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CHARITY

 

The very prince of the universe is man, the crowning point of man is his heart, of the heart is love, and the perfection of love is charity.  That is why the love of God is the goal, the crowning point, the be-all and end-all of the universe. (Treatise on the Love of God, Book 10, Chapter 1).

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Charity is a love of friendship, a friendship of affection, an affection of preference, but a preference that is unrivalled, supreme, supernatural. (Treatise on the Love of God, Book 2, Chapter 22)

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If the soul is a kingdom, where the Holy Spirit reigns as king, then charity is the queen, standing at his right hand. (Treatise on the Love of God, Book 2, Chapter 22)

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Being a virtue not merely human but celestial, not merely moral but divine, charity is the true sun of virtues. (Introduction to the Devout Life, Part 3, Chapter 5)

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Virtues receive a new brilliance, a wondrous worth, from the presence of charity. (Treatise on the Love of God, Book 11, Chapter 3)

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Charity is the root, the source of all a man’s holiness; it gives virtues their value, in such a way as not to deprive them of their own individual value, of the perfection natural to each one.  (Treatise on the Love of God, Book 11, Chapter 5)

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Charity is an active virtue; it cannot remain idle for long, or it dies. (Treatise on the Love of God, Book 4, Chapter 2)

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Charity alone establishes the perfection.  But obedience, chastity and poverty are the three great means of acquiring perfection. (Introduction to the Devout Life, Part 3, Chapter 11)

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It is better to lean towards charity rather than towards austerity. (Spiritual Conferences Vol. 1, 2)

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It is always better to lean towards charity rather than towards austerity. (Spiritual Conferences Vol. 2, 2)

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To give alms and to forgive insults are both acts of charity.  The first is honoured by everyone but the second is despised by the world. (Introduction to the Devout Life, Part 3, Chapter 11)

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Humility and charity are the master ropes; all the others are attached to them.  We need only hold on to these two: one is at the very bottom and the other at the very top.  The preservation of the whole building depends on its foundation and its roof.  We do not encounter much difficulty in practising other virtues if we keep our heart bound to the practice of these two.  They are the mother virtues, and the others follow them the way little chicks follow the mother hen.  [Letter to Madame de Chantal]

 

Charity is both the means and the end, the one and only way by which we can attain that perfection which in truth is charity itself. (The Spirit of St. François de Sales, I, 1)

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