AC 6704
The general opinion at the present day is that every person is equally the neighbor, and that every one who is in need of help must be benefited. But it is the part of Christian prudence to search well the quality of a person's life, and to exercise charity in accordance therewith.
AC 6706
The distinguishing difference of the neighbor, which the person of the church ought to wholly know, in order that he may know the quality of charity, vary in accordance with the good which is with every one; and as all good proceeds from the Lord, the Lord is the neighbor in the highest sense, and in a surpassing degree; and from Him the neighbor originates. From this if follows that in proportion as any one has of the Lord in him, in the same proportion he is the neighbor....
Saturday, April 12, 2008
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FYI, just in case you haven't made note of it already: TCR 428
regards,
Keith
TCR 428. Those who are born with a disposition to mercy, but do not make their natural acts of mercy spiritual, as they would if they did them out of true charity, believe that charity consists in giving to everyone who is poor and helping everyone who is needy, without previously enquiring whether the poor or needy person is good or wicked. For they claim that this is unnecessary, since God has regard only to the help or alms given. But after death these people are easily distinguished and separated from those who have performed the kind acts of charity with prudence. For those who did them from that blind notion of charity, are as kind to the wicked as to the good, and the wicked use these kindnesses to do evil, and so to harm the good. So it is that the people who do kindnesses are to blame too for the harm done to the good. Doing a kindness to an evil-doer is like giving bread to a devil, which he turns into poison. Any bread in the hands of a devil is poison, or if it is not, he turns it into poison, an action accomplished by enticing someone to evil by being kind to him. It is also like offering one's opponent a sword, with which he can kill someone. Or like giving a werewolf a shepherd's staff to lead the sheep to pasture; yet when he has got it he leads the sheep away from the pastures into deserted places and there slaughters them. It is like giving the office of magistrate to a robber, whose only purpose is to keep his eyes open for booty; he dispenses justice and makes his decisions with an eye on how wealthy and affluent his victim is.
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