Charity To Our Neighbor, Learn What It Is & What It Is Not

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“For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again.”
LUKE vi. 38.
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IN this day’s gospel we find that Jesus Christ once said to his disciples: “Be ye merciful, as
your Father also is merciful.” (Luke vi. 36.) As your heavenly Father is merciful towards you,
so must you be merciful to others. He then proceeds to explain how, and in what, we should
practise holy charity to our neighbour. “Judge not,” he adds, “and you shall not be judged”
(v. 37). Here he speaks against those who do not abstain from judging rashly of their
neighbours. ”For give, and you shall be forgiven” (ibid). He tells us that we cannot obtain
pardon of the offences we have offered to God, unless we pardon those who have offended
us. ”Give, and it shall be given to you” (v. 38). By these words he condemns those who wish
that God should grant whatsoever they desire, and are at the same time niggardly and
avaricious towards the poor. In conclusion he declares, that the measure of charity which we
use to our neighbour shall be the same that God will use towards us. Let us, then, see how
we should practise charity to our neighbour: we ought to practise it, first, in our thoughts;
secondly, in words; thirdly, by works.
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First Point. How we should practise charity to our neighbour in our thoughts.
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1. “And this commandment we have from God, that he who loveth God, love also his
brother.” (1 John iv. 21.) The same precept, then, which obliges us to love God, commands us
to love our neighbour. St. Catherine of Genoa said one day to the Lord: “My God, thou dost
wish me to love my neighbour; but I can love no one but thee.” The Lord said to her in
answer: “My child, he that loves me loves whatsoever I love.” Hence St. John says: ”If any
man say: I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar.” (1 John iv. 20.) And Jesus Christ has
declared that he will receive, as done to himself, the charity which we practise towards the
least of his brethren.
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2. Hence we must, in the first place, practise fraternal charity in our thoughts, by never
judging evil of any one without certain foundation. ”Judge not, and you shall not be judged.”
He who judges without certain grounds that another has committed a mortal sin, is guilty of
a grievous fault; if he only rashly suspects another of a mortal sin, he commits at least a
venial offence. But, to judge or suspect evil of another is not sinful when we have certain
grounds for the judgment or suspicion. However, he that has true charity thinks well of all,

and banishes from his mind both judgments and suspicions. “Charity thinketh no evil.” (1
Cor. xiii. 5.) The heads of families are obliged to suspect the evil which may be done by those
who are under their care. Certain fathers and foolish mothers knowingly allow their sons to
frequent bad company and houses in which there are young females, and permit their
daughters to be alone with men. They endeavour to justify the neglect of their children by
saying: ”I do not wish to entertain bad thoughts of others.” O folly of parents! They are in
such cases bound to suspect the evil which may happen; and, in order to prevent it, they
should correct their children. But they that are not entrusted with the care of others, ought to
abstain carefully from inquiring after the defects and conduct of others.
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3. When sickness, loss of property, or any misfortune happens to a neighbour, charity
requires that we regret, at least with the superior part of the soul, the evil that has befallen
him. I say, ”with the superior part of the soul ;” for, when we hear of the misfortunes of an
enemy, our inferior appetite appears to feel delight; but, as long as we do not consent to that
delight, we are not guilty of sin. However, it is sometimes lawful to desire, or to be pleased
at, the temporal evil of another, when we expect that it will be productive of spiritual good to
himself or to others. For example: it is lawful, according to St. Gregory, to rejoice at the
sickness or misfortune of an obstinate and scandalous sinner, and even to desire that he may
fall into sickness or poverty, in order that he may cease to lead a wicked life, or at least to
scandalize others. Behold the words of St. Gregory: “Evenire plerumque potest, ut non amissa
charitate, et inimici nostri ruina lætificet, et ejus gloria sine invidiæ culpa contristet; cum et,
ruente eo, quosdam bene erigi credimus, et proficiente illo plerosque injuste opprimi
formidamus.” (Lib. xxii., Moral., cap. ii.) But, except in such cases, it is unlawful to rejoice at
the loss of a neighbour. It is also contrary to charity to feel regret at a neighbour’s prosperity
merely because it is useful to him. This is precisely the sin of envy. The envious are,
according to the Wise Man, on the side of the devil, who, because he could not bear to see
men in heaven, from which he had been banished, tempted Adam to rebel against God. “But
by the envy of the devil death came into the world; and they follow him that are of his side.”
(Wis. ii. 25.) Let us pass to the next point.
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Second Point. On the charity which we ought to practise towards our neighbour in words.
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4. With regard to the practice of fraternal charity in words, we ought, in the first place, and
above all, to abstain from all detraction. ”The tale-bearer shall defile his own soul, and shall
be hated by all.” (Eccl. xxi. 31.) As they who always speak well of others are loved by all, so
he who detracts his neighbour is hateful to all to God and to men, who, although they take
delight in listening to detraction, hate the detractor, and are on their guard against him. St.
Bernard says that the tongue of a detractor is a three-edged sword. ”Gladius equidem anceps,
immo triplex est lingua detractoris” (in Ps. Ivi). With one of these edges it destroys the
reputation of a neighbour; with the second it wounds the souls of those who listen to the
detraction; and with the third it kills the soul of the detractor by depriving him of the divine
grace. You will say: ”I have spoken of my neighbour only in secret to my friends, and have
made them promise not to mention to others what I told them.” This excuse will not stand:
no; you are, as the Lord says, the serpent that bites in silence. ”If a serpent bite in silence, he
is nothing better that backbiteth secretly.” (Eccl. x. 11.) Your secret defamation bites and
destroys the character of a neighbour.

