Summa Theologiae Moralis, vol. I: De Principiis

S. Th. II-II, q. 44.

971. By natural-divine law there is given the precept of charity, obliging under grave obligation, as is clear both from reason: for it being supposed that God destines us to a supernatural end, to a participation of his own proper life and intimate friendship with him, reverence toward him demands that we love him as the supernatural end, infinitely lovable for his own sake, above all things; and from Scripture, establishing the command of this love, Deut. VI, 5 and Mt. XXII, 37. — Which precept is both negative, by which we are forbidden to cast away charity, and this obliges always; and affirmative, by which we are obliged to elicit the act of charity, and this does not oblige always.

Hence the act of charity is necessary; in the present economy of the New Law, however, it is not necessary by necessity of means. The habit indeed of charity is necessary for all by necessity of means for salvation, not only for adults but also for infants, because without it no one is pleasing to God, no one is in a state of grace or of divine friendship (I Cor. XIII; I Jn. III, 14; IV, 16; C. Trid. sess. 6, c. 7); but the act itself in the New Law is strictly not of necessity of means for justification or salvation, because already imperfect contrition with the sacrament really received suffices. It is however necessary by necessity of precept, which is not satisfied by those who remain long in a state of mortal sin, or are justified only with imperfect contrition.

972. The obligation to elicit the act of charity arises from various grounds:

A. The virtue itself and the precept of charity obliges under grave obligation per se, i.e. in the circumstances common to the condition of all men. For it is altogether necessary, indeed and the greatest precept, to tend toward the supernatural last end; which however we do not do as is owed except by an act of charity. Now this is most necessary both 1) at the beginning of the use of reason, when a man is bound to turn himself to God and to choose for himself the end; both 2) at the moment of death (i.e. towards the end of life), when he is about to attain the end; both 3) several times in life: for it is not enough that we tend to God once or twice, but we must direct our whole life to the last end, and therefore the act of charity must often be repeated (prop. damn. 1 by Alex. VII^{1 2}; 5, 6 and 7 by Inn. XI ²). Which some determine by saying: at least once a year, others every month (S. Alphonsus) or even every week (Scotus), others finally probably: more often, at least three or four times a year. This however is easily fulfilled by leading a good Christian life; whence those who live Christian lives abundantly satisfy the precept.

B. The virtue itself and the precept of charity obliges per accidens, i.e. on the occasion of some special circumstance: 1) when a temptation against charity arises, which is hoped to be overcome only by an act of this virtue; which however does not suit the scrupulous who torment themselves in this, for whom nothing remains but to despise the temptation; 2) when charity has been lost, by an act contrary to it; 3) when we manifest it outwardly, otherwise the manifestation would be pretense.

C. Other virtues and precepts oblige sometimes to elicit the act of charity at least implicitly: 1) when against other virtues temptations arise, which are hoped to be overcome only by that act; 2) when someone, in a state of mortal sin, must celebrate, when the opportunity of a confessor is lacking; likewise if he must or intends to minister a sacrament, or to receive the sacrament of the living, without being able or willing to confess first; 3) when he must or intends to place an act of another virtue which cannot be exercised without the act of charity, e.g. the Lord's prayer (recited attentely in its full sense), perfect contrition for sins, the purpose of avoiding sin because it displeases God, the desire that all may serve God, etc. — But in these