07/09/2026
VALUE FOCUS OF THE WEEK 36: CHARITY
Who needs charity? As we live our daily lives, we encounter people of different backgrounds and with different needs. While it is true that the poor, the orphans, and those who cannot fully improve their living conditions are the primary recipients of our charity, some seek compassion and understanding for their plight and difficulties. "Your smile for your brother is a charity. Your removal of stones, thorns, or bones from the paths of people is a charity. Your guidance of a person who is lost is a charity" (Bukhari). Charity is an automatic expression of our love for our neighbors, as we love ourselves, thereby fulfilling the second-greatest commandment of God.
What if the charity challenge requires loving our neighbors more than ourselves? Is our willingness to sacrifice a question? Do we hesitate to extend compassion to others if our own comfort and benefits are at risk? Can we afford to sell our possessions so we can give to others? Can we miss enjoying a meal so others can eat? The life of Mother Teresa is one concrete example of charity. After her encounter with God, she was invited to be a light to the underprivileged, dispelling darkness and bringing joy to the lives of those neglected by the world. Truly, as exemplified by her compassion and love for people experiencing poverty in the slums of Calcutta, she became a light to the world. The Scriptures guided her, "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who my Father blesses; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger, and you invited me in, I needed clothes, and you clothed me, I was sick, and you looked after me, and I was in prison, and you came to visit me.'" She has kept in mind that whatever she has done for the least of her brothers or sisters, she has done it to God.
Gautama Buddha encourages us to fill our minds with compassion; sacrifice, then, will be an inevitable result. Give until it feels good. By doing so, we store for ourselves treasures that moth and rust cannot destroy. Treasures in life, such as peace, joy, and fulfillment.
ACTION PLAN
Declutter our closets and give away those extra sneakers, those clean shirts, and those clean jeans you have to let go of, then find a shelter for distribution. Resolve within yourself to share with others the blessings you have been receiving, especially with those who are in need.
Be an ear to those who want to be heard, a warm shoulder for those who mourn, and a source of strength for those who are weak and discouraged. Give them your time as a form of charity.
Sign up for a cause. What advocacy efforts are close to our hearts and accessible for us to get involved in?
Initiate or organize corporate activities that will encourage others to practice charity and compassion.
DECLARATION
We are compassionate, and we find joy in expressing charity to everyone who is in need. We are abounding in love, and we have so much to give to others. Whatever we have received freely, we freely give. Words of encouragement and words of life, we will gladly share with the people around us. We acknowledge that we are more than blessed, and we can be a blessing to others. Life in charity is no sacrifice at all because the more we give, the more we receive
PRAYER
Almighty Father, we thank You for pouring out and demonstrating Your charity to us and for teaching us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We desire to learn and be trained by You to love others even more than ourselves. Give us the grace and capacity for this to be fulfilled in our lives so we can also influence the people around us to do the same. Amen.
Reference: Council for the Restoration of Filipino Values (CRFV), "2026 Week 36 Filipino Value Focus: Charity"
