When Love Should be Charity

When people think of love in the Bible, the famous Scripture verses of 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 usually comes to mind. Most know it as the “Love is patient, Love is kind” passage. Many have even coined it “the love chapter.” It is so well known that it has become one of the most used Biblical passages for weddings.

Until I discovered the Tridentine Latin Mass (aka Extraordinary Form), I also associated this Biblical passage to love. On every Quinquagesima Sunday (the last of the pre-Lenten Sundays), it appears as the Epistle reading for that day. Instead of love, however, the missal reads “Charity” is patient, “Charity” is kind, etc.” It seemed strange to me at first, but at the time, I didn’t think twice about it. I’ve been so used to the word love that I figured it was the same as charity, and both are perfectly interchangeable. Then one day, I heard the Catholic theologian and exorcist, Fr. Chad Ripperger, explain in one of his conferences how it “drives him out of his tree as a priest” to hear the English translation “Love is patient, Love is kind . . . etc.”[i] He points out that the word love is supposed to be CHARITY. My reaction was that of confusion and curiosity, so I decided to look deeper into his claim. To get a better understanding, I went to the original language of this scripture, which is Greek.

The Greek word for love in these verses is “agape.” It shouldn’t be confused with other kinds of love because it is uniquely selfless in nature, inasmuch as to call it sacrificial love. We know that the greatest form of this love, according to John 15:13[ii], is when one sacrifices their life for another. This is precisely what Jesus did for us. He sacrificed Himself on the cross for our sins, thus making His sacrifice the highest kind of love. It is biblically and theologically the most profound kind of love—the love which is God and which God shares with us.

All other kinds of love pale in comparison to this Divine love. A great example of this appears in John 21:15-19 when Jesus repeatedly asked Peter if he loved him. The English translation isn’t specific as to what kind of love Christ was referring to, but the original Greek text uses “phileo” and “agape.” Phileo is a lesser kind of love that expresses affection or brotherly love. Here, Jesus uses the sacrificial God-love “agape,” but Peter replies with the brotherly “phileo” love, thus prompting Jesus to repeat his question several times. They obviously weren’t on the same page, and this becomes more apparent when we insert the essential meanings of both words into the dialogue, as done here:

Jesus asks for the first time: Do you love (agape) me . . . (enough to sacrifice everything for me as I have done for you)?

Peter responds: Yes Lord, you know that I love (phileo) you . . . (like a brother).

Jesus asks again: Do you love (agape) me . . . (enough to sacrifice everything for me as I have done for you)?

Peter repeats: Yes Lord, you know that I love (phileo) you . . . (like a brother).

Jesus asks the same question again, and Peter becomes grieved because he is being asked the third time.

When St Jerome translated the Greek and Hebrew texts to create the original Latin Vulgate Bible, he used the Latin word “caritas” as the translation for agape in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. In English, caritas means charity. Tradition teaches that charity is the love of God and love of neighbor for the sake of God,[iii] - the key words being “for the sake of God.” It is an infused virtue that resides in our will, and because it concerns the divine good or God himself, charity is higher than the moral and intellectual virtues.[iv]

At Mass, we pray the Quid retribuam prayer along with the priest as he receives communion by praying, “What shall I render to the Lord for all He hath rendered unto me? I will take the Chalice of Salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord.” It’s a beautiful prayer that shines light on the relationship between our acts of love and the virtue of charity. Since God loved us first by sacrificing His only begotten Son for us, we should render to Him what is due by doing everything for His sake. Charity allows us to do just that by allowing us to love. Every act of love that we do for His sake is made possible because of charity. Charity bonds the sacrificial love of Christ (agape) for us with the infused virtue that allows us to love him back (caritas) in the most complete way. As St. Therese of Lisieux said about loving God: “In order to love You as You loved me, I need to borrow Your very own love”[v]. In Colossians 3:12-14, we are even told to put on charity above all things because it is the bond of perfectness.

When we revisit 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 in this context, we can better understand why St Jerome chose to use charity. His choice of caritas is no error. In fact, it can’t be because the Latin Vulgate Bible is free of any error whatsoever in matters of faith and morals.[vi] Most people, however, associate the love in this passage with lower forms of love. This is why we see so many people in non-sacramental marriages and unions use this Biblical passage at their wedding ceremonies, even though they are living mortally sinful lives. When in a state of mortal sin, their understanding of love goes against the love that is charity because as St. Thomas Aquinas affirms: “Charity is incapable of anything that is against its nature. Wherefore charity cannot sin at all, even as neither can heat cool nor unrighteousness do good.”[vii] As long as the love in this passage is interpreted as romantic, brotherly, affectionate, or friendly love; its true meaning can become so corrupted that the salvation of souls are jeopardized.

