Photo Prayer:
Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
The first two companions of Charity, most closely associated with it, are Faith and Hope. These precede it and prepare the way before its face; being temporary themselves, they lead on to that which is final and enduring. As the supernatural life of Charity in God is beyond the range of our faculties on earth, we need to be informed of it by Faith before we can voluntarily merge ourselves in it. The world indeed manifests God's life to us, but only in so far as He is the fount of natural life. He has a more recondite perfection as the fount of supernatural life. All this, besides being made known to our intelligence, must be set before us as an object for our attainment, promised by God and placed within our reach. The soul then, before entering into the full enjoyment of that life, aspires to it, wishes for it, expects it with confidence. These two impulsions are completed in Charity, or the love of God, or vital union with Him in a preliminary form on earth and in its perfect form hereafter. After this life Faith and Hope cease. The knowledge on hearsay passes into the knowledge of vision, and expectation into possession; Charity alone remains as an accomplished and eternal adhesion to life without any further need for preliminaries and gradual approaches. Your Charity and your participation in God depend on your Faith and Hope. Take care that natural science and earthly expectations do not obscure that which is supernatural, and alienate your love from it.
