Tag: charity

Charity: Divine Love Poured Out

Divine Revelation has shown us that God is a free and total outpouring and exchange of charity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  What is more is that He has destined us to share in this great and mysterious exchange of divine love!

Galahad_grailby Fr. Jeff Loseke

When most people hear the word charity, they probably associate it with donations for the poor, such as food, clothing, toys, money, and so forth.  Others probably think of worthy causes, nonprofit organizations, and tax-deductible donations that help those in need.  The problem with these ideas is that they reduce charity to seasonal or occasional acts of goodwill that are drawn from one’s excess resources.  Charity, then, becomes a thing—and an optional one at that.

A Christian, however, must approach charity not as a something but as a Someone.  Saint John’s first letter attests to the fact that “God is love” (4:8) and that “love is of God” (4:7).  In the original language of this letter, the Apostle uses the Greek word agape to describe this kind of love that is divine in origin.  The Greek language possesses several different words for love, making the author’s choice to describe God in terms of agape most significant for us.  Agape suggests a love that is unconditional and freely given.  Traditionally, this has been rendered in Latin as caritas and then into English as charity.  This revelation gives our understanding of charity an entirely different dimension: God is charity, and charity is of God (cf. 1 John 4:7-8).  We realize that God is selfless, unconditional charity that seeks to pour out Himself for the good of another.  Theologically, this divine outpouring is referred to as kenosis, and it remains a central—if not the most central—characteristic of who God is.  Indeed, Divine Revelation has shown us that God is a free and total outpouring and exchange of charity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  What is more is that He has destined us to share in this great and mysterious exchange of divine love!

God has invited us to share in the eternal banquet of His charity (cf. Revelation 19:7-9).  The question remains: How do we respond?  At the Last Supper, Jesus connected His own Sacrifice on the Cross to the ritual of the Passover and told His disciples to “do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19).  By commanding His disciples to perpetuate His Sacrifice through the Holy Eucharist, Jesus invited them into the participation of His total outpouring of charity.  To further demonstrate His desire for them, He gave His disciples an example of charity as He washed their feet and said to them, “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do” (John 13:15).  Our response to God’s charity to us is a charitable return of ourselves to Him and to each other.  Our gift of self must not be occasional or seasonal.  It must not be limited or conditional.  It must be continual and relational.  We have been called to love as God loves, and that means that we must lay down our lives for others (cf. John 9:15-17).  Charity is not an option for the Christian.  Charity is a way of life.

The Reverend Jeffery S. Loseke is a Priest of the Archdiocese of Omaha and is currently the pastor of  St. Charlccn_father-les Borromeo Parish in Gretna, Nebraska.  Ordained in 2000, Fr. Loseke holds a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) from the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm in Rome and is working to complete his doctoral degree (Ed.D.) in interdisciplinary leadership through Creighton University in Omaha.  In addition to parish ministry, Fr. Loseke has served as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force, taught high school theology and college-level philosophy, and has been a presenter for various missions, retreats, and diocesan formation days across the country.

Art: The Attainment: The Vision of the Holy Grail to Sir Galahad, Sir Bors, and Sir Perceval by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, 1895-96 (Wikimedia Commons)

 

The Church’s Apostolic Charity

As agents of Christ in the world, our approach to the world around us ought to be different than that of an unbeliever. 

by Fr. Jeff Loseke

When Jesus established the apostolic ministry among His own Apostles, He commanded them to continue His mission of reconciliation in the world.  We see this most clearly Saint_Luke_Catholic_Church_(Danville,_Ohio)_-_tympanum_painting_-_Immaculate_Heart,_Charityexpressed by Jesus in His appearances to the Apostles after the Resurrection (e.g., Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:46-49; John 20:21-23).  Not only did He command them to preach “repentance, for the forgiveness of sins” (cf. Luke 24:47) but also He gave them a share in His very power so as to effect it.  The Apostles, once filled with the Holy Spirit, went out and began building up the Church, the Body of Christ on earth.

Saint Paul reminds us that, “It was he [Christ] who gave some to be apostles… to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God…” (Ephesians 4:11-13).  As Jesus’ disciples today, we have benefited from the witness of the Apostles and have been gathered together in virtue of our common baptism.  Our mandate is clear: we must be active in “works of service.”  Anyone who has heard the Gospel and has been taught how to live as a disciple cannot ignore the prompting of the Spirit to put his or her faith into action.  Through our works of charity, we participate with the Apostles in transforming the world and communicating Christ’s presence wherever we go.  As agents of Christ in the world, our approach to the world around us ought to be different than that of an unbeliever.  The way we conduct our business, participate in our communities, and raise our families ought to show others how Christ Himself would do such things.  Living more like Christ will draw us more and more together and overcome the divisions our sins have caused.

As Catholics, we recognize that the apostolic ministry itself has been shared with the Apostles and their successors, the Bishops today, through the laying on of hands and the invocation of the Holy Spirit (cf. 2 Timothy 1:1-2,6).  We are confident that the Apostolic line has remained unbroken for 2,000 years and that Christ’s ministry remains present and active in His Church today.  All of us who have benefited from the Apostolic ministry—especially through the preaching of the Word and the reception of the Sacraments—must take up our own part in the Church’s apostolate.  Through our works of charity, we reveal to the world that Jesus Christ is indeed risen from the dead and that He desires to draw the whole world to Himself for salvation.

The Reverend Jeffery S. Loseke is a Priest of the Archdiocese of Omaha and is currently the pastor of  St. Charlccn_father-les Borromeo Parish in Gretna, Nebraska.  Ordained in 2000, Fr. Loseke holds a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) from the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm in Rome and is working to complete his doctoral degree (Ed.D.) in interdisciplinary leadership through Creighton University in Omaha.  In addition to parish ministry, Fr. Loseke has served as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force, taught high school theology and college-level philosophy, and has been a presenter for various missions, retreats, and diocesan formation days across the country.

Art: Saint Luke Catholic Church (Danville, Ohio) – tympanum painting – Immaculate Heart, Charity, 2016 (Wikimedia Commons)