They who indulge in the vice of detraction are chastised not only in the next,
but also in. this life, because their uncharitable tongues are the cause of a thousand sins,
by creating discord in whole families and entire villages. Thomas
Cantaprensis (Apum, etc., cap. xxxvii.) relates, that he knew a certain detractor, who at the
end of life became raging mad, and died lacerating his tongue with his teeth. The tongue of
another detractor, who was going to speak ill of St. Malachy, instantly swelled and was
filled with worms. And, after seven days, the unhappy man died miserably.
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5. Detraction is committed not only when we take away a neighbours character, by imputing
to him a sin which he has not committed, or exaggerating his guilt, but also when we make
known to others any of his secret sins. Some persons, when they know anything injurious to
a neighbour, appear to suffer, as it were, the pains of childbirth, until they tell it toothers.
When the sin of a neighbour is secret and grievous, it is a mortal sin to mention it to others
without a just cause. I say, “without a just cause ;” for, to make known to a parent the fault
of a child, that he may correct him and prevent a repetition of the fault, is not sinful, but is an
act of virtue; for according to St. Thomas (2, 2, qu. 2, art. 73), to let others know the sins of a
neighbour is unlawful, when it is done to destroy his reputation, but not when it is done for
his good, or for the good of others.
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6. They who listen to detraction, and afterwards go and tell what was said to the person
whose character had been injured, have to render a great account to. These are called
talebearers. Oh! how great is the evil produced by these talebearing tongues that are thus
employed in sowing discord. They are objects of God’s hatred. “The Lord hateth him that
soweth discord among brethren.” (Prov. vi. 16, 19.) Should the person who has been defamed
speak of his defamer, the injury which he has received may, perhaps, give him some claim to
compassion. But why should you relate what you have heard? Is it to create ill-will and
hatred that shall be the cause of a thousand sins? If, from this day forward, you ever hear
anything injurious to a neighbour, follow the advice of the Holy Ghost. ”Hast thou heard a
word against thy neighbour? let it die with thee.” (Eccl. xix. 10.) You should not only keep it
shut up in your heart, but you must let it die within you. He that is only shut up may escape
and be seen; but he that is dead cannot leave the grave. When, then, you know anything
injurious to your neighbour, you ought to be careful not to give any intimation of it to others
by words, by motions of the head, or by any other sign. Sometimes greater injury is done to
others by certain singular signs and broken words than by a full statement of their guilt;
because these hints make persons suspect that the evil is greater than it really is.
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7. In your conversations be careful not to give pain to any companion, either present or
absent, by turning him into ridicule. You may say: “I do it through jest;” but such jests are
contrary to charity. “All things, therefore,” says Jesus Christ, ”that you will that men should
do to you, do you also unto them.” (Matt. vii. 12.) Would you like to be treated with derision
before others? Give up, then, the practice of ridiculing your neighbours. Abstain also from
contending about useless trifles. Some times, certain contests about mere trifles grow so
warm that they end in quarrels and injurious words. Some persons are so full of the spirit of
contradiction, that they controvert what others say, without any necessity, and solely for the
sake of contention, and thus violate charity. ”Strive not,” says the Holy Ghost, ”in matters
which do not concern thee.” (Eccl. xi. 9.) But they will say: “I only defend reason; I cannot
bear these assertions which are contrary to reason.” In answer to these defenders of reason,
Cardinal Bellarmine says, that an ounce of charity is better than a hundred loads of reason. In
conversation, particularly when the subject of it is unimportant, state your opinion,

