Thanks again Mardy for your clear exposition on charity. It reminded me of the touching poem by Ellen Bass called, “If You Knew.” She looks at how close we all are to death and the value of simple charity. She begins the poem, “What if you knew you’d be the last to touch someone? If you were taking tickets, for example, at the theater, tearing them, giving back the ragged stubs, you might take care to touch the palm, brush your fingertips along the life line’s crease.” She ends the brilliant poem with these lines. “What would people look like if we could see them as they are, soaked in honey, stung and swollen, reckless, pinned against time?” Maybe we will be most remembered when we are gone not by our riches, but by the charity and love we left behind.
Thanks, Michael. And thanks for sharing those magical words from Ellen Bass. That woman can write! I'll definitely be digging deeper into her work. And your concluding line sums it all up nicely.
That's a great exposition on charity, getting to the nuance and richness of the concept. Your exploration of the dictionary definitions and the use of the word in the New Testament help a lot.
Let me add a little on the New Testament use of the word charity. Although I'm not a religious person, I have a strong interest (like Thomas Jefferson) in the Christian ethic. Because of that I have studied Koine Greek, which the New Testament was originally written in.
In the scripture 1 Corinthians 13 the apostle Paul discusses charity at length:
Chapter 13
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
That's a lot about charity, and Paul seems to exalt charity as a virtue above all others, which is odd in the modern meaning of charity. Most Christian churches have little emphasis on charity. And it turns out that the real word in 1 Corinthians 13 should be love rather than charity. That is, a selfless love like the love of Christ for all mankind.
The word love is the usual translation of the Greek word "agape". No normal scholar would translate agape as charity, it would always be love. The first translator of the Bible from Greek into English, William Tyndale, in 1526 used love in 1 Corinthians 13 rather than charity.
So why did the King James translators use charity? They were careful in their translations, and their efforts in writing the King James version resulted in a poetic and powerful English text that few modern translations can match. (For example, the above scripture uses the phrase "through a glass darkly". That phrase has resonated. As one commentator notes: "Wikipedia indicates that it is not only the English title of a film by Ingmar Bergman, but the title of 7 TV episodes, 2 music albums, 2 pop songs, 1 oratorio, 1 song cycle, a chamber symphony, 4 novels, 2 poems, 2 poetry collections, a play, a biography, a short story collection, and a story by Agatha Christie.")
Did the translators make a mistake here? The answer is that they were heavily influenced by a Latin translation of the New Testament called the Latin Vulgate that was prepared by St. Jerome in the late 4th century and had been used in the Christian church for 1,000 years. Back then the Christian church was spreading outside the geographic nucleus that understood Greek so a Latin version was needed.
St. Jerome translated the Greek word agape to the Latin word caritas. That was, and still is for that matter, the best word choice. But since then as the English language evolved but the dead languages Greek and Latin didn't the choice became an awkward one.
By 1611 when the King James translators did their work the word love was already a better choice for agape. But they realized that much of Christian thought and commentary still used the Latin word caritas that was best translated as charity. Back then charity still had the meaning of selfless love toward others, more strongly than it does today, rather than the meaning of giving to the poor.
So I have to agree with all modern translations of 1 Corinthians 13 that use love instead of charity. But I am glad that we have the charity choice of the King James version to think on too. The best charity is when we give anonymously to people we don't know receive our gift. That love is undeserved, but we give it anyway. The pure love of Christ is that way too, undeserved but given anyway.
I don't belong to an organized church, although I consider myself very religious.
I'm just replying to a small part of your comment..."Most Christian churches have little emphasis on charity."
my understanding of most churches is that they do value charity, & part of that is for members of their congregation to identify their own individual 'gifts'. Those gifts are then used in ways to help the church/community in close proximity or in far off areas. The charity is not always focused on dollar amounts, altho, imo, it often comes across that way to build a bigger blg, for example...
At one point I was attracted to Quakers because they didn't focus on any one denomination, they didn't have a hierarchy & had a heavy focus on community service. It was a small group & they had to find another location to meet so I lost touch.
