1. Three-fold responsibility of the Church:

· Proclaiming the Word

· Celebrating the Sacraments

· Ministering Charity

Each responsibility is rooted, in the Hebrew Tradition, in the books of Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Song of Songs, (the command to love God and neighbor in an all consuming desire for the good of the other); and, in the Christian scriptures, in the summation of the whole law into love of God and neighbor. Nowhere is the connection more concrete than in the ministry of charity

2. Types of loving – (Eros, Philia, Agape) named necessary/gift, expectation, call.

a. Eros, while expressing a genuine dimension of charity, can be misunderstood and mis- lived and therefore needs to be healed and restored to its proper “grandeur” by Agape. Christianity is not opposed to the body. Eros is falsely reduced to “sex.”

b. The Word of God is love. Love is giving “caritas”, and the Word is effective in creation, sustenance and reclamation.

c. The love from God is also expressed as fidelity. This has direct influence on the nature and form of the charity of the Church. How? E.g., Is our giving experienced as fidelity, or as a one night stand?

3. The unity of flesh and spirit in love is expressed in Jesus.

a. 1^st John “If anyone says s/he loves God and hates sister or brother they are a liar.”

b. Gospel of John – Incarnational understanding of charity - “So that the world might live through Him.”

c. If I fail to heed others in my desire to be “devout” or “perform religious duties” then my relationship with God will grow “arid.”

4. Charity by the Church as a whole is a better sign of Trinitarian love. The law of love is expressed by charity, in the context of the community.

a. At one time (258 AD), the treasures of the Church were collected and handed over to civil authorities, community to community.

b. As a community charged with this charity we not only invite but reveal as God’s will for humanity this way of giving.

5. The following earlier encyclicals reveal a seamless commitment to charity as justice – Rerum Novarum, Quadragesimo Anno, Mater et Magistra, Populorum Progressio, Octegesima Adveniens, Laborem Exercens, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis and finally Centisimus Annus.

a. The just ordering of society is the work of politics. Faith liberates reason from blind spots. There is no intention on the Church’s part to usurp the rightful authority of the state, especially as it pertains to those who do not share its values; however, the Church does promote a purification of reason and makes a contribution to efforts toward a common good.

b. Charity will prove necessary in even the most just society. Material and spiritual help fall within the work of both justice and charity.

c. Whether on the most local level in the home or moving out into the city, state, nation and international community, the Church is obligated to construct a response to the Gospel “When you did this to the least of my brothers, you did this to me.”

d. The Church’s charity is always at once independent of parties and ideologies and yet in cooperation with people of any party or ideology who share these values.

6. Charity must NEVER take the form of proselytizing. Charity cannot be used as a means to the sole end of evangelization. Charity is not done without faith in God/Christ, but it never imposes that faith on others. Love is freely given. Silence is fostered as the best means of charity. “You will know them by their deeds.”

7. Charity flows from Christ and, formally, from those charged with the life of Christ (Magisterium). Charity done as Church is consistent, then, with the teaching of the Church. (Hence, the issue about the distribution of materials inconsistent with Catholic values.)

8. The importance of prayer as the fuel for charity cannot be overstated. There is no other consistent means by which fidelity to charity can be achieved. It is a flow – from God, through His people, to the needs of the world -- to make justice.

9. The need for the Church to never lose heart in the work of charity is emphasized in the book of Revelation, “In spite of all darkness, God will triumph in glory.” Thus the root, stem, flower and fertilizer are all in God.

8. The Encyclical ends entrusting the love of the Church to her model, Mary, Mother of God. We follow her in her readiness to serve and bring about the Kingdom her Son preached as at hand.

SOME QUESTIONS

· What is the relationship of the Church to making justice?

· What is the relationship of the Church to the State? What is the reason for charity?

· When does “religion” get in the way of charity?

· When does the Church get in trouble regarding charity?