It is charity that speaks to the heart of Mary and brings Her across the difficult mountain country to visit Her cousin Elizabeth. Our holy Mother thus puts in practice beforehand the divine Gospel precept upon which Jesus will insist so much in His mortal life: "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you." (John 13)
After the supreme command to love God above all things, the love of our neighbor takes the next highest place in the Christian life. Our Blessed Saviour says "it is like the first." Both loves are so closely connected, support one another so well, work so harmoniously, that we cannot possess the one without the other. Without the love of God there is no fraternal charity; without fraternal charity there is no love of God.
Is there no room to doubt of the union of these two precepts in our actual relations with ourselves and the world? What egotism in poor human hearts! What egotism even in Christian hearts! We love ourselves extremely well; and, for the most part, that which appears to be the evidence of affection is only a cloak under which we hide the workings of our own pleasure or advantage.
Let us seek an example of true charity in the mystery now under consideration. In our visits and social relations with our neighbors we ought, in imitation of the Blessed Virgin, never to bring with us anything but timely assistance, good counsel, edification, and the grace of God.
More frequently, or - will I say it? - mostly always, our visits are those of interest, in which we seek to treat of something profitable to ourselves: visits of vanity, in which we wish to display our good looks or finery of dress; visits of curiosity, in which we busy ourselves to see and to hear many things that we might as well, and even ought to, let alone; visits of idleness, in which we endeavor to kill time which solitude makes too heavy on our hands; visits of malice, in which we devour with much relish the reputation of our neighbor; visits of sensuality, in which our senses are fed upon gross pleasures and our hearts upon familiarities more than doubtful. To entertain ourselves with our brethren on the principles of pure charity is rare indeed.
If we love, it is often blindly and inconsiderately. Natural advantages are more in our eyes than those of grace; charms of body and mental endowments attract us more commonly than splendor of virtue; we are more given to what pleases us than to what deserves our pleasure; we are less taken with what is useful than with what flatters us. In brief, instead of seeking in our neighbor God alone as the supreme object of our love, it is to ourselves we really direct our attention as to the definitive object of our affections. Hence come antipathies and repugnances without any reasonable motive; hence also unjust preferences, undeserved benevolence, and generosity without the least merit before God.
Christian, learn from the Apostle of the Gentiles what fraternal charity ought to be:
It never looks after its own advantages: "Charity seeketh not its own." (1 Corinthians 13)
It is not ambitious of honors or of the esteem of men: "Charity is not ambitious."
It bears patiently the imperfections, faults, and defects of others. Nothing can break its love: "Charity is patient."
It is unwilling even to think evil, so great is its dread of the violent impulses which disturb the peaceful tenor of its honest affections: "Charity thinketh no evil; is not provoked to anger."
Far from being saddened in view of the talents, good qualities, or good fortune of others, it rejoices in them, as if everything great, good, or happy within its sphere belonged to itself: "Charity envieth not."
It always seeks directly the true, objects of Christian love: "Charity dealeth not perversely."
It has pity on sinners and expands its joy upon the just in whose souls the image of God shines forth in all its splendor: "Charity rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth."
It is kind, sweet, forward to oblige, compassionate; it spends itself, it is prodigal of good, more especially of spiritual good. It is replete with consolation, encouragement, good counsel, holy doctrine, and the aroma of virtue: "Charity is kind."
Oh, beautiful virtue! Let us ask it of Jesus and Mary, and beg them to penetrate us with it and fix it indelibly in our souls.
- text taken from Fruits of the Rosary, by Father Jacques-Marie Louis Monsabre, O.P.