I'm not sure I can say more today than I did last week. As I mentioned, I'm almost 75 & I've been a volunteer my entire adult life, learning to do so because both of my parents did so. I absolutely love to volunteer. I have volunteered doing crafts for preschool kids, was a school volunteer the entire time my 3 sons were in school, Sunday School teacher, a math tutor for school kids, English tutor for school drop-outs & immigrants wanting to pass their US citizenship, worked w/ Alzheimer's group, boy scouts, my dog & I were a therapy team for nursing home residents & Hospice care, I was part of a team which developed a "Tell Me Your Story" for hospice clients. I now volunteer w/ an agency that provides thousands of $$ for new clothing for low-income kids, preschool-middle school in our community (they pick out their own clothes at JC Penney for the pride of personal selection), $ for Head Start kids, full-ride scholarships to students for 4 yr college plus tech school, $ for teachers in the community, volunteers go into classrooms to read to kids, give books to kids, provide $, clothing, phones for kids aging out of foster care, give $ & needed items to police & fire dept for emergencies when a family has to have immediate care, give $ to Issaiah House which is emergency placement for kids in need... I'm sure I'm forgetting something...
We depend some on grants. However we run a thrift shop, staffed by volunteers, w/ donations from the community. The items sold are cost-efficient for thrifty shoppers but we're higher quality than Goodwill. We'll accept all donations, however when sorting thru donations end up giving a lot to Salvation Army.
Every chance I get I let people know how wonderful volunteering is. It's a joy seeing the customers shopping, it's an absolute joy seeing the joy on the faces of the recipients, ie, the kids picking out their clothing, the kids learning they're receiving a scholarship, the teachers getting $ for supplies, etc, etc. And I have a list of the good things that happen to oneself if you volunteer - it's good for the soul :-), & your mind & health, btw.
haha - eta, I guess I did end up saying a bit more than last week :-)
Oh dear Mardy....you opened a Pandora's box of thoughts. I will charitably try to keep things within manageable limits this week...Actually, the 'show stopper' at the moment is questioning whether or not my giving to others is REALLY charity.... I can't do much volunteering from here,..this culture doesn't really know what that is...not that Moslems don't give, it's just that they do it in performance of their religious traditions. If I were living in the US (providing that I was able to LIVE there again) I know I'd be doing something to help others....OK back to my 'giving' currently....I give people little things that I make (my Pebble Pals) from found materials that cost nothing to create. The Objective is to make folks smile and forget what's going on around them....I do it because it makes me feel good....so is THAT 'charity'? My definition of 'charity' is more akin to 'sharing' and it certainly does NOT include giving money! Anyone WITH money can assuage their guilt by reaching into their well filled pocket and handing a needy person some cash. The giver certainly won't miss the loose change or even, like Musk, a million dollars...The average person on the street, sharing 1/2 the money in his pocket with a needy person he/she meets is a more charitable person, right? Lots to think about. So when I give someone something that makes them smile...knowing that it makes Me happy...IS that Charity?? I don't know... maybe I'm being selfish because it makes me happy? wow. Lots to think about Mardy.
exactly!!! Sharing smiles is marvelous!! On my front porch I have a sign "Smiles exchanged here :-)"
When I was the volunteer coordinator at my kids' school, at the end of yr 'thank you' I invited a woman I knew personally, was close to 90 yrs old, who was no longer able to volunteer but had done so for many years. She gave a marvelous presentation & talked about going to Japan after the war & introduced the concept of volunteerism - they had no word for it in their language. A little side note about her presentation - she told us, & many readers probably know, that gifts are often exchanged in Japan. They had given her a doll on a stand, wearing a kimono w/ a matching one for her. She pulled the doll out of a bag she was carrying, & she was wearing that kimono for her presentation that day!
oh boy, another long winded note... I traveled to Japan in 2012 & at that time I did a lot of knitting. While on buses or their subways, I often would knit, & I also carried some already knit items w/ me, some little bags for moms or dolls or balls w/ funny eyes/legs/arms attached for kids. When knitting, kids almost always showed interest. So I would hand them an item - always got smiles...
Thanks, Arlene, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and reflections on this most complex subject. As the recipient of one of your Pebble Pals, I know that it was motivated by love and caring, and that's all that counts!
I never thought of my cheerfulness as charity, but now when I smile at other shoppers, or compliment someone's appearance or little child, or make someone laugh, I see it must be that form of charity of which you write. I just love making people smile or laugh.
btw, I also try to send five or ten bucks to a few of the many organizations in need, but one would be bankrupt to help them all. I picture my mailbox, when opened, with a great big hand sticking out. Tsk tsk...that sounds like a most uncharitable thought!
