only those who could not be succored if we not did succor
them. For in such cases the words of Ambrose apply, 'Feed him that
dies of hunger: if thou hast not fed him, thou hast slain him'
(Canon Pasce, distinction 86, whence the words, as quoted, are
taken). Accordingly we are bound to give alms of our surplus, as
also to give alms to one whose need is extreme: otherwise
almsgiving, like any other greater good, is a matter of
counsel." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"Alms
may be considered abundant in relation either to the giver, or to
the recipient: in relation to the giver, when that which a man
gives is great as compared with his means. To give thus is
praiseworthy, wherefore Our Lord (Luke 21:3,4) commended the widow
because 'of her want, she cast in all the living that she had.'
Nevertheless [certain] conditions must be observed... [concerning]
giving alms out of one's necessary goods. On the part of the
recipient, an alms may be abundant in two ways; first, by
relieving his need sufficiently, and in this sense it is
praiseworthy to give alms: secondly, by relieving his need more
than sufficiently; this is not praiseworthy, and it would be
better to give to several that are in need, wherefore the Apostle
says (1 Corinthians 13:3): 'If I should distribute ... to feed the
poor,' on which words a gloss comments: 'Thus we are warned to be
careful in giving alms, and to give, not to one only, but to many,
that we may profit many.'" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the
Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
"Corporal
almsdeeds may be considered in three ways. First, with regard to
their substance, and in this way they have merely a corporal
effect, inasmuch as they supply our neighbor's corporal needs.
Secondly, they may be considered with regard to their cause, in so
far as a man gives a corporal alms out of love for God and his
neighbor, and in this respect they bring forth a spiritual fruit,
according to Ecclesiasticus 29:10, 11: 'Lose thy money for thy
brother... place thy treasure in the commandments of the Most
High, and it shall bring thee more profit than gold.' Thirdly,
with regard to the effect, and in this way again, they have a
spiritual fruit, inasmuch as our neighbor, who is succored by a
corporal alms, is moved to pray for his benefactor; wherefore the
above text goes on (Ecclesiasticus 29:12): 'Shut up alms in the
heart of the poor, and it shall obtain help for thee from all
evil.'" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"According
to the Philosopher (Ethica Nicomachea ii,6), the mean of virtue is
taken according to right reason, not according to the quantity of
a thing. Consequently whatever may be done in accordance with
right reason is not rendered sinful by the greatness of the
quantity, but all the more virtuous. It would, however, be against
right reason to throw away all one's possessions through
intemperance, or without any useful purpose; whereas it is in
accordance with right reason to renounce wealth in order to devote
oneself to the contemplation of wisdom." (St. Thomas Aquinas,
Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history
of the Church")
"Absolutely
speaking it is impossible to do good to every single one: yet it
is true of each individual that one may be bound to do good to him
in some particular case. Hence charity binds us, though not
actually doing good to someone, to be prepared in mind to do good
to anyone if we have time to spare. There is however a good that
we can do to all, if not to each individual, at least to all in
general, as when we pray for all, for unbelievers as well as for
the faithful." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"It
does not belong to a liberal man so to give away his riches that
nothing is left for his own support, nor the wherewithal to
perform those acts of virtue whereby happiness is acquired. Hence
the Philosopher says (Ethica Nicomachea iv,1) that 'the liberal
man does not neglect his own, wishing thus to be of help to
certain people" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"[I]t
is said (De Ecclesiasticis Dogmatibus xxxviii): 'It is a good
thing to give away one's goods by dispensing them to the poor: it
is better to give them away once for all with the intention of
following the Lord, and, free of solicitude, to be poor with
Christ.'" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"Therefore,
since the love of charity extends to all, beneficence also should
extend to all, but according as time and place require: because
all acts of virtue must be modified with a view to their due
circumstances." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"When
a man does a good deed, not of his own counsel, but moved by that
of another, his deed is not yet quite perfect, as regards his
reason in directing him and his appetite in moving him." (St.
Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian
in the history of the Church")
"Man's
folly too often dares to murmur against his Creator, not only in
time of want, but also in time of plenty, so that, when something
is not supplied, he complains, and when certain things are in
abundance he is ungrateful. The lord of rich harvests thought
scorn of his well-filled garners, and groaned over his abundant
grape-gathering: he did not give thanks for the size of the crop,
but complained of its poorness. And if the ground has been less
prolific than its wont in the seed it has reared, and the vines
and the olives have failed in their supply of fruit, the year is
accused, the elements blamed, neither the air nor the sky is
spared, whereas nothing better befits and reassures the faithful
and godly disciples of Truth than the persistent and unwearied
lifting of praise to God, as says the Apostle, 'Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing: in all things give thanks. For this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus in all things for you.' But how shall
we be partakers of this devotion, unless vicissitudes of fortune
train our minds in constancy, so that the love directed towards
God may not be puffed up in prosperity nor faint in adversity. Let
that which pleases God, please us too. Let us rejoice in whatever
measure of gifts He gives. Let him who has used great possessions
well, use small ones also well. Plenty and scarcity may be equally
for our good, and even in spiritual progress we shall not be cast
down at the smallness of the results, if our minds become not dry
and barren. Let that spring from the soil of our heart, which the
earth gave not. To him that fails not in good will, means to give
are ever supplied. Therefore, dearly beloved, in all works of
godliness let us use what each year gives us, and let not seasons
of difficulty hinder our Christian benevolence. The Lord knows how
to replenish the widow's vessels, which her pious deed of
hospitality has emptied: He knows how to turn water into wine: He
knows how to satisfy 5,000 hungry persons with a few loaves. And
He who is fed in His poor, can multiply when He takes what He
increased when He gave." (Pope St. Leo the Great, Doctor of
the Church)
"Be
steadfast, Christian giver: give what you may receive, sow what
you may reap, scatter what you may gather. Fear not to spend, sigh
not over the doubtfulness of the gain. Your substance grows when
it is wisely dispensed. Set your heart on the profits due to
mercy, and traffic in eternal gains. Your Recompenser wishes you
to be munificent, and He who gives that you may have, commands you
to spend, saying, 'Give, and it shall be given to you.' You must
thankfully embrace the conditions of this promise. For although
you have nothing that you did not receive, yet you cannot fail to
have what you give. He therefore that loves money, and wishes to
multiply his wealth by immoderate profits, should rather practice
this holy usury and grow rich by such money-lending, in order not
to catch men hampered with difficulties, and by treacherous
assistance entangle them in debts which they can never pay, but to
be His creditor and His money-lender, who says, 'Give, and it
shall be given to you,' and 'with what measure ye measure, it
shall be measured again to you.' But he is unfaithful and
unfair even to himself, who does not wish to have for ever what he
esteems desirable. Let him amass what he may, let him hoard and
store what he may, he will leave this world empty and needy, as
David the prophet says, 'for when he dieth he shall take nothing
away, nor shall his glory descend with him.' Whereas if he
were considerate of his own soul, he would trust his good to Him,
who is both the proper Surety for the poor and the generous
Repayer of loans. But unrighteous and shameless avarice, which
promises to do some kind act but eludes it, trusts not God, whose
promises never fail, and trusts man, who makes such hasty
bargains; and while he reckons the present more certain than the
future, often deservedly finds that his greed for unjust gain is
the cause of by no means unjust loss." (Pope St. Leo the
Great, Doctor of the Church)
"For
men's methods would not have sufficed to give effect to their
works, had not God given the increase to their wonted plantings
and waterings. And hence it is but godly and just that we too
should help others with that which the Heavenly Father has
mercifully bestowed on us. For there are full many, who have no
fields, no vineyards, no olive-groves, whose wants we must provide
out of the store which God has given, that they too with us may
bless God for the richness of the earth and rejoice at its
possessors having received things which they have shared also with
the poor and the stranger. That garner is blessed and most worthy
that all fruits should increase manifold in it, from which the
hunger of the needy and the weak is satisfied from which the wants
of the stranger are relieved, from which the desire of the sick is
gratified. For these men God has in His justice permitted to be
afflicted with divers troubles, that He might both crown the
wretched for their patience and the merciful for their
loving-kindness." (Pope St. Leo the Great, Doctor of the
Church)
"For
there are those who blush openly to ask for what they want and
prefer to suffer privation without speaking rather than to be put
to shame by a public appeal. These are they whom we ought to
'consider' and relieve from their hidden straits in order that
they may the more rejoice from the very fact that their modesty as
well as poverty has been consulted. And rightly in the needy and
poor do we recognize the person of Jesus Christ our Lord Himself,
'Who though He was rich,' as says the blessed Apostle, 'became
poor, that He might enrich us by His poverty.' And that His
presence might never seem to be wanting to us, He so effected the
mystic union of His humility and His glory that while we adore Him
as King and Lord in the Majesty of the Father, we might also feed
Him in His poor, for which we shall be set free in an evil day
from perpetual damnation, and for our considerate care of the poor
shall be joined with the whole company of heaven." (Pope St.
