Food for Thought

In his 2013 Lenten message, Pope Benedict XVI reflected on the relationship between faith and charity.

Mar 08, 2018

In his 2013 Lenten message, Pope Benedict XVI reflected on the relationship between faith and charity.

"The entire Christian life is a response to God's love," he said.

But God desires more than just our acceptance of his love, the pope said. God "wants to draw us to himself, to transform us" and "become like him, sharing in his own charity."

Only when we open ourselves to God's love and allow him to live in us, "only then does our faith become truly 'active through love' (Gal 5:6); only then does he abide in us (cf. Jn 4:12)," Pope Benedict said.

"Faith is knowing the truth and adhering to it (cf. 1 Tm 2:4); charity is 'walking' in the truth (cf. Eph 4:15)," the pope explained. "Through faith we enter into friendship with the Lord; through charity this friendship is lived and cultivated (cf. Jn 15:14ff)," he said.

Faith has a priority, the pope said, and precedes charity, but charity has a primacy and must "crown" faith.

"Everything begins from the humble acceptance of faith ('knowing that one is loved by God') but has to arrive at the truth of charity ('knowing how to love God and neighbor')," Pope Benedict said.

"Lent invites us," he said, "to nourish our faith by careful and extended listening to the word of God and by receiving the sacraments, and at the same time to grow in charity and in love for God and neighbor, not least through the specific practices of fasting, penance and almsgiving."