(Sheena) Faith, hope, and charity are familiar terms often spoken of together, and

nearly always in the same order. Paul indicates that the order has significance,
charity being the last and also the greatest of the three (see 1 Corinthians 13:13). 

CHARITY ORIGIN (Sheena)

From the English word charity, ultimately derived from Late Latin
caritas "generous love", from Latin carus "dear, beloved". Charity is an English
feminine given name derived from the English word charity. It was used by the
Puritans as a virtue name. An earlier form of the name, Caritas, was an early
Christian name in use by Romans.

CHARITY DEFINITION (Lerrey)

Charity is the act of extending love and kindness to others unconditionally, which
is a conscious act but the decision is made by the heart, without expecting a reward.

Over time, the meaning of charity has shifted from one of “ Christian love ” to
that of “providing for those in need; generosity and giving,” a transition which began
with the Old French word charité.

(SHEENA) According to Thomas Aquinas, the essence of charity is friendship with

God.

FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY ACC. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (sheena)

FAITH
Aquinas describes the assent of faith as “an act of intellect which assents to the
divine truth at the command of the will, [which is] moved by God’s grace” 
"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no
explanation is possible". -St. Thomas
HOPE
Hope is the virtue whereby we trust God in obtaining final happiness. But
because God is the one in whom final happiness consists (and not simply the one
who assists us in achieving it), we must look to God as the good we desire to obtain
(ST IIaIIae 17.6 ad 3).
CHARITY
Finally, charity is the virtue whereby we love God for his own sake. He amplifies
this idea when he (echoing Augustine) says that charity is an appetitive state
whereby our appetites are uniformly ordered to God (STIIaIIae 23.3 sed contra). We
should also note here that Aquinas thinks that love of neighbor is included in the
love of God. 
CHARITY IMPORTANCE (JAMES)
Thomas's claim on the possibility of friendship with God is rooted in the mystery
of the Incarnation and especially when the Word Incarnate calls his disciples
"friends" in John 15: 15. He does not make this argument out of the metaphysical
claims that can be made of God as being being itself, but out of his teaching on God
and His creative power. Thomas argues that this powerful friendship with God is
what Christians ought to mean when they refer to charity.
Thomas had revisited Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics and found some insights
regarding the nature of friendship. Consequently, when Thomas considered the
nature of charity as described in scripture, he decided that the love peculiar to
friendship is the best way to describe charity's essence.

BEATITUDE

BEATITUDE ORIGIN (ZCYNA)

The word beatitude comes from the Latin beatitudo, meaning "blessedness." The
phrase "blessed are" in each beatitude implies a current state of happiness or well-
being. This expression held a powerful meaning of "divine joy and perfect happiness"
to the people of Christ's day.

BEATITUDE DEFINITION (ZCYNA)

The first thing Aquinas notes about the beatitudes is that “all
complete happiness is included in these words”.12 It is natural for
the human person to strive for happiness, but there are different
perceptions of happiness. These words lead to a reflection on the
nature of happiness. We should note that to Aquinas, who is reading
the Bible in Latin, it is obvious to relate the beatitudes
(beatitudines) to happiness (beatitudo). There is also no formal
distinction between Christian happiness (beatitudo) and the
philosophical conception of happiness (eudaimonia).

(LOUIE) In keeping with Christian teaching, he also acknowledges that we cannot

achieve beatitude solely by means of our own virtuous efforts. Aquinas’s argument
for this claim is as follows: the happiness to which we incline is of two sorts—
incomplete happiness and complete happiness. 

Incomplete happiness is a state we achieve by means of our natural human

aptitudes. Through them, we can cultivatesome measure of virtue and, in turn, be
happier than we would be otherwise. Perfect or complete happiness, however, lies
beyond what we are able to achieve on our own.
Thus Aquinas insists that “it is necessary for man to receive from God some
additional [habits], whereby he may be directed to supernatural happiness”
(ST IaIIae 62.1).
BEATITUDES ARE A DESIRE OF HAPPINESS (REPORT NA ITO NI ROBYN)
The Beatitudes respond to the natural desire of happiness. This desire is of divine
origin. God has placed it in the human heart in order to draw man to the One who
alone can fulfill it. We all want to live happily, in the whole human race there is no
one who does not assent to this proposition, even before it is fully articulated. (St.
Augustine, De moribus eccl. )
(insert video)

8 BEATITUDES (MARLOU, JORREL)

The Beatitudes are the eight declarations of blessedness spoken by Jesus of the
Sermon on the Mount.

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

2. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

3. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth

4. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be
filled.

5. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

6. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

7. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God.  

8. Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven.

BEATITUDES IMPORTANCE (LERREY, ROBYN)

Therefore, he concludes, “these virtues are ways to happiness, and

not happiness in itself”. Having established this, he moves on to
the two final beatitudes. These correspond in some way to the
virtues of the contemplative life. When he discusses them, Aquinas
further specifies these virtues as “the contemplation of divine
things”.
In this contemplation there are two things: vision and
love. It is not possible to achieve this in the current life, and in this
way this conception of happiness is also incorrect. But it is correct
in its description of happiness. True happiness consists in seeing
God, which is promised to “the clean of heart”, and in living in a
union of love, which is promised to “the peacemakers, for they will
be called children of God”.

PS. Inulit ko yung onti ang irereport.