The Greatest of All is Charity

Faith and hope are at work only in the human person, but charity is at work in God. Faith can move mountains; charity creates the mountains, the heavens and the earth. Faith urges a creature, as one who is capable of loving, to make every effort to attain paradise. Charity entreats God, who is aflame with love, to descend to earth to enable humankind to reach heaven by means of God’s own charity. Faith says to humanity: Serve God as is fitting. Charity says: O God, take on human flesh and serve humanity, which is in your debt beyond what it possesses. Faith says to humanity: Strike the heavens and open them for yourself. Charity says: O God, break the heavens so that humanity may find them open. Faith teaches us to die for love of God; charity invites God to die for us and invites us to die for our God. Faith reveals God from a distance; charity brings humanity to God, for charity made God take on human flesh and makes humanity take so divinity.

Faith may be compared to a noble lady who only reigns here where we have no abiding city, but who looks for one in the future; charity is empress of heaven and earth. Faith is an inhabitant of the country; charity is a city dweller. Faith rules over a multitude of lowly creatures; charity commands angels. Faith is above its servants; charity is above its beloved children and the saints.

Give this some thought. If a world such as ours were located in the sun, how would this world be lighted, warmed, gladdened and governed? It certainly would not be by the sun’s rays, but only by its essence, since the sun would dude the entire world in its essence. But the sun does not light, warm, gladden or govern our world by itself, since it cannot come to us of itself, but by means of its rays which it sends us. The reason why the sun produces such effects by its rays is that it cannot come to us directly. Consider how much more this is true of God. The Father, like the sun, produces his ray. This is the Word, eternal and essential. The Father and the Word like the sun and its ray, produce the essential warmth, who is the Holy Spirit. Hence this divine sun is power, light and fire; Father, Son and Holy Spirit; power, truth and charity; one God and three persons. And this divine sun is all-powerful, all-enlightening and all-burning - not three powers, but one power; not three lights, but one light; not three fires, but one fire.

Nevertheless, a doubt may arise here. Since we said that we are all in God and that God is charity, from this it would appear that we are all in charity, so are all in truth and in that true power. This is false because few are in charity, while many are in error and falsehood and a rather large number are weak and frail. Let me respond first of all by giving some examples. There are many fish in the sunlight, but, since they are covered by water, they receive no warmth. There are many blind persons who walk in light, but do not see. There many vessels which contain food, but they do not eat. Hence it is not enough simply to be in a place to share in the inherent power of that place; a proper receptivity is necessary. A sick person may eat without deriving benefit from the food; a dead person may be placed in a fire, but does not feel its warmth. A person standing in the sunlight who is continually showered with could water will not get warm and will always be shivering.

And so, although we may be in the divine fire, which does not warm the body but the soul, we do not benefit from this divine fire, if we continue to pour the hail of the flesh, the ice of the world, and the wind of temptation on our souls. From what has been said it is necessary to keep the soul apart from these things, lest anyone remain hidden from its warmth, as the psalmist says.

 From On the Love of Charity, treatise, by Blessed John Dominic.

Blessed John Dominic

10 JUNE 2010. Today the Dominican Order celebrates the feast day (optional memorial) of Blessed John Dominic, a fourteenth century friar and bishop.

Although John had little education and suffered from a speech impediment that caused him to stammer and stutter, he possessed a tremendous drive to improve himself, overcome his obstacles, and serve our Lord. He also had a great memory, and later in life became a great theologian and preacher.

Born in A.D. 1365 at Florence, Italy, Blessed John spent a great deal of his youth in or around the Dominican church of Santa Maria Novella. He joined the Order at the age of 17 despite his lack of education and hi speech impediment, even while the Dominicans are scholars and preachers.

After entering the Order, Blessed John studied in Pisa and Florence and received a degree from the University of Paris. As a priest, Blessed John once believed that his speech impediment would threaten his vocation, but it was cured through the intervention of Saint Catherine of Siena. Blessed John spent 12 years in Venice as a preacher.


In A.D. 1392, Blessed John found himself to be the Vicar provincial serving in Rome. At the time, Blessed Raymond of Capua was the Master General of the Order, and he helped rebuild the Order after the ravages of the Plague and helped return regular discipline to the Order's members.


Blessed John founded Dominican convents in Venice (A.D. 1388 and A.D. 1394), Fiesole (A.D. 1406), Chioggia, Citta de Castello, Cortona, Lucca, and Fabriano, and was a correspondent of Blessed Clara Gambacorta, advising her of how to restore discipline to Dominican nuns of the day. For a time Blessed John lost papal support because of support for the Dominican White Penitents in Venice, but was later welcomed back and resumed his work in the Order.

Most importantly, Blessed John worked to provide a Christian education to young people. He opposed pagan ideas that were taking hold in the humanism of his day and was a confessor and advisor to Pope Gregory XII.

Blessed John was made Cardinal of San Sisto in A.D. 1407 and Archbishop of Ragusa in A.D. 1408. In these roles, he helped to heal the Western Schism and convinced Pope Gregory XII to call the Council of Constance, and to abdicate the papacy causing the anti-popes to also drop their claims to the papal throne.

Papal legate to Hungary and Bohemia for Pope Martin V, Blessed John worked to settle the disputes caused by the death of Jon Hus and to heal the Hussite Schism. However, while Blessed John was able to convert some, he was unable to to resolve the Hussite Schism.

Blessed John is known today for his scripture commentaries and hymns. His portrait was painted by Fra Angelico, who joined the Order under him, and a memoir of him was written by Saint Antonius of Florence, who joined the Order after hearing Blessed John preach.

Blessed John died on 10 June 1419 at Buda, India. His cultus was confirmed in A.D. 1832 and he was beatified by Pope Gregory XVI in A.D. 1837.

Prayer

O God,
the bestower of divine love,
who didst strengthen Blessed John, Thy confessor and bishop,
for the work of preserving the Unity of the Church
and establishing regular discipline;
grant, through his intercession, 
that we may all be of one mind
and do all our actions in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Who liveth and reigneth with Thee
world without end.


Amen.