Presence of God

Give me, O Lord, prompt, attentive charity for the needs of others, a charity which, for the love ofYou, knows how to make itself all things to all men.

Meditation

I. Everyone has some burden, more or less heavy, to bear : physical or moral weakness, the press of duties and responsibilities, fatigue or other troubles which weigh on his shoulders. Everyone feels the need of a friendly hand to help him carry this weight. This hand should be held out to him in fraternal charity, which for the love ofGod, knows how to be all things to all men. "Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so you shall fulfill the law of Christ" St. Paul exhorts us (Gal. 6, 2). A Christian knows that he is not isolated, but is a member of a unique body, the Mystical Body of Christ. "So we being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another" (Rm. 12, 5). This knowledge of his solidarity with the brethren makes a Christian live, not enclosed in the tiny circle ofhis own interests, but with his heart open to the needs and interests of others. The mystery of our incorporation in Christ is more than an individual fact; by its very nature, it is a social fact. Incorporation in Christ by grace and charity connotes reciprocal incorporation among brethren, like the branches of a vine, which, sprung from the same stock, are so closely united one to another that they live, grow and develop together. Love for Christ is the vital expression of our union with Him; the closer this union becomes, the more our love increases; so too, fraternal charity is the vital expression of our reciprocal union with the brethren in Christ, to such a point that if this charity were not living and operative, we could have to say that our union in Christ and with Christ was very weak or even absolutely null.

If charity and grace unite us to Christ in such intimate and vital relations, it is evident that we must live this union, first with Him who is our Head, and then with our brethren, who like us have also been engrafted into Christ. Hence there will be a supernatural affection which will bind us to one another and make us one heart and one soul, ready to labor and suffer for one another, to help and sustain one another. "Rejoice with them that rejoice; weep with them that weep" (Rm. 12, 15). Thus the Apostle teaches us to share the joys and sorrows, the cares and anxieties of others as if they were our own. They are, in fact, our own, because they are the joys, sorrows, cares, and anxieties of that one Mystical Body of Christ to which we belong and which, therefore, is ours.

II. Bearing one another’s burdens also means enduring the faults of others calmly and kindly. Faults are the inevitable consequence of human limitations. The Imitation of Christ tells us, "what a man cannot amend in himself or others, he must bear with patience till God ordains otherwise" (I, 16,1). In the last months of her life, St. Therese of the Child Jesus wrote, "Now I know that true charity consists in bearing all my neighbor’s defects, in not being surprised at mistakes, but in being edified at the smallest virtues" (St, 10).

Not without reason does St. Paul say, "charity beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things" (1Co. 13, 7). Charity always believes in the good will of others, even though it may be accompanied by faults; it always hopes in the good which it knows how to discover in every creature, although it may be eclipsed by many deficiencies. What is more important, charity supports everything, never finding any burden too heavy. To support, according to the etymology of the word, means "to place oneself under a weight to carry it." Charity feels that it must stoop with love to take up the burdens of others, particularly those burdens which all avoid because they are troublesome. St. Therese of the Child Jesus notes that certain people are left alone because of their natural imperfections, such as sensitiveness, or lack ofjudgment or education. "Defects ofthis kind are, I know, incurable. .. . From all this I conclude that I ought to seek the companionship of those sisters for whom I feel a natural aversion, and try to be their good Samaritan" (St, 11). Behold the charity which, instead of fleeing, seeks out those who are suffering through natural and moral imperfections, and busies itself with them so lovingly that they never guess how painful the effort is, nor how troublesome their defects are to others. Charity bears all things, endures all things with a smiling, serene face, never showing itself annoyed or crushed by the burden it bears.

Colloquy

"O Lord, teach me to love my neighbor with all my heart, not merely as myself, but more than myself, thus obeying Your commandment : ‘ Love one another, as I have loved you. 5

"Just as You, O Lord, have always preferred us to Yourself, and do so still, making Yourself our Food in the Blessed Sacrament, so You wish us to have such great love for one another that we always prefer our neighbor to ourselves; and as You have done all that You could for us, so You want us to do all we can for one another. Grant, then, O Lord, that, without giving You any offense, my love for my neighbor may be so firm, cordial, and strong, that I will never refuse to do or endure anything for his sake. Teach me to love him with my deeds, obtaining for him all the good I can, both for his soul and for his body, to pray for him, and to serve him lovingly whenever I have the opportunity. If my love were to consist only in pleasant words, it would amount to very little, and I would not be really loving my neighbor as You have loved us. To attain the perfection of love, it is not enough for me to work for my neighbor; I must also do what he wants in the way that pleases him, without showing any displeasure. By doing this, I shall acquire greater merit, because I shall be practicing the highest degree ofself-renunciation" (St. Francis de Sales).