Truth Inseparable from Charity
5th Sunday of Easter
“I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.”Ps. 145
“I give you a new commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples: if you love one another.”John 13:34-35
The fundamental truth is that without charity, we are nothing, and any human achievement, no matter how great, is of no benefit to us:
“If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have charity, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have charity, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own and hand over my body to be burned, but do not have charity, I gain nothing. Charity is patient, it is kind; charity is not jealous, it is not boastful, it is not proud; it is not rude; it does not seek its own interest; it is not quick-tempered; it does not brood over injury…”
Therefore, truth by itself, without charity, is useless, for it lacks the essential ingredient-like the soul to the body-for without charity it would be a dead letter, lifeless, like a body without a soul.
Truth without charity can lead to tyranny, to imposition, to all forms of disrespect, to inhuman and cruel power-as we see in the world when laws are enforced without charity, without understanding, without humanity, and in a tyrannical manner.
Charity is an essential ingredient of Christian life, for it is the first fruit of the Spirit, without which there is no true Christian life, no matter how much orthodoxy or truth may exist. Charity is fundamental because it defines the Holy Spirit, who is the soul of the Church, and therefore of each baptized person. It is the love of God poured into our hearts (Rom 5:5) without which we are nothing.
He who does not love is dead and is a murderer (1 John 3:14ff), for even if he has all truth, without
love he lacks what is essential and inseparable from divine truth—Charity.
And this divine Charity must always be accompanied by revealed truth, for without it, it would merely be human love, which may be tainted by impurities and mixed with interests, selfishness, conditions, etc. —but it would not be the love that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Divine love will always be accompanied, enlightened, and driven by revealed truth, for without it, it would not be true love nor fruit of the Spirit. Where the Spirit is, there is the truth that sets us free (2 Cor 3:17).
“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth…”John 16:13
“[Charity] does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Charity never fails. Prophecies will cease. Tongues will be stilled. Knowledge will pass away. For we know partially and we prophesy partially.”1 Corinthians 13:6
At the evening of life, we will be judged by charity. Do you have it?
Hail Mary, Explained
The words of the Hail Mary—undoubtedly the most recognizable Catholic prayer after the Lord’s Prayer—are deeply rooted in scripture. The opening lines of the prayer are taken from the words of the angel Gabriel at the Annunciation—”Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.” This line is known as the Angelic Salutation. The following words—”Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus”—echo the sentiments expressed by Elizabeth at the Visitation.
The Angelic Salutation is regarded as the earliest devotional prayer to Mary, since it forms the very first words spoken to her as the Mother of God, but Catholics did not begin to utilize the Hail Mary prayer in its current form until around the 11th century.
An in-depth explanation of each line of this prayer is provided in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2676-2677.
Weekly Readings
Sunday: Acts 14:21-27/Ps 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13 (see 1)/Rv 21:1-5a/Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35
Monday: Acts 14:5-18/Ps 115:1-2, 3-4, 15-16/Jn 14:21-26
Tuesday: Acts 14:19-28/Ps 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 21/Jn 14:27-31a
Wednesday: Acts 15:1-6/Ps 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5/Jn 15:1-8
Thursday: Acts 15:7-21/Ps 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 10/Jn 15:9-11
Friday: Acts 15:22-31/Ps 57:8-9, 10 and 12/Jn 15:12-17
Saturday: Acts 16:1-10/Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 5/Jn 15:18-21
Next Sunday: Acts 15:1-2, 22-29/Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8 (4)/Rv 21:10-14, 22-23/Jn 14:23-29
Observances for the Week
Sunday: 5th Sunday of Easter
Tuesday: St. Bernardine of Siena, Priest
Wednesday: St. Christopher Magallanes, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs
Thursday: St. Rita of Cascia, Religious
Next Sunday: 6th Sunday of Easter
