The Emblem of Christ and His Church

From the Christmas Present in 1934.

Out of His Crib Jesus cries out to the world: “Charity! Charity! Charity!” Live your lives in charity. The word of God, the Gospel, is with us; the life, the flaming Heart of Jesus is in our midst. He is everywhere among us; and God is charity. Upon charity God has established the foundation of our holy religion: it is the noblest, the most splendiferous of all virtues; it is the beginning and the source of all our spiritual merits. Charity infused in our hearts by the Holy Spirit is the virtue whereby we love God for His own sake and our neighbor for the love of God.

Charity! Charity! Charity! Nothing is dearer to Jesus Christ, nothing more precious than fraternal charity, for it is in this spirit alone that man is edified united, and unified in Christ. All misgivings, even if raised supposedly for the love of truth and in zeal for the glory of God, should be discarded should they, in the slightest way, embitter our hearts and weaken the spirit of charity in us.

The Charity of Christ is so vast that it embraces heaven and earth. It is militant to the point of audacity, but sweet-tempered; it is all powerful and over- comes all obstacles. Charity prefers the simplicity of the cooing dove to the hissing mistrust of the serpent, for what the serpent represents is indifference. Charity is open to all goodness, wherever it is found; it is understanding and, in humility, is willing to Lenten from everybody, always confiding in the Lord, and content with how much or how little it finds in the hearts even of those who are remote from it. Its zeal does not stifle, nor does it intrude; it is discreet and wise because it knows and understands the limitation of human frailty - it knows how difficult it is to and persons without shortcomings and thus, it is extremely tolerant.

Charity does nothing unseemly: it is never agitated, it does not mind the wrongs which are done to it, it overcomes evil with good. It takes no pleasure in injustice, but it is happy whenever it can rejoice in truth. It seeks to justify everything, it hopes for the best in all things, it, endures every ill. It prays and it suffers in silence for the sake of Jesus and for the sake of man.

Charity is never subject to whims, never harsh; it finds its happiness in spreading and irradiating itself. It operates in kindness, meekness and gentleness. One thing it cries for is to sacrifice itself in order to save and make others happy for the glory of God.

Every human science is dull if charity does not season it with the love of God, and neighbor: without it, science swells with egotistical pride.

First enters charity, and then follows science; for the latter can be annihilated while the former never perishes but abides forever. It is charity and charity alone which will save the world.

Blessed are those who walk in the sunshine of grace radiating from the celestial charity of Jesus.