Where Charity is... Love Prevails

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Charity. He had a heart that was so big, he wanted to embrace the whole world. When he was young, he understood that people around needed love. So he would go around to give love to them. Whenever he gave away some love, he would be filled with love almost immediately in return. You see, he had a loving father who loves him dearly. Each hug Charity gave away, he received ten times more from his father. He knew he had an everlasting supply of love as long as he stays close to his father.

One day, Charity met a girl named Self. She told him that he should keep some love away as reserves. "No one would notice that you kept some for yourself" said Self quietly. He listened and thought to himself. It sounds rather logical to him. Hence, from that day forth, whenever he gave love away, he would keep a handful of it tucked away in his pocket where he also kept his secret stash of sweets. The ones he kept away from prying eyes and hands. Self reminded Charity, "After all, what happens when you leave your father one day? What are you left with? He can't be with you all the time. He is so busy with his other children. Sometimes, you don't seem to be able to reach or connect with him. So it's better to keep some love by your side. Your father will be pleased with your prudence."

Charity was convinced and he went about his usual ways. But as the days went by, the handful became a bit more than a handful, then it was an armful and more. More and more love were kept as reserves. Charity thought, "No harm keeping for a rainy day. My father will be proud of me." Soon the people around him felt cold towards him. They could not understand why Charity had become so calculative these days. He was not the same person as they once knew.

One day, Charity's father asked him to sit down for a chat. He told Charity that he noticed that he has been rather quiet lately. No more smiles and no more dancing on a sunny day. Charity shook his head when his father asked if he was unhappy that he could not be around some of the times. Charity grinned as he shared with his father the bags of love that he had accumulated over time. He was sure that his father would be pleased. His father took one look at the bags. "What have you done?" he exclaimed and sighed very deeply. "Love is meant to be given away freely! When it is kept for selfish reasons, it grows bitter and can no longer be the same again." You see love given away will always return in abundance. Then when you give it away, there is always more to share."

Charity looked into the bags of love and discovered that they had turned mouldy and stale. He knew then that these bags of love could no longer be used by anyone any more. He felt so bad about wasting all that wonderful love. How could he forget what his father had told him? He knew he had to say sorry to his father. He told him that he would not do that again. Immediately, his father hugged him tightly and Charity felt a nice warm feeling creeping back into his heart. He knew that he was filled with love once again. He went out and gave away that love immediately to an old lady who was crying while sitting on a bench in the park. He sat there next to her and at the right moment, he left her his shoulder to cry on and a hanky to blow her nose. It was a simple act of love for that day. His father beamed with pride as he watched his son walked the old lady home. In his heart, he believed that Charity would continue to grow with love and give selflessly and someday, he would someday be a wonderful father to his own son.

When was the last time you gave love away?
by momoko (19.1.2009)

An old  Catholic song goes....

Love it was that made us
And it was Love that saved us
Love was God's plan
When He made man
God's divine nature is love
Born of God's love
We must love Him
That's why He made us to love him
But only when we love all men
Can we partake of God's love

1 Cor 13:13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.