Thanks, Pat. Think of yourself as the Patricia Yorton Charitable Trust! Your second thought is not uncharitable, in my opinion, and is shared by many people. It also brought to mind this Phyllis McGinley quote, from her book "Saint-Watching "(1969): "One applauds the industry of professional philanthropy. But it has its dangers. After a while the private heart begins to harden. We fling letters into the wastebasket, are abrupt to telephoned solicitations. Charity withers in the incessant gale."
Mardy, got a message saying that this didn't go through...??? DJ responded ... maybe I'll wait and see what's up before I double up on posting...what do you think?
What do you think happened? A quirk of SubStack? nevermind. all's well now. About your Pebble Pal...I hope you think of me whenever you look at it. It was sent with appreciation of all you do...and all you have done.
Wonderful message this week about Charity. Thank you, Dr. Mardy! I just saw a PBS documentary on Bob Hope, narrated by Gary Sinise -- focusing on his early life and his volunteer USO work before and during WWII. It is a great documentary. Even though the subject matter ends with the conclusion of WWII, the documentary does speak to all of his additional work with USO for many years thereafter. Thank you for all the great information and related quotes on Charity!
A tour de force this week, Mardy. I love it when you walk us through myriad meanings. Charity, from caritas, clearly pointing to the heart as the source.
Very interesting as always. Thank you. Some translations of the Bible in 1 Peter 4:8 use the word love instead of charity. The greek word there is agape which is one of the words the greeks used for love. It was love based on principle rather than romantic interest (eros) or family (filia). Obviously that kind of love would lead one to acts of charity and forgiveness
Your subject reminds me of my high school yearbook which had a section entitled "Class Will." In it, I left my "Is there anything that I can do for you" spirit to one of the next year's seniors. Maybe it was inspirational, rather than historical, because I have continued that attitude for my next 70+ years. (Yes, I'm over 90 and still offering help to others.) Glad to know that it's considered "charitable."
I kept thinking while I read this week's words, that I wish the President and others in positions of power in our government would be charitable. There seems little of it today except for themselves.
Yes, what you write is so true, sadly. I would add that's it not just for themselves, but for their friends, as when Trump pardoned the insurrectionists. I call it "Tribal generosity."
Have you ever seen the play Eleemosynary by Lee Blessing? Written in 1985, it explores the relationship between a grandmother, a mother, and a gifted daughter. The daughter's participation in a spelling bee is central to the plot and is an attempt by the daughter to connect with her mother. That daughter could have been me. When I was in sixth grade, I won our school spelling bee, and Mom, afraid to praise too much (read: at all), just sat there after I spelled the final word. We have since discussed the issue and everything is fine, but that is something I will never forget.
P.S. I have all of the Road movies on DVD and love watching Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour going through their paces.
No, I've never seen the play, Julayne, but what a remarkable coincidence! Thanks also for sharing what must have been a very painful experience for you. I'm so glad to know that you and your mother have successfully worked through the issue. Also nice to see that you're also a big fan of the "Road To" films. They are timeless.
Interesting to see the Bob Hope picture; he was born in a very modest Victorian house in Eltham SE London and there is a plaque on its wall commemorating him. Eltham is about 14 miles east of where I live, was once a small village in Victorian times but grew into the London commuter belt. He famously and generously rescued the local theatre from closure and demolition, and it's now called the Bob Hope Theatre. He is fondly remembered by the older residents from when he visited the theatre after paying for repairs and refurbishment there and establishing a youth drama project for local youngsters. House picture can be seen here.
After running a charity for forty-five years, I feel license to add a little levity. Christ said that the poor will be with us always and all through history we see the very rich and those in grinding poverty. Today, in this country, we see an increasing disparity between the wealthy and the low income majority. Futurists, sociologists and economists will all predict that this disparity will persist indefinitely going forward. My takeaway is this, " if the haves don't guiltlessly enjoy what they have, the poor are suffering for nothing".
Thanks again Mardy for your clear exposition on charity. It reminded me of the touching poem by Ellen Bass called, “If You Knew.” She looks at how close we all are to death and the value of simple charity. She begins the poem, “What if you knew you’d be the last to touch someone? If you were taking tickets, for example, at the theater, tearing them, giving back the ragged stubs, you might take care to touch the palm, brush your fingertips along the life line’s crease.” She ends the brilliant poem with these lines. “What would people look like if we could see them as they are, soaked in honey, stung and swollen, reckless, pinned against time?” Maybe we will be most remembered when we are gone not by our riches, but by the charity and love we left behind.
