Charity knows no bounds

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

WE have to be ready for the challenge of charity which is actually the perfection of our humanity. It is what would make us like Christ and fulfill the ideal meant for us as God’s image and likeness.

In the gospel, we see Christ performing all sorts of miraculous healings. The more healings he made, the more people needing some cure would come to him. (cfr. Mk 6,53-56) And he did not run away from this, even if he also had to find time to do his prayer in some isolated place.

We have to be prepared to tackle the arduous side of love which, as we all know, is given without measure and without expecting any return. It’s purely gratuitous. That’s just how true love is. That is to say, if it is the love that flows from the same love which is the very essence of God and that is also meant for us.

We just have to do our part which, of course, will take some time and some process. The important thing is that we should try to put our mind and heart into this responsibility, and no matter how things go, we should just move on. God is always understanding and patient with us, “quick to forgive, slow to anger.”

We need to realize that true love has a universal scope. It is all inclusive. We are meant to love our neighbor, who is actually anyone and everyone, including those we do not know, and those who are strangers and are even our enemies.

Let’s remember also that our love for God is expressed and is proven by our love for the others. St. John in his first Letter said as much, “He who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (4,20)

In this regard, we have to see to it that we are always thinking of the others, and of how we can serve them in any way. This will prove our love for God, since love is deeds and not just sweet words.

Obviously, to pursue this ideal will always be a work in progress, requiring a lot of patience and prudence. Before anything else, it will require that we be more and more Christ-like because only then can we really have this inclusivity of charity. Let’s hope that we be game with that.

Obviously, if we are to rely only on our own powers, there is no way we can have this kind of self-giving. This can only take place if we are truly identified with Christ, if we have his grace and are corresponding to it with all that we have got.

It’s only in this condition that we can go beyond the limits of our natural self and above the usual drama in life. We of course have our limitations, physical, mental, emotional, etc. And yet, as long as we are truly with Christ, we can still manage to give ourselves unstintingly. The spiritual and supernatural in us through Christ would enable us to give ourselves despite our natural limitations and worldly conditions.

That is why Christ commanded us to love even our enemies, to offer the other cheek when we are slapped in the one cheek. That’s because true love does not count the cost. Let’s remember that Christ in loving us assumed all our sins and conquered them by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. He even asked the Father to forgive those who crucified him.

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com