Charity = Love

In the Bible, the word which is translated as “charity” is a synonym for love.  I came across this quote.  It was written by Jean Nicolas Grou, who was a Roman Catholic mystic and writer.  I think it does an excellent job of describing the attitudes we must vanquish in order to “love one another.” (John 13:34)  True charity (love) requires us to “put on the mind of Christ.”(1 Corinthians 2:16)

“All extreme sensitiveness, fastidiousness, suspicion, readiness to take offence, and tenacity of what we think we are due, come from self-love, as does the unworthy secret gratification we sometimes feel when another is humbled or mortified;  the cold indifference, the harshness of our criticism, the unfairness and hastiness of our judgments, our bitterness towards those we dislike, and many other faults which must more or less rise up before most men’s conscience, when they question it sincerely as to how far they do indeed love their neighbors as Christ has loved them.  He will root out all dislikes and aversions, all readiness to take offence, all resentments, all bitterness, from the heart which is given up to His guidance.  He will infuse His own tender love for man into His servant’s mind, and teach him to “love his brother as Christ has loved him.”

Jean Nicholas Grou

For another quote by the same author follow this link:

Sin Boldly?