Secondly, that it is a great mastery for a man to know how and to be able to love his neighbour in charity; all which may be plainly proved by St Paul’s words, thus: If I speak with the tongues of men and angels, if I have not charity, I am right nought; and if I have so great faith that I can overturn hills and bear them away, and have not charity, I am right nought. And also, though I had all manner of knowledge of all mysteries, and if I give all that I have to the poor, and my body to be burnt, and have not charity, it profiteth me right nought.(John Climacus)

Caritas is the Latin, from which we derive charity.

Agape (αγάπη) is the original Greek used in the reference to First Corinthians that Climacus offers above.

This is a love of other at least equal to love of self; it can be a self-sacrificing love, from which emerged the typical secular meaning of charity.

But this love goes well beyond cash - of whatever amount - given.

Through agape we identify with the other, recognizing we are of one body with the other, and through relationship with the other we will come to know our true self.