if you wish to take part in the discourse, and then keep yourself in peace, and be on your guard
against obstinacy in defending your own opinion. In such contests it is always better to yield.
B. Egidius used to say, that he who gives up conquers; because he is superior in virtue, and
preserves peace, which is far more valuable than a victory in such contests. St. Joseph
Calasanctius was accustomed to say, that “he who loves peace never contradicts any one.”
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8. Thus, dearly beloved brethren, if you wish to be loved by God and by men, endeavour
always to speak well of all. And, should you happen to hear a person speak ill of a
neighbour, be careful not to encourage his uncharitableness, nor to show any curiosity to
hear the faults of others. If you do, you will be guilty of the same sin which the detractor
commits. ”Hedge in thy ears with thorns,” says Ecclesiasticus, ”and hear not a wicked
tongue.” (Eccl. xxviii. 28.) When you hear any one taking away the character of another, place
around your ears a hedge of thorns, that detraction may not enter. For this purpose it is
necessary, at least, to show that the discourse is not pleasing to you. This may be done by
remaining silent, by putting on a sorrowful countenance, by casting down the eyes, or
turning your face in another direction. In a word, act, says St. Jerome, in such a way that the
detractor, seeing your unwillingness to listen to him, may learn to be more guarded for the
future against the sin of detraction. ”Discat detractor, dum te videt non libenter audire, non
facile detrahere.” (S. Hier. ep. ad Nepot.) And when it is in your power to do it, it will be a
great act of charity to defend the character of the persons who have been defamed. The
Divine Spouse wishes that the words of his beloved be a veil of scarlet. ”Thy lips are as a
scarlet lace.” (Cant. iv. 3.) That is, as Theodoret explains this passage, her words should be
dictated by charity (a scarlet lace), that they may cover, as much as possible, the defects of
others, at least by excusing their intentions, when their acts cannot be excused. ”If,” says St.
Bernard, ”you cannot excuse the act, excuse the intention. ” (Serm. xl. in Cant.) It was a
proverb among the nuns of the convent of St. Teresa, that, in the presence of their holy
mother, their reputation was secure, because they knew she would take the part of those of
whom any fault might be mentioned.
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9. Charity also requires that we be meek to all, and particularly to those who are opposed to
us. When a person is angry with you, and uses injurious language, remember that a “mild
answer breaketh wrath.” (Prov. xv. 1.) Reply to him with meekness, and you shall find that
his anger will be instantly appeased. But, if you resent the injury, and use harsh language,
you will increase the same; the feeling of revenge will grow more violent, and you will
expose yourself to the danger of losing your soul by yielding to an act of hatred, or by
breaking out into expressions grievously injurious to your neighbour. Whenever you feel the
soul agitated by passion, it is better to force yourself to remain silent, and to make no reply;
for, as St. Bernard says, an eye clouded with anger cannot distinguish between right and
wrong. ”Turbatus præ ira oculus rectum non videt.” (Lib. 2 de Consid., cap. xi.) Should it
happen that in a fit of passion you have insulted a neighbour, charity requires that you use
every means to allay his wounded feelings, and to remove from his heart all sentiments of
rancour towards you. The best means of making reparation for the violation of charity is to
humble yourself to the person whom you have offended. With regard to the meekness which
we should practise towards others, I shall speak on that subject in the thirty-fourth Sermon,
or the Sermon for the fifth Sunday after Pentecost.

