The True Nature of Charity in the Church
Rev. Louis Aldrich, S.J., Rev. Jose Calle, S.J.

The Holy Father deals directly with the question, what is the true nature of charity in the Church in section five of the second part of the Encyclical "Deus Caritas est" (hereafter DC). The topic of that section is precisely: "The  distinctive nature of Charity in the Church."

    Previously, in section four, the Holy Father has described the over all situation of the struggle for justice and love in the contemporary world. There he pointed out that through the means of the modern communication media we are able to know almost immediately the needs and sufferings of people anywhere in the world. Today we also have at our disposal the technical tools to bring rapid humanitarian assistance to our brothers and sisters in need.  This situation has led to the birth
and the growth of many new forms of cooperation between the various humanitarian agencies of the Catholic Church, the other Christian Churches and the State. "For young people, this widespread involvement constitutes a school of life" where they grow in solidarity with the poor, the sick and the suffering and develop a readiness to offer them effective voluntary service (DC,30). The Pope assures us that this is ultimately due to the fact that the command of love of neighbor is inscribed by the Creator in man's very nature. But it is also, he says, the result of the presence of Christianity in the world, since, through the witness of their charitable services, Christians constantly awaken
and reactivate the special command of the Lord to love as He loved us. (DC,31)

   Here in Taiwan we have the case of the very famous Buddhist Master Cheng Yen, who inspired by the charitable works of the Catholic Sisters she became friends with in Hualien County, brought into the "leaving the world" Buddhist spirituality a new spirit of  commitment to serve the poor and all who are in need: she has since established an organization of volunteers whose charitable works have spread from Taiwan throughout the world.

    In order to be such a source of inspiration both for Catholics and even non-Catholics, it is therefore very important, the Holy Father tells us, that among the many humanitarian agencies in today's world, the Church's charitable activity maintains its distinctive nature and identity. For such charitable activity belongs, together with the proclamation of the Word and the celebration of the Sacraments, to the very nature of the Church. It is not just another form of social assistance. It has its own identity with its own appropriate characteristics. The Holy Father mentions the following three.

1. "Following the example given in the parable of the Good Samaritan, Christian charity is first of all the simple response to immediate needs and specific situations": It is the program of Jesus, moved by a heart who sees where love is needed and acts accordingly. Those who work for
the Church's charitable organizations must be distinguished by the fact that they do not merely meet the needs of the moment, but they dedicate themselves to others with heartfelt concern. Consequently, in addition to their necessary professional training, these charity workers need a
"formation of the heart": they need to be led to that encounter with God in Christ which awakens their love and opens their spirits to others. (DC, 31, a)

2. Christian Charity is independent of parties and ideologies. "It is not the means to change the world ideologically" and must not be manipulated by political stratagems. It is simply the way to make present and active, here and now, the loving concern for those in need.
One does not make the world more human by refusing to act humanly here and now, as some people influenced by the Marxist theory would like us to do. (DC, 31,b)

3. Christian Charity cannot be used to promote proselytism. "Those who practice charity in the Church's name, will never seek to impose the Church's faith upon others."  True love is the best witness to the God in whom we believe. "A Christian knows when it is time to speak of God
and  when it is better to say nothing and let love alone speak." He knows that God is love and that "God's presence is felt when the only thing we do is to love . . .  It is the responsibility of the Church's charitable organizations to reinforce this awareness in their members, so that by their activity, as well as their words, their silence, their example, they may be credible witnesses to Christ." (DC 31,c)

The Holy Father ends by saying: "It is time to reaffirm the importance of prayer in the face of the activism and the growing secularism of many Christians engaged in charitable work." Christians do not pray with a false hope of manipulating God's providential intentions, but rather they aim, following the example of Mary and the saints, to draw from God the strength of Love that will console them in their charitable works, and which will, while sustaining their striving to defeat the
selfishness, darkness, and evil  present in the world, also save them from fanaticism or terrorism.  (DC, 37)