Well I promised a friend a long time ago that I would blog about Charity and I finally found the right words to say. First and foremost I want to say that the virtue of charity is dieing.

Many people in my profession always ask but never give. This is a completely wrong attitude to have because the whole purpose of giving to others is to be an example, just like Christ was an example to the world. One of the sad things I am seeing, is that so many people care about their own materialistic image. This is not the image that Christ intended for us to maintain. Christ expects us to follow his example so that others can then follow our example. It’s all about passing on the reign, so to speak.

People in society get so bogged down in the opinions of others that they fail to see the importance of living a virtuous life. As Christian’s we are called to be apostolic and be a light to other’s. Pope John Paul II said it perfectly: “You are the light of the world.” The Holy Father applied this to the youth of the world inspiring them to be good examples to everyone around them. Pope’s throughout the ages have always encouraged the lay faithful to be inspirations for all in the specific area of charity. “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) Even the author’s of the Old Testament allude to this simple virtue.

A lot of times for the average Joe encyclicals that are written are rather hard to read and digest. Regardless of this fact I would still encourage you all to at least skim through the encyclical Deus Caritas Est which was written in December 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI. So if you take nothing from this at all, please at least remember this: Help the hopeless find God for in Him they will find the meaning of peace.