What is this cohesive force called, able to hold the whole parish body together, a part of humanity wishing to be united in Christ? Everyone knows: it is called charity. A significant gift, an ineffable virtue!
It comes from God: it is his love communicated to human beings, which spreads from person person. It comes from heaven, like an regal and bounteous river, the goodness of God who loves men and women and invites them, through an interior desire, to love one another.
It is the great fundamental law of the Church. In theory charity is easy to say, beautiful to proclaim, and often professed, while in practice it is very demanding and difficult. But it is not only possible and always achievable; it is the main indicator of the quality of the church’s life.
Pope Paul VI
Alla parrocchia di S. Maria Consolatrice
Insegnamenti/2, Città del Vaticano 1964, pp. 1072-1073