‘Be not afraid!’ 'God is Love' &#151 XII

Submitted on August 03, 2006

By Archbishop Raymond L. Burke

Charity and charitable works Pope Benedict XVI, in his encyclical letter "Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love)," comments on the different organizations that seek to meet "various human needs."He observes that they have their origin in the natural law, written upon every human heart, which teaches us the love of neighbor.He, likewise, notes that Christianity itself is an inspiration of such works, for it "constantly revives and acts out this imperative" of the natural law, "so often profoundly obscured in the course of time."He recalls his earlier reference to the "reform of paganism attempted by the Emperor Julian the Apostate," which was inspired by the Christian faith that Julian had erroneously and sadly abandoned (n. 31; cf. n. 24). Having called to mind the Church’s inspiration of charitable works carried out by men of good will, Pope Benedict XVI underlines the importance of the Church’s fidelity to her mission of charity in all of its Christlike purity and generosity.Accordingly, he discusses the identity of "the Church’s charitable activity" vis-a-vis other forms of social assistance. Simple response to immediate needs The Holy Father first characterizes the Church’s charitable activity as "the simple response to immediate needs and specific situations: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for and healing the sick, visiting those in prison, etc."He makes explicit reference to the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). His words clearly evoke our Lord’s teaching on the Last Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46). The work of Catholic Charities and Catholic Relief Services, or Caritas International, is directed to providing the Christian response to man’s immediate needs.Catholic Charities and Catholic Relief Services, or Caritas, address the needs of our brothers and sisters at every level of Church life: the diocese, the dioceses within a nation, and the universal Church (n. 31a). The Holy Father notes that those who serve in the Church’s charitable works must be "professionally competent: They should be properly trained in what to do and how to do it, and committed to continuing care."While proper preparation for the Church’s charitable work is essential, it is not sufficient.The Holy Father reminds us that our brothers and sisters need, in addition to "technically proper care," the "heartfelt concern" of the charitable worker.When competent care is given with "heartfelt concern," persons in need experience "the richness of their humanity." Pope Benedict XVI’s words remind me of the insistence of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta that the "poorest of the poor" need to be loved one person at a time.I recall, in particular, her account of the Christian love shown to a man left to die in the street.Before his death, the man said to Mother Teresa, "I have lived all my life like an animal on the streets, but now I am going to die like an angel!" (Navin Chawla, Mother Teresa, Rockport, Mass.: Element, p. 172.)The dying man had indeed discovered the "richness of (his) humanity," made in the image of God and redeemed by the Blood of Christ. Formation of the heart In order that the professionally competent worker exercise true Christian charity, he must have received, in the words of the Holy Father, "formation of the heart."In other words, the worker must unite his heart to the glorious pierced Heart of Jesus, from which the love of God for all men flows unceasingly.Lifting up his heart to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the charitable worker will be inspired and strengthened with divine love of those whom he serves. The result of the formation of heart in the Heart of Jesus, Pope Benedict XVI observes, is that "love of neighbor will no longer be for them a commandment imposed, so to speak, from without, but a consequence deriving from their faith, a faith which becomes active through love (cf. Gal 5:6)" (n.3la). Free of partisan and ideological involvement The Church’s charitable work is at the service of God alone, in Jesus Christ.It can never submit itself to the service of any partisan program or ideological scheme. Pope Benedict XVI discusses, in particular, Marxist ideology.He describes the Marxist "theory of impoverishment," which holds that, "in a situation of unjust power," the exercise of charity only makes it possible for the unjust political or social structure to survive.Charity, in the Marxist view, is, therefore, "rejected and attacked as a means of preserving the status quo." The Holy Father responds to Marxist ideology and other "various versions of a philosophy of progress" with two observations.First, we cannot claim "to make the world more human by refusing to act humanely here and now." In other words, we cannot leave our brothers and sisters in need because of an ideology of a better future for humanity. Second, the Holy Father reminds us that we "contribute to a better world only by personally doing good now, with full commitment and whenever we have the opportunity, independently of partisan strategies and programs" (n. 31b). Echoing the teaching of our late and most beloved Pope John Paul II in his apostolic letter "Novo Millennio Ineunte (At the Close of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000)," Pope Benedict XVI declares that the pastoral program of the Christian is Christ Himself, the program of "a heart which sees.""This heart sees where love is needed and acts accordingly." The charitable activity of the Church, when it is exercised "as a communitarian initiative," must also be clearly marked by "planning, foresight and cooperation with other similar institutions." For the Christian, nevertheless, the work will always have its source in the Heart of Jesus, "a heart which sees."(n. 31b).