1. Strong rumors have it that the first encyclical of Pope Benedict is on Charity. Well, what else should we expect? Charity is the ultimate goal of the Catholic Religion. Christ summarized His teachings simply into Love of God and Love of neighbor. It is why Christ came and died for us. It is what makes up the Mystical Body of Christ. It is the heart of Theology. It is the only Way, Truth and Life. It is the goal of Christian perfection. It is the only thing Jesus requires of us.
2. Charity, unlike other subjects, is not learned from lectures, books, theology, and seminars. Charity, like everything else in the Catholic Religion is learned in a very unique way. All other ways of learning charity leads to confusion if not heresies.
3. The apostles and the early Christians knew this way of learning. In our days, St. Therese reminds us how. “Not a single book and no theology guided me.” The knowledge of Charity is an infused knowledge. It is a vision. It is a mystical experience of the face of Christ. It is a knowledge kept from the worldly wise and given to mere children. To Children! Yes, that’s why Christ required that we become like little children. There is no other way. Christian Spirituality is nothing else but a process of becoming children again. Whether it is Benedictine, Dominican or Carmelite spirituality, the goal is to become like children again; to be more precise, to regain the humility of children.
4. This is primitive Christian spirituality of denying oneself: taking up one’s cross and dying with Christ in order to resurrect with Him into a new birth. It is the traditional teaching on mortifications, daily dying to oneself, little by little, by giving up one’s will.
5. Since the entire Catholic religion is an integral part of Charity, no part of this religion can be understood apart from this vision seen from the eyes of a humble child.
6. Study our religion with the slightest pride and you’ll understand nothing. Depending on the degree of your humility, you will understand accordingly. In fact, if one reaches the perfection of humility, which is described by St. Benedict and St. Bernard as the 12th degree of humility or the 7th degree as enumerated by St. Gregory, you will find yourself face to face with Christ in Charity.
7. Pride! What a word. It brings up the image of Satan himself. And the world today is ruled with the pride of life. How can they learn the truths of our religion? Impossible! This is the reason why so many cannot understand the simpler teachings of Pope Benedict XVI. A recent example is the clarification that unbaptized babies go straight to Heaven. Nothing could be simpler and clearer and yet I am amazed at the contrary reaction. How can they expect to understand Charity which is the perfection of Christian Life?
8. Pope Benedict goes directly to Charity because he wants to demolish all religious pretenses. Love, Himself, has said: “I came to divide…. I came to bring fire….to burn away all stubbles….” And the Pope intends to fan this fire into a conflagration. He plans to whip the undeserving out of God’s Church. He is aggressive. He loves war. (Painting is “St. Frances of Rome giving alms,” by Baciccio, 1675.)