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Question:
Answer:
Charity and love are one and the same when considered as a theological virtue, which every Christian first receives as an infused gift from God at baptism (see CCC 1265-66, 1812-13, 1822-29).
In the English-speaking world, charity is sometimes distinguished from love as an act of providing support, including financial, to people in need; thus the term charities, to which U.S. citizens can contribute to get tax deductions. In this use of the term, “charity” is often an expression of love, although love would include other non-charitable expressions.
Faith, hope, and charity are the three theological virtues, and charity and love are synonymous. In this sense, “Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God” (CCC 1822, emphasis added). Whether as a theological virtue or a moral virtue (see CCC 1804ff.), charity/love is the greatest of all virtues, as St. Paul affirms (1 Cor. 13:13).