Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli

In 1300 A.D., the wealthy merchant Enrico Scrovegni built a chapel adjacent to his palace in Padua. He then commissioned the Italian artist Giotto to decorate it with frescoes. In a series of frescoes, Giotto painted the vices and the virtues. In one of these, Giotto depicted Charity as a woman.

Charity is defined as “the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1822). Giotto portrays Charity as a woman who holds in her right hand a basket with an abundance of food (love of neighbor). Her left hand reaches up to Christ to whom she appears to be offering her heart (love of God). Some date this famous fresco as one of the earliest uses of the heart as the symbol for charity or love.

Charity is the primary virtue of Christian living. In his discussion with the Pharisees, Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Mt 22:37-40). As the heart keeps the body alive, so also charity enlivens and inspires all other virtues and all moral actions.

Jesus repeated his teaching on charity the night before he died. At the Last Supper, he said, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:34-35). It was putting into practice this commandment to love others that sets the early Christians apart. Like the leaven in dough, Christian charity slowly transformed the Roman Empire.

The Romans made it a practice to build aqueducts to provide clean water for its citizens. They also established public baths throughout the cities of the empire. These were not only bath houses, but were cultural and social centers as well. During the reign of Diocletian, the entrance fee was a mere two denarii; and, on public holidays, it was often waived. Yet, despite these examples of concern for public good, pagan society had little compassion for the poor and the weak.

The Roman Empire was a society for the strong and the healthy. There were no hospitals to provide even basic health care. And physicians came at a high price. Philanthropy, when practiced, was more a display of the donor’s wealth than genuine concern for the poor and underprivileged.

The Roman gods were not known for their virtues nor for their compassion. Neither were their devotees. But, the Christians were! As the Christian faith penetrated the pagan world, Christian charity changed the culture. Morality was no longer the rule of the powerful. Moral living became the expression of love of all, especially the sick and the marginalized.

The devotees of the Greco-Roman god of medicine, Asclepius, brought their sick into his temple at Epidaurus with a promise of healing. But not the dying. They were excluded for fear of contaminating the sacred sanctuary. But the Christians moved out into the streets to care for the sick and the dying. No one was shut out from their charity.

Once Christianity became legal, the Church began to construct a hospital in every cathedral town. St. Sampson the Hospitable, a noble physician, made his home in Constantinople a refuge for the sick and dying. He provided shelter and food for his patients. With the help of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, he established the largest free clinic in the empire. It served the people for the next 600 years. St. Basil of Caesarea (modern Kayseri, Turkey) also built a hospital where he was the bishop. Many saints continued this tradition of caring for the sick. To name a few: Cosmas and Damian, John of God, Camillus de Lellis, Elizabeth of Hungary and Vincent de Paul.

Catholic Charities USA and every diocesan Catholic Charities continue this ministry to the sick, the dying and all in need. Healthcare. Migrant and immigrant assistance. Nutrition. Housing. Advocacy. Homes for those with disabilities. Childcare. Education. Help for pregnant women. Rehabilitation of those with addictions. The list could go on and on. At the heart of the Church, despite the failures of some of her members, remains the virtue of charity.

For each of us, charity extends not merely to the works we do, but to the words we speak. Today we can disseminate our thoughts and judgments instantly. This has, in no small part, contributed to the lack of civil discourse and charity in speech.

Our Holy Father Pope Francis has said, “Those who live judging their neighbor, speaking ill of their neighbor, are hypocrites, because they lack the strength and the courage to look to their own shortcomings” (Homily, Domus Sanctae Marthae, Sept. 13, 2013). The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of broadcasting the failures of others, whether by detraction or by calumny, as sin (cf. CCC 2477).

In Giotto’s famous fresco of Charity, some interpret the figure of Charity not as giving her heart to Jesus. Rather, they see it as Charity receiving from Jesus his own heart. Whether it is Charity giving her heart to Jesus or receiving his, Charity stands clearly as the mediator between God and others. It is the virtue that unites and does not divide, that heals and does not hurt. Truly charitable individuals extend the balm of mercy to all. They themselves, in turn, are filled with joy. As St. John of the Cross reminds us, “In the twilight of our existence, we will be judged on love.”