That for the same deedis outewarde sere men schal have seere medis.
The Primacy of Charity
Charity is the essential gift that distinguishes the chosen soul and makes all human works meritorious.
All other good deeds without this do not make a person good, nor worthy of the bliss of heaven; but this alone, and only this, makes a person good and makes all his good deeds meritorious.1 All other gifts of God and works of human beings are common to the good and to the bad, but this gift of charity is only for good and chosen souls.2
The Discernment of Deeds and Rewards
External deeds, whether religious or charitable, are judged by the presence or absence of charity in the heart.
A good person, for the love of God, fasts, keeps watch, goes on pilgrimage, and truly forsakes the world's pleasures in their heart without pretense. They will have their reward in the bliss of heaven. A hypocrite does the same deeds for his own vainglory and receives his reward here.✦ Also, a true preacher of God's word, filled with charity and humility, sent by God and received by Holy Church, will have a special reward for their preaching: the aureole.3 A hypocrite or a heretic who never had humility or charity, and who isn't sent by God or by Holy Church—they have their reward here.✦ Also, a good person in a worldly estate, for the love of God, builds churches and chapels, abbeys, hospitals, and other good works of mercy. They will have their reward in the bliss of heaven—not for the deed itself, but for the good will and the charity they had from the gift of God in order to do those good deeds. Another person does the same good deeds for their own vanity and for the world's honor and praise and for their own name, and they have their reward here.✦
The Hidden Judgment of the Heart
Only God can truly discern the presence of charity, which is the ultimate cause of spiritual merit.
The reason for all these cases is that one person has charity and the other has none. Which is which, our Lord knows, and no one but Him.
Read the original Latin
Alle othere gode deedis withouten this maketh not a man good, ne worthi the blisse of hevene, but this aloone, and oonli it, maketh a man good and alle his good deedis medeful. Alle othere giftis of God and werkes of man are comoun to gode and to badde, but this gifte of charité is oonli to gode and chosen soulis.
A good man for the love of God he fasteth, he waketh, gooth on pilgrimage, and forsaketh the likynge of the world soothfasteli in his herte withoutin feynynge. Hee schal have his meede in the blisse of hevene. An ypocrite for veynglorie of himsilf dooth the same deedis and receyveth his meede heere. Also a verry prechour of Goddis word, fulfilled of charité and of mekenesse, sent of God, and of Holi Chirche resseyved, schal have a special mede, that is the auriol, for his prechynge. An ypocrite or an heretik, that nevere hadde mekenesse ne charité, ne aren not sent off God ne of Holi Chirche, thei have here mede heere. Also a gode man in wordli staat, for love of God maketh chirchis and chapeles, habbeies, hospitales, and othere good deedis of merci. He schal have his mede in the blisse of hevene, not for the deede in hitsilf, but for the good wil and the charité that he hadde of the gifte of God for to doo thoo gode deedes. Anothir man for vanité of himsilf and worschipe and praisynge of the world and his owene name dooth the same good deedis and hath his meede heere.
The cause is, in al thise, that the ton hath charité and the tothir hath noon. Whiche is oon and whiche is othir, oure Lord knowith and noon but He.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.6.2 — So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by people. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.
- ↩Matt.6.2 — So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by people. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.
- ↩Matt.6.2 — So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by people. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.
Notes
- 1 ↩"this" looks back to ch. 65: loving one's fellow Christian in charity (and hating the sin while loving the person). "medeful" = meritorious / reward-bearing, not merely useful.
- 2 ↩"charité" is rendered as "charity" for the theological virtue (not almsgiving); "chosen soulis" kept as election/chosen souls rather than flattened to "good people."
- 3 ↩ME auriol (aureole): the traditional special heavenly crown or mark of glory associated with certain states of life and labors (commonly virgins, martyrs, and doctors/preachers), distinct from the general reward of beatitude.
Scala Perfectionis (The Scale of Perfection) companion
A daily portion of stillness
Chosen Portion delivers one short contemplative reading and a guided moment of silence each day — the ascent, one step at a time.
Chosen Portion is the paced doorway into this collection: it portions the dense mystical treatises into one daily reading plus guided silence, exactly as the 14-day plan teaches.
- Daily bite-sized excerpts from the contemplative classics, never a wall of text
- A built-in timed stillness practice that grows from 2 minutes to 10
- Gentle progression through the tradition — the app remembers where you are on the ascent