Fraternal Charity

Love is the sunshine of existence, and this short treatise shows you how to catch its light. Written by a Jesuit priest in the nineteenth century for members of religious communities, Fraternal Charity distills centuries of spiritual wisdom into a practical guide for loving others as God loves us. The book moves from foundational principles to hard-won counsel: first establishing what fraternal charity truly means, then examining its twelve distinguishing characteristics, and finally offering eleven concrete methods for preserving charity within a community when friction and fatigue set in. The final chapters address the most difficult question: how do you keep loving when circumstances make it nearly impossible? An appendix adds reflections from Father Faber and a portrait of the exemplary religious soul who has made charity into a way of life. Though addressed to monks and nuns, this book speaks to anyone who has ever struggled to love their neighbor well, whether in a monastery, a family, or an office.