Thanks, Michael. And thanks for sharing those magical words from Ellen Bass. That woman can write! I'll definitely be digging deeper into her work. And your concluding line sums it all up nicely.
That's a great exposition on charity, getting to the nuance and richness of the concept. Your exploration of the dictionary definitions and the use of the word in the New Testament help a lot.
Let me add a little on the New Testament use of the word charity. Although I'm not a religious person, I have a strong interest (like Thomas Jefferson) in the Christian ethic. Because of that I have studied Koine Greek, which the New Testament was originally written in.
In the scripture 1 Corinthians 13 the apostle Paul discusses charity at length:
Chapter 13
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
That's a lot about charity, and Paul seems to exalt charity as a virtue above all others, which is odd in the modern meaning of charity. Most Christian churches have little emphasis on charity. And it turns out that the real word in 1 Corinthians 13 should be love rather than charity. That is, a selfless love like the love of Christ for all mankind.
The word love is the usual translation of the Greek word "agape". No normal scholar would translate agape as charity, it would always be love. The first translator of the Bible from Greek into English, William Tyndale, in 1526 used love in 1 Corinthians 13 rather than charity.
So why did the King James translators use charity? They were careful in their translations, and their efforts in writing the King James version resulted in a poetic and powerful English text that few modern translations can match. (For example, the above scripture uses the phrase "through a glass darkly". That phrase has resonated. As one commentator notes: "Wikipedia indicates that it is not only the English title of a film by Ingmar Bergman, but the title of 7 TV episodes, 2 music albums, 2 pop songs, 1 oratorio, 1 song cycle, a chamber symphony, 4 novels, 2 poems, 2 poetry collections, a play, a biography, a short story collection, and a story by Agatha Christie.")
Did the translators make a mistake here? The answer is that they were heavily influenced by a Latin translation of the New Testament called the Latin Vulgate that was prepared by St. Jerome in the late 4th century and had been used in the Christian church for 1,000 years. Back then the Christian church was spreading outside the geographic nucleus that understood Greek so a Latin version was needed.
St. Jerome translated the Greek word agape to the Latin word caritas. That was, and still is for that matter, the best word choice. But since then as the English language evolved but the dead languages Greek and Latin didn't the choice became an awkward one.
By 1611 when the King James translators did their work the word love was already a better choice for agape. But they realized that much of Christian thought and commentary still used the Latin word caritas that was best translated as charity. Back then charity still had the meaning of selfless love toward others, more strongly than it does today, rather than the meaning of giving to the poor.
So I have to agree with all modern translations of 1 Corinthians 13 that use love instead of charity. But I am glad that we have the charity choice of the King James version to think on too. The best charity is when we give anonymously to people we don't know receive our gift. That love is undeserved, but we give it anyway. The pure love of Christ is that way too, undeserved but given anyway.
I don't belong to an organized church, although I consider myself very religious.
I'm just replying to a small part of your comment..."Most Christian churches have little emphasis on charity."
my understanding of most churches is that they do value charity, & part of that is for members of their congregation to identify their own individual 'gifts'. Those gifts are then used in ways to help the church/community in close proximity or in far off areas. The charity is not always focused on dollar amounts, altho, imo, it often comes across that way to build a bigger blg, for example...
At one point I was attracted to Quakers because they didn't focus on any one denomination, they didn't have a hierarchy & had a heavy focus on community service. It was a small group & they had to find another location to meet so I lost touch.
Thanks, Michael. I'm so glad I attended your Bible Studies Class today! I learned a lot!
Your observation of charity hit me hard. Want to do more. Will start today.
Thanks for sharing your reaction, Karen. I'm delighted. We can all do so much more.
I'm not sure I can say more today than I did last week. As I mentioned, I'm almost 75 & I've been a volunteer my entire adult life, learning to do so because both of my parents did so. I absolutely love to volunteer. I have volunteered doing crafts for preschool kids, was a school volunteer the entire time my 3 sons were in school, Sunday School teacher, a math tutor for school kids, English tutor for school drop-outs & immigrants wanting to pass their US citizenship, worked w/ Alzheimer's group, boy scouts, my dog & I were a therapy team for nursing home residents & Hospice care, I was part of a team which developed a "Tell Me Your Story" for hospice clients. I now volunteer w/ an agency that provides thousands of $$ for new clothing for low-income kids, preschool-middle school in our community (they pick out their own clothes at JC Penney for the pride of personal selection), $ for Head Start kids, full-ride scholarships to students for 4 yr college plus tech school, $ for teachers in the community, volunteers go into classrooms to read to kids, give books to kids, provide $, clothing, phones for kids aging out of foster care, give $ & needed items to police & fire dept for emergencies when a family has to have immediate care, give $ to Issaiah House which is emergency placement for kids in need... I'm sure I'm forgetting something...