Leo the Great, Doctor of the Church)
"[U]se
God's gift piously and wisely. And since you rejoice in His
bounty, take heed that you have those who may share in your joys.
For many lack what you have in plenty, and some men's needs afford
you opportunity for imitating the Divine goodness, so that through
you the Divine benefits may be transferred to others also, and
that by being wise stewards of your temporal goods, you may
acquire eternal riches." (Pope St. Leo the Great, Doctor of
the Church)
"At
the present time, with the development of more rapid facilities
for communication, with the barrier of distance separating men
greatly reduced, with the inhabitants of the entire globe becoming
one great family, these charitable activities and works have
become more urgent and universal. These charitable enterprises can
and should reach out to all persons and all needs. Wherever there
are people in need of food and drink, clothing, housing, medicine,
employment, education; wherever men lack the facilities necessary
for living a truly human life or are afflicted with serious
distress or illness or suffer exile or imprisonment, there
Christian charity should seek them out and find them, console them
with great solicitude, and help them with appropriate relief. This
obligation is imposed above all upon every prosperous nation and
person. In order that the exercise of charity on this scale may be
unexceptionable in appearance as well as in fact, it is altogether
necessary that one should consider in one's neighbor the image of
God in which he has been created, and also Christ the Lord to Whom
is really offered whatever is given to a needy person. It is
imperative also that the freedom and dignity of the person being
helped be respected with the utmost consideration, that the purity
of one's charitable intentions be not stained by seeking one's own
advantage or by striving for domination, and especially that the
demands of justice be satisfied lest the giving of what is due in
justice be represented as the offering of a charitable gift. Not
only the effects but also the causes of these ills must be removed
and the help be given in such a way that the recipients may
gradually be freed from dependence on outsiders and become
self-sufficient. Therefore, the laity should hold in high esteem
and, according to their ability, aid the works of charity and
projects for social assistance, whether public or private,
including international programs whereby effective help is given
to needy individuals and peoples." (Second Vatican
Council)
"Moreover,
God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all
things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for
every good work." (St. Paul, 2 Cor. 9:8)
"[God]
will repay everyone according to his works: eternal life to those
who seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in
good works, but wrath and fury to those who selfishly disobey the
truth and obey wickedness." (St. Paul, Rom. 2:5-8)
"Tell
them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready
to share, thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the
future, so as to win the life that is true life." (St. Paul,
1 Tm. 6:18-19)
"[O]ur
love of God is false if our hearts are not disposed to show mercy
to our neighbor, and help him in his necessities and
troubles." (Gueranger)
"The
charity which the world has set up, which it calls philanthropy,
and which it exercises not in the name of God, but solely for the
sake of man, is a mere delusion; it is incapable of producing love
between those who give and those who receive, and its results must
necessarily be unsatisfactory. There is but one tie which can make
men love one another: that tie is God, who created them all, and
commands them all to be one in Him. To serve mankind for its own
sake, is to make a god of it; and even viewing the workings of the
two systems in this single point of view - the relief they afford
to temporal suffering - what comparison is there between mere
philanthropy, and that supernatural charity of the humble
disciples of Christ, who make Him the very motive and end of all
thy do for their afflicted brethren?... Philanthropy may be
generous, and its workings may be admirable for ingenuity and
order; but it never can look upon the poor man as a sacred object,
because it refuses to see God in him. Pray for the men of this
generation, that they may at length desist from perverting charity
into a mere mechanism of relief. The poor are the representatives
of Christ, for He Himself has willed that they be such; and if the
world refuse to accept them in this their exalted character, if it
deny their resemblance to our redeemer, it may succeed in
degrading the poor, but by this very degradation, it will make
them its enemies." (Gueranger)
"God
has made it a law, to which He has graciously bound Himself, that
charity shown towards our fellow-creatures, with the intention of
appeasing our Creator, shall be rewarded as though it were done to
Himself. How vividly this brings before us the reality and
sacredness of the tie which He would have to exist between all
men! Such, indeed, is the necessity, that our heavenly Father will
not accept the love of any heart that refuses to show mercy: but,
on the other hand, He accepts as genuine and as done to Himself
the charity of every Christian, who, by a work of mercy shown to a
fellow man, is really acknowledging and honoring that sublime
union which makes all men to be one family with God as its Father.
Hence it is that almsdeeds, done with this intention, are not
merely acts of human kindness, but are raised to the dignity of
acts of religion, which have God for their direct object, and have
the power of appeasing His divine justice." (Gueranger)
Also
See: Deeds
/ Works (Scripture) | Almsgiving
(Scripture) | Tough
Love in the New Testament
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