Charity Begins at Home

“Charity begins at home” is an expression we have all heard and I’m sure used and today I learnt just how true that is! Historically, the phrase is not linked to the giving of money at all but is in actual fact a word of Latin origin. “Caritas” means dearness and the giving of love based on respect, as well as expensiveness (much in the way that we use dear for both senses in the English language). Thus, Charity was the word used in the bible to mean the giving of love, which of course, should begin at home! In the Bible, another aspect of love was the giving of alms to the poor with love and giving existing along side one another and have, not surprisingly, become confused. Quite simply put, love and support should come first from ones own family - “Charity begins at home”. Today, the word charity is now almost always associated with the giving of money to those less fortunate than ourselves, which, in my logical brain can only be done with a sense of love and kindness, so the word charity remains true to its original Latin meaning! Now, why Oh Why I hear you ask am I giving you a Religious Education based post! Well, it is a Sunday morning and I must have woken with my “Vicar of Kettering” head on so I thought I would give you all an informative, sensible blog before I turn into my usual self which is more on a par with “Verger Alice” Suitable joke to follow

Seriously now, my actual reason for my little R.E lesson this morning is that yesterday, I truly did see Charity in its true sense! Whilst my youngest daughter Evie and I were in our kitchen preparing dinner, my eldest two, Emily and Harrison were playing with their friends on the field next to our house. Unbeknown to me they had taken some unwanted toys and books with them and had set up a little stall, selling their wares to any passing children, dog walkers and neighbours. They both came into the house with smiles so big they could have given the Cheshire Cat a run for his money,