One particular example of such corruption is today’s unbalanced treatment of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. As Catholics, we are obliged to love others by performing both when circumstances permit.[viii] These days, there are plenty of people performing the corporal works of mercy who feed the hungry, cloth the naked, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, visit the sick & imprisoned, etc., but what about the spiritual works of mercy? How often do we counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish the sinner, etc? How often do we hear about people doing these? Hardly ever.

Every Saint in the past loved their neighbors so much that the spiritual works of mercy was commonplace in their lives. Somehow though, our society is abandoning these Saintly practices. Satan has cleverly gotten us to equate such things as judging others wrongly, even when done out of charity. Somehow we have been tricked into confusing hypocritical judgment and the judgment of souls, which is exclusively reserved for God alone, with the righteous judgment that Jesus commands of us.[ix] It’s getting so bad that it seems like the first and greatest commandment, which is to love God with whole heart, soul, and mind,[x] is being replaced by the second greatest commandment of loving thy neighbor as thyself. It is not good enough to just love others for their sake, especially when their souls are in jeopardy. We should not be silent. Silence needs to be replaced with charity.

When we have charity, we are able to love God with whole heart, soul, and mind. This enables us to love others as best we can because charity is the infused virtue in our will that allows us to do so. When love that comes from charity is directed to our spouse, children, family, friends and others; everyone benefits in ways not possible with lower forms of love.

Let’s look at marriage for example. Fr. Ripperger explains the crucial role of charity in marriage by making the point that we need to replace our “attachment” to our spouse with “charity.” He says, “When you love God, and then you love your wife for God’s sake, you’re no longer attached to your wife. You’re attached to God, but it means that from that charity will flow rightly ordered affections, desire to see what is right for them, doing better for them. In fact, your love will be more consistent. . . When a person has charity; the kindness, the patience, the affections, the solicitude that they’re going to pay to their spouse will actually be more consistent, more authentic, and deeper.”[xi]

Upon hearing these profound words, I quickly realized just how little I understood 1 Corinthians 13. In order for us to love God with our whole heart, soul and mind, we must detach ourselves from all things created, as St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila and many of the other Saints have said. This is only possible through Charity. Charity enables us to free ourselves from the worldly things that bind us and keeps us from reaching Heaven. Without charity; we become infected with perverted affections, evil desires for others, envy, impatience, lack of kindness, and a plethora of other vices.

I never thought how much of a difference one word can make until I came across today’s English misinterpretation of 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. The present translation of agape into love not only falls short of St. Stephen’s interpretation, but it can also be misleading and dangerous if it leads people into living, supporting or encouraging any state of mortal sin.

The love that is charity, therefore, springs from a source that far transcends human love and enables us to participate even now in that divine good which is our All. Such a love, coming from God, who is Love, enables us to return to him in an ecstasy of self-forgetfulness and to embrace our fellow-man in that same love, without becoming possessive or possessed by any human love. Achieving this, we fulfill Christ’s supreme mandate of charity: “Love one another as I loved you”.[xii]

1 Corinthians 1:13:

“If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up; Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But, when I became a man, I put away the things of a child. We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known. And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity.” [xiii]

[i] Fr. Chad Ripperger’s “Interior Freedom” conference (reference found at the 19:36 minute/second mark of video)

[ii] John 15:13 “Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” DRC1752

[iii] ST II-II, q. 25, a. 1. (Expounded upon in “Introduction to the Science of Mental Health” by Fr. Chad Ripperger, P.hD., Imprimatur March 13, 2007, pg. 376. More about charity according to St. Thomas Aquinas is covered in chapters titled “Infused Virtues” and “Fruits of the Holy Spirit.”)

[iv] Aquinas Summa Theologica II-II, q. 4, a. 6.

[v] Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux Study Edition

[vi] Pope Pius XII encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu

[vii] Aquinas Summa Theologica II-II, 24,11

[viii]Catholic Encyclopedia: Corporal and Spiritual works of mercy

[ix] Matthew 7:1-5 is one of today’s most misinterpreted verses regarding the judgment of others. It condemns hypocrisy, but still tells us to “take the speck out of our brother’s eye.” Jesus commands us to judge righteously in John 7:24. A recommended reading about the context of this topic appears on this Catholic Answers article.

[x] The Two Greatest Commandments (Matthew 22:35-40):

“And one of them, a doctor of the law, asking him, tempting him: Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said to him: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets.”

[xi] Fr. Chad Ripperger’s “Interior Freedom” conference (found at the 18:33 minute/second mark of video)

[xii] Thomistic Evaluation of Love and Charity, Extract from “Angelicum“, Vol. 55 (1978)

[xiii] Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)