We depend some on grants. However we run a thrift shop, staffed by volunteers, w/ donations from the community. The items sold are cost-efficient for thrifty shoppers but we're higher quality than Goodwill. We'll accept all donations, however when sorting thru donations end up giving a lot to Salvation Army.
Every chance I get I let people know how wonderful volunteering is. It's a joy seeing the customers shopping, it's an absolute joy seeing the joy on the faces of the recipients, ie, the kids picking out their clothing, the kids learning they're receiving a scholarship, the teachers getting $ for supplies, etc, etc. And I have a list of the good things that happen to oneself if you volunteer - it's good for the soul :-), & your mind & health, btw.
haha - eta, I guess I did end up saying a bit more than last week :-)
You did, dj, and I enjoyed every word. You're a poster child--or, woman--for volunteerism
Oh dear Mardy....you opened a Pandora's box of thoughts. I will charitably try to keep things within manageable limits this week...Actually, the 'show stopper' at the moment is questioning whether or not my giving to others is REALLY charity.... I can't do much volunteering from here,..this culture doesn't really know what that is...not that Moslems don't give, it's just that they do it in performance of their religious traditions. If I were living in the US (providing that I was able to LIVE there again) I know I'd be doing something to help others....OK back to my 'giving' currently....I give people little things that I make (my Pebble Pals) from found materials that cost nothing to create. The Objective is to make folks smile and forget what's going on around them....I do it because it makes me feel good....so is THAT 'charity'? My definition of 'charity' is more akin to 'sharing' and it certainly does NOT include giving money! Anyone WITH money can assuage their guilt by reaching into their well filled pocket and handing a needy person some cash. The giver certainly won't miss the loose change or even, like Musk, a million dollars...The average person on the street, sharing 1/2 the money in his pocket with a needy person he/she meets is a more charitable person, right? Lots to think about. So when I give someone something that makes them smile...knowing that it makes Me happy...IS that Charity?? I don't know... maybe I'm being selfish because it makes me happy? wow. Lots to think about Mardy.
exactly!!! Sharing smiles is marvelous!! On my front porch I have a sign "Smiles exchanged here :-)"
When I was the volunteer coordinator at my kids' school, at the end of yr 'thank you' I invited a woman I knew personally, was close to 90 yrs old, who was no longer able to volunteer but had done so for many years. She gave a marvelous presentation & talked about going to Japan after the war & introduced the concept of volunteerism - they had no word for it in their language. A little side note about her presentation - she told us, & many readers probably know, that gifts are often exchanged in Japan. They had given her a doll on a stand, wearing a kimono w/ a matching one for her. She pulled the doll out of a bag she was carrying, & she was wearing that kimono for her presentation that day!
oh boy, another long winded note... I traveled to Japan in 2012 & at that time I did a lot of knitting. While on buses or their subways, I often would knit, & I also carried some already knit items w/ me, some little bags for moms or dolls or balls w/ funny eyes/legs/arms attached for kids. When knitting, kids almost always showed interest. So I would hand them an item - always got smiles...
Thanks, dj, I appreciate your weighing in. Don't worry about being "long-winded." What you say always adds to the conversation.
Thanks, Arlene, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and reflections on this most complex subject. As the recipient of one of your Pebble Pals, I know that it was motivated by love and caring, and that's all that counts!
I never thought of my cheerfulness as charity, but now when I smile at other shoppers, or compliment someone's appearance or little child, or make someone laugh, I see it must be that form of charity of which you write. I just love making people smile or laugh.
btw, I also try to send five or ten bucks to a few of the many organizations in need, but one would be bankrupt to help them all. I picture my mailbox, when opened, with a great big hand sticking out. Tsk tsk...that sounds like a most uncharitable thought!
Thanks, Pat. Think of yourself as the Patricia Yorton Charitable Trust! Your second thought is not uncharitable, in my opinion, and is shared by many people. It also brought to mind this Phyllis McGinley quote, from her book "Saint-Watching "(1969): "One applauds the industry of professional philanthropy. But it has its dangers. After a while the private heart begins to harden. We fling letters into the wastebasket, are abrupt to telephoned solicitations. Charity withers in the incessant gale."
