The hostThe phrase is from St. Paul's famous hymn to charity and it serves me to speak today of a wonderful and exceptional love story, one of those that last forever: 75 years to be exact. The celebration of this brilliant wedding will have its culminating moment this July 1, at 6:30 p.m., during a Mass presided over by Cardinal Osoro in the Almudena.
But don't be fooled, there will be no renewal of wedding vows, no giving of rings and no prayer over the spouses, because this love story is not between two people as you may be thinking.
Allow me a parenthesis to reflect on how the abuse of the word love in our language to refer to the romantic union between two people has greatly devalued its meaning. The decline is directly proportional to the fragility of such unions. With 100,000 divorces a year and increasingly ephemeral relationships, it can be said that lifelong love is, to say the least, a rarity. And that's a shame, because most would want love to last forever. That is why the 13th chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, which has served as the title of this article, is one of the most frequently proclaimed readings at religious and civil wedding ceremonies, and why Pope Francis himself, in his exhortation on love in the family Amoris Laetitia, puts it as a model of true love. It is beautiful to hear, but difficult to fulfill. Impossible, I would say, without the assistance of grace.
Only those who have experienced love can in turn be true love for others. This is what Caritas Española, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary today, has achieved.
At this time, with Corinthians 13Caritas has shown that love is patientaccompanying people in their often slow processes to move forward, if not in their chronic situations, without looking at the clock or the calendar.
Caritas has taught us that love is benignby putting themselves at the service of the poor free of charge, without asking for anything in return. The 2.6 million people accompanied last year during the pandemic can vouch for this.
With Caritas, we have learned that love is not envious, does not boast y do not get fatCaritas is an exemplary organization in the midst of society. Faced with the exhibitionism of some NGOs, the competition among them and the commercialization and politicization of poverty, the silent and humble work, always discreet, of Caritas is a light that shines in a special way. Few institutions invest less in publicity and press advisors and manage to be as relevant and valued as Caritas.
Caritas makes us understand that love is not unseemly. Its 73,661 volunteers and 5,408 contracted workers are the friendliest face of the Church for people who come to us broken, sometimes just in need of a listening ear, a welcoming shoulder, an outstretched hand.
Thanks to Caritas, we see that love is not selfish. In 2021, it invested €403 million in its various projects and resources in Spain (16 more than the previous year) while maintaining its austerity target in the Management and Administration section at 6.2%. In other words, out of every 100 euros invested, only 6.20 euros are allocated to management and administration costs. This figure has been maintained over the last 20 years.
That love is not irritated and does not bear evil accounts This is corroborated by the volunteers and workers of Caritas when they put up with the often ungrateful or excessively demanding treatment of some of the people who come to the parishes without knowing the precariousness of the means at their disposal and to whom they do not close their doors. Also for the calm response of the entity when it has had to put up with the criticism of those who have attacked it for political or ideological reasons.
The reports published by Cáritas through the FOESSA Foundation since 1967 show us how love and does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth. These prestigious sociological studies have been denouncing the unfair distribution of wealth and the truth about the levels of poverty in Spain, marking milestones in the knowledge of the social situation in Spain and allowing to refine responses and effectively accompany the recipients of its action.
Love, in Caritas, everything excusespointing out the sin of the structures and administrations, but not the sinner; all believesbelieving in the people it helps, giving them the vote of confidence that society so often denies them; everything awaitsThe company's work is a way of spreading hope to the people it serves and encouraging society to believe that a more just world is possible. everything supportsWe are facing the new challenges that the changing society presents to us, without lowering our guard but always pushing forward, even if the data always seem to be going against us.
In Caritas, as in marriages for life, love never passesbecause Deus caritas est (love is God).
Journalist. Graduate in Communication Sciences and Bachelor in Religious Sciences. He works in the Diocesan Delegation of Media in Malaga. His numerous "threads" on Twitter about faith and daily life have a great popularity.