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10. It is also an act of charity to correct sinners. Do not say that you are not a superior. Were
you a superior, you should be obliged by your office to correct all those who might be under
your care; but, although you are not placed over others, you are, as a Christian, obliged to
fulfil the duty of fraternal correction. ”He gave to every one of them commandment
concerning his neighbour.” (Eccl. xvii. 12.) Would it not be great cruelty to see a blind man
walking on the brink of a precipice, and not admonish him of his danger, in order to preserve
him from temporal death? It would be far greater cruelty to neglect, for the sake of avoiding a
little trouble, to deliver a brother from eternal death.
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Third Point. On the charity we ought to practise towards our neighbour by works.
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11. Some say that they love all, but will not put themselves to any inconvenience in order to
relieve the wants of a neighbour. “My little children,” says St. John, “let us not love in word,
nor in tongue, but in deed and truth.” (1 John iii. 18 ) The Scripture tells us that alms deliver
men from death, cleanse them from sin, and obtain for them the divine mercy and eternal
life. “Alms delivereth from death, and the same is that which purgeth away sins, and maketh
to find mercy and life everlasting.” (Job xii. 9.) God will relieve you in the same manner in
which, you give relief to your neighbour. “With what measure you shall mete, it shall be
measured to you again. ”(Matt. vii. 2.) Hence St. Chrysostom says, that the exercise of charity
to others is the means of acquiring great gain with God. “Alms is, of all acts, the most
lucrative.” And St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi used to say, that she felt more happy in reliev
ing her neighbour than when she was wrapt up in contemplation.
“Because, she would add when I am in contemplation God assists me; but in
giving relief to a neighbour I assist God ;” for, every act of charity which we exercise towards
our neighbour, God accepts as if it were done to himself. But, on the other hand, how, as St.
John says, can he who does not assist a brother in want, be said to love God?”He that hath
the substance of this world, and shall see his brother in need, and shall shut up his bowels
from him, how doth the charity of God abide in him ?” (1 John iii. 17.) By alms is understood,
not only the distribution of money or other goods, but every succour that is given to a
neighbour in order to relieve his wants.
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12. If charity obliges us to assist all, it commands us still more strictly to relieve those who are
in tbe greatest need; such as the souls in Purgatory. St. Thomas teaches, that charity extends
not only to the living, but also to the dead. Hence, as we ought to assist our neighbours who
are in this life, so we are bound to give relief to those holy prisoners who are so severely
tormented by fire, and who are incapable of relieving themselves. A deceased monk of the
Cistercian order appeared to the sacristan of his monastery, and said to him: “Brother, assist
me by your prayers; for I can do nothing for myself.” (Cron. Cist.) Let us, then, assist, to the
utmost of our power, these beloved spouses of Jesus Christ, by recommending them every
day to God, and by sometimes getting Mass offered for their repose. There is nothing which
gives so much relief to those holy souls as the sacrifice of the altar. They certainly will not be
ungrateful; they will in return pray for you, and will obtain for you still greater graces, when
they shall have entered into the kingdom of God.
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13. To exercise a special charity towards the sick, is also very pleasing to God. They are
afflicted by pains, by melancholy, by the fear of death, and are sometimes abandoned by
others. Be careful to relieve them by alms, or by little presents, and to serve them as well as

you can, at least by endeavouring to console them by your words, and by exhortations to
practise resignation to the will of God, and to offer to him all their sufferings.
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14. Above all, be careful to practise charity to those who are opposed to you. Some say: I am
grateful to all who treat me with kindness; but I cannot exercise charity towards those who
persecute me. Jesus Christ says that even pagans know how to be grateful to those who do
them a service. “Do not also the heathens this ?” (Matt. v. 47.) Christian charity consists in
wish ing well, and in doing good to those who hate and injure us. “But I say to you: Love
your enemies; do good to them that hate you; and pray for them that persecute and
calumniate you.” (Matt. v. 44.) Some seek to injure you, but you must love them. Some have
done -evil to you, but you must return good for evil. Such the vengeance of the saints. This is
the heavenly revenge which St. Paulinus exhorts us to inflict on our enemies. ”To repay good
for evil is heavenly revenge. ” (Epis. xvi.) St. Chrysostom teaches, that there is nothing which
assimilates us so much to God as the granting of pardon to enemies. “Nothing makes men so
like to God as to spare enemies.” (Hom, xxvii. in Gen.) Such has been the practice of the
saints. St. Catherine of Genoa continued for a long time to relieve a woman who had
endeavoured to destroy the saints reputation. On an assassin, who had made an attempt on
his life, St. Ambrose settled a sum for his support. Venustanus, governor of Tuscany, ordered
the hands of St. Sabinus to be cut off, because the holy bishop confessed the true faith. The
tyrant, feeling a violent pain in his eyes, entreated the saint to assist him. The saint prayed for
him, and raised his arm, from which the blood still continued to flow, blessed him, and
obtained for him the cure of his eyes and of his soul; for the tyrant became a convert to the
faith. Father Segneri relates, that the son of a certain lady in Bologna was murdered by an
assassin, who by accident took refuge in her house. (Christ. Instr., part 1, disc. 20, n. 20.) What
did she do? She first concealed him from the ministers of justice, and afterwards said to him:
Since I have lost my son, you shall henceforth be my son and my heir. Take, for the present,
this sum of money, and provide for your safety elsewhere, for here you are not secure. It is
thus the saints resent injuries. With what face, says St. Cyril of Jerusalem, can he that does not
pardon the affronts which he receives from his enemies, say to God: Lord, pardon me the
many insults which I have offered to thee?”Qua fronte dices Domino: remitte mihi multa
peccata mea, si tu pauca conserve tuo non remiseris?” (Catech. ii.) But he that forgives his
enemies is sure of the pardon of the Lord, who says: “Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.”
(Luke vi. 37.) And when you cannot serve them in any other way, recommend to God those
who persecute and calumniate you. “Pray for them that persecute and calumniate you.” This
is the admonition of Jesus Christ, who is able to reward those who treat their enemies in this
manner.

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