Complete Charity: our goal for a better 2014
By the Editorial Staff
Monday | January 06, 2014 | 9:08 AM | Last update: September 22, 2016, 4:07 PM (Brasilia time)
Start the New Year with this question: Did I do a good action today? In fact, do I know what a good action is? Offering a plate of food to someone who is hungry is a great gesture. Just imagine how much greater the action could be if, when along with the material goods you donate, you also transmit sincere Love towards the individual being helped and make him/she feel valued.
In the Religion of God, of the Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, it is believed that Charity must be understood as a beneficial action that has an impact on the material and spiritual urgencies of human beings. So in the words of its President-Preacher José de Paiva Netto, Charity is "a synonym of Love" (with a capital L!), because it goes beyond the sense of piety, of offering food in order to be “free” of the person who asks for it. This broad concept goes by the name of Complete Charity — it is pioneering, because for more than 60 years it has been conceived and put into practice in the actions of the Institutions of Good Will*.
Considering this reasoning, all fields of society—Religion, Politics, Sport, Art, Culture, and Science—must be based on Charity... But you may think: "Oh, but that is a utopian view, unrealistic." But it is not. Paiva Netto also clarifies this point in his article “Seeing beyond the intellect”. In it, and in various talks transmitted by communication vehicles for decades, the journalist, radio-broadcaster, and writer expands the meaning of the term defining it as the following: "Charity is not the simple act of giving bread. It is mainly what keeps our Soul alive. It is the feeling that distances rudeness from us and, therefore, enlightens our intelligence and impels us to build a better Brazil and a happier Humanity!”
Such perspective is inspired in the practical doctrine of Jesus, the Ecumenical Christ, the Divine Statesman, who, since his first visible appearance on planet Earth, cured the blind, the paralyzed, lepers, and people with several other diseases of the body and Soul, showing that our social duties are linked to the well-being of all. So it is not just a question of healing physically, but of offering the complete reestablishment of the individual. That is why Jesus indicated that what the world needed was food for the Spirit; food that He brought by way of His various teachings, among which is this verse: "I am the Living Bread that came down from Heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever" (Gospel of the Ecumenical Christ according to John 6:51).
That is why it must be understood that the concept of Charity goes beyond indulging the physical and organic needs of human beings (which is obviously important). This means, for example, that we should not see the individual just as a consumer or as someone who does not need to live in a family, does not need to be valued and respected in a fair way. When we understand that Charity in its broadest sense must guide human actions in all areas of knowledge, our concern turns us into the facilitators of the experience of this Brotherly Love in our daily lives. And that is our goal for yet another year.
How about practicing Good actions throughout the world? Make 2014 a year full of opportunity for understanding the transformation that Complete Charity can bring about in your life. Love that is committed to living fraternally with everyone manages to enjoy the Happiness we crave so much.
_____________________________________
* The term refers to the Legion of Good Will, the Religion of Universal Love, the José de Paiva Netto Foundation, the Good Will Foundation, and the Good Will Educational Association.
Version: Rob Dinham
Revision: Rosana Bertolin
