Charity: The Real Meaning of this Virtue

Charity consists of the virtue of coming to love your neighbor even more than the person himself. In the following article you will know everything about what charity is or what it means ? and how it is described in different beliefs.

Charity (Virtue)

Charity in the Greek language: agapë , which means “brotherly love” and in the Latin language: “caritas” or in the modern Spanish language which is “love”, becomes the virtue of loving your neighbor even about yourself. .

Both the Dictionary of the Spanish language, of the Royal Spanish Academy, in its 7th meaning, and the Catholic Church come to consider that charity becomes that kind of theological virtue by which God is loved above all things for Himself and also our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.

Charity has as fruits what are joy, peace and also mercy. It demands what is the practice of good and fraternal correction; charity is benevolence; which arouses reciprocity; the same at all times is disinterested and also generous; it becomes friendship and in the same way communion.

Definition of Charity

If you are wondering what is Charity? The definition of Charity is very simple. Charity becomes a kind of personal attitude that usually involves understanding others, especially in relation to the suffering of others. A person who becomes charitable if internally feels the impulse to be able to help the one who suffers and this same impulse is translated into a certain concrete action, such as alms.

in the scriptures

Charity is that which is born from the love of God towards humans, and from the response of man to that same love. In fact, this is what constitutes the main commandment of Jesus to the apostles and also to his disciples: “Love one another”.

Queen valera

“Follow charity; and seek spiritual gifts, more especially that you prophesy”.

(1 Corinthians 14:1)

Text Received

“pursue love, and be jealous of spiritual things, lest you prophesy.”

(1 Corinthians 14:1)

Latin Vulgate

“pursue charity, strive for spiritual things, but rather as prophets”

(1 Corinthians 14:1)

The virtue of charity is one that takes into account all the commandments of God’s law, which come to express the core of Christian morality. However, God is the same one who stands as the only and perfect example of great love, who saves those who still do not believe in him, dying for all those who are still his enemies. Saint Paul, when he speaks of the love of God, describes what charity is like in the following way:

Queen valera

Charity is long-suffering, it is benign; charity does not envy, charity does not act unreasonably, it does not enlarge; It is not insulting, it does not seek its own, it does not get irritated, it does not think evil; Do not strike from injustice, but rather strike from the truth; He suffers everything, believes everything, expects everything, supports everything. Charity never ceases to be: but the prophecies have to end, and tongues will cease, and science has to be removed.

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Text Received

love is long-suffering love is used love is not jealous love does not wander does not be angry does not look bad does not seek its own things does not become angry does not count evil does not rejoice in injustice it praises the truth it always supports everything it believes everything it hopes everything it endures love never fails nor prophesies are abolished or languages ​​cease or knowledge is abolished

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Charity comes to be regarded as the most important theological virtue, and is superior to any other kind of virtue.

Charity in Christianity

In the case of evangelical Christian beliefs, charity comes to be considered as the most important of the 3 theological virtues, which are Faith, Hope and Charity , and this is the one that is above faith and hope. . As such, the object of charity becomes love of God above all things, which in the same way translates into love of neighbor. Charity is what demands the practice of good; it is disinterested and also very generous, and it is the one that comes to provide the spirit with feelings of joy, peace and mercy.

Charity becomes fundamental to the life of the Christian because, as is usually preached in the catechism of the Catholic Church, in it is found what is the essence of Christianity and of all the teachings of Jesus Christ. In this same sense, it is not usually possible to live a kind of Christian life by setting aside what amounts to charity.

Catholicism

Charity for a man named Saint Basil, one of the missionary brothers of charity, is the condition of children of the Father that was acquired when it is usually understood as the search for good:

“Either we turn away from evil for the great fear of punishment and are at the disposition of the slave, or then we seek the incentive of reward and become much more like mercenaries, or finally we come to obey for the very sake of the love of the one who loves us. sends… and then we are in the disposition of children”.

San Basilio

In what is moral theology, charity towards others is considered a kind of Christian virtue that is very opposed to a series of sins that are:

• Hate , as a type of desire for the evil of others.

• Envy , as a kind of sadness before the good of others, which is considered as bad for another person.

• Discord , as a type of dissension of the wills of others.

• The Contention , as a kind of altercation or violent discussion.

• The War , as a kind of fight of a crowd against another very engaged with the intervention of public authority.

The Scandal, like all those sayings or also facts that provide the other with an opportunity to commit evil, among many others. The Dictionary of the Spanish language of the Royal Spanish Academy also defines it in its third meaning, as a kind of “alms given or help given to those in need”, that is, as a work of Charity .

The Catholic Church comes to consider alms given to the poor as one of the main testimonies or Works of Charity of the Church in a fraternal way, however, in the same way a kind of practice of justice. Charity has as fruits what is joy, peace and mercy according to what Saint Augustine says:

“The culmination of all our works becomes love. That is the end; in order to achieve it, we run; towards him we run; once we have arrived, in him we rest”.

San Agustin

The encyclical Deus caritas esta, by Pope Benedict XVI, goes much deeper into the virtue of Christian charity.

in Masonry

In what is Freemasonry, we get to talk about 3 virtues, which are mentioned in the march of the apprentice who says: “I have faith in my ideals, hope to realize them, for love of humanity.”