On Quinquagesima Sunday, as we stand at the threshold of Lent, the Church gives us St. Paul’s great hymn to charity (1 Cor. 13) and the healing of the blind man at Jericho (Luke 18) to teach that without supernatural love (caritas) we are spiritually blind and all our orthodoxy, sacrifice, knowledge, or zeal are “as sounding brass.” Our Lord announces His Passion—“Behold, we go up to Jerusalem”—yet even the Apostles do not understand, reminding us that pride and self-reliance darken the intellect, while humble perseverance—“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me”—restores sight. True Catholic life, especially in times of trial and exile, demands both unwavering fidelity to doctrine and crucified charity: faith must be living, hope steadfast, but charity supreme, for it alone endures eternally.