Mardy, got a message saying that this didn't go through...??? DJ responded ... maybe I'll wait and see what's up before I double up on posting...what do you think?
I did get your message. See above.
What do you think happened? A quirk of SubStack? nevermind. all's well now. About your Pebble Pal...I hope you think of me whenever you look at it. It was sent with appreciation of all you do...and all you have done.
FOREBEARANCE -- the ability to forgive your golfing partner for making a bad drive.
Love it, Louis! Very creative!
Wonderful message this week about Charity. Thank you, Dr. Mardy! I just saw a PBS documentary on Bob Hope, narrated by Gary Sinise -- focusing on his early life and his volunteer USO work before and during WWII. It is a great documentary. Even though the subject matter ends with the conclusion of WWII, the documentary does speak to all of his additional work with USO for many years thereafter. Thank you for all the great information and related quotes on Charity!
Thanks for your kind words, Roger. Always nice to hear from you, but especially when you point me in the direction of something interesting.
A tour de force this week, Mardy. I love it when you walk us through myriad meanings. Charity, from caritas, clearly pointing to the heart as the source.
Thanks, Blayney, I'm touched by your words. I would have liked to explore the subject a little more, but the newsletter was already long enough!
Very interesting as always. Thank you. Some translations of the Bible in 1 Peter 4:8 use the word love instead of charity. The greek word there is agape which is one of the words the greeks used for love. It was love based on principle rather than romantic interest (eros) or family (filia). Obviously that kind of love would lead one to acts of charity and forgiveness
Thanks so much, Bruce. What you write is most certainly true. If you haven't already read it, check out the comment from John Smithson above.
Your subject reminds me of my high school yearbook which had a section entitled "Class Will." In it, I left my "Is there anything that I can do for you" spirit to one of the next year's seniors. Maybe it was inspirational, rather than historical, because I have continued that attitude for my next 70+ years. (Yes, I'm over 90 and still offering help to others.) Glad to know that it's considered "charitable."
Thanks, Lon, I would certainly agree that you are the very model of a modern charitable gentleman!
I kept thinking while I read this week's words, that I wish the President and others in positions of power in our government would be charitable. There seems little of it today except for themselves.
Yes, what you write is so true, sadly. I would add that's it not just for themselves, but for their friends, as when Trump pardoned the insurrectionists. I call it "Tribal generosity."
Have you ever seen the play Eleemosynary by Lee Blessing? Written in 1985, it explores the relationship between a grandmother, a mother, and a gifted daughter. The daughter's participation in a spelling bee is central to the plot and is an attempt by the daughter to connect with her mother. That daughter could have been me. When I was in sixth grade, I won our school spelling bee, and Mom, afraid to praise too much (read: at all), just sat there after I spelled the final word. We have since discussed the issue and everything is fine, but that is something I will never forget.
P.S. I have all of the Road movies on DVD and love watching Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour going through their paces.
No, I've never seen the play, Julayne, but what a remarkable coincidence! Thanks also for sharing what must have been a very painful experience for you. I'm so glad to know that you and your mother have successfully worked through the issue. Also nice to see that you're also a big fan of the "Road To" films. They are timeless.
Interesting to see the Bob Hope picture; he was born in a very modest Victorian house in Eltham SE London and there is a plaque on its wall commemorating him. Eltham is about 14 miles east of where I live, was once a small village in Victorian times but grew into the London commuter belt. He famously and generously rescued the local theatre from closure and demolition, and it's now called the Bob Hope Theatre. He is fondly remembered by the older residents from when he visited the theatre after paying for repairs and refurbishment there and establishing a youth drama project for local youngsters. House picture can be seen here.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/bob-hope-lifelong-bond-with-his-birthplace-in-eltham-98082.html
Theatre info is here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bob_Hope_Theatre
Thanks for the information, Christine. Most interesting. How nice that he never forgot where he came from.
Dr. Mardy,
After running a charity for forty-five years, I feel license to add a little levity. Christ said that the poor will be with us always and all through history we see the very rich and those in grinding poverty. Today, in this country, we see an increasing disparity between the wealthy and the low income majority. Futurists, sociologists and economists will all predict that this disparity will persist indefinitely going forward. My takeaway is this, " if the haves don't guiltlessly enjoy what they have, the poor are suffering for nothing".
Best,
Jamie
What can I say, Jamie. Brilliant!