By Mary Juliana Brice
What is Charity? Charity is, love of fellowmen, kindness, affection, leniency in judging others, liberality to those in need or distress, and alms giving. When someone is truly charitable, they are generous in giving to the poor, and are apt to judge favourably of the acts and motives of persons. When someone encounters difficulty, we are forced to be charitable to them. Some of us will do, but those who have never done this will realise and recognise that some measure of charity needs to be done.
When someone is charitable to us, we then recognise what charity really is, and so we too will do the same to someone else who is in need of our help. When anyone does some measure of charity, they are blessed in a very special way. However, we should not be doing these acts, and await something special to be bestowed on us, as it is always very much later that someone can relate some form of blessing to the charity that they had performed previously.
Some people too, are so appreciative of the charity that has been given to them, and so they pray big time for the person or people who had performed this charitable act. It is not that sometimes, they will tell you what they are doing, so you really never know how absolutely thankful they are. However, they are thanking you by the prayers that they say on your behalf.
On some different occasions, we sometimes say that we do not have anything to give. However we must give whatever is available and recognized, even if it is something very simple. Giving very good advice to others to allow them to operate properly, is an act of charity. Giving help, money, food, spending time with lonely people, teaching persons the things that can assist them in their difficulties, and giving whatever else to those in need. Love for your fellowmen, and giving a kind and lenient attitude towards others, is also an act of charity.
Please do not run away from the problems we sometimes face when giving our acts of charity. When someone is in need of some form of charity, it is somehow revealed to you. This is not by accident, that you are somehow being asked to attend to that particular incident. This act of charity supports our community with a generous heart. When we have been asked to do this, we should use it in a very particular way, as everyone has been given some form of generosity to be used in their life’s journey.
When we take a look at our community during this time, we can see that many, many persons are in need of many different acts of charity. Why are so many of us encountering difficulty, and somehow cannot recognise the acts of charity that should be given to us? If we take sometime to speculate on this, we will be prompted to begin some form of organization to assist all those who are in need of our help. Have we all abandoned our acts of charity? If we meditate on this, we will definitely open our minds and hearts to restore our community and our country by joyfully giving our acts of charity towards our neighbours.
One thing though that happens sometimes, is that some persons assume that they are doing a charitable act, and so they are forming you in a different way of life that is not right. Do not let this happen to you. Examine it, and then take a proper decision from someone to journey with.
May our charity make us be used in a very special way, so that all those persons that we serve, will have an enjoyable and happy life, as a result of the acts of charity that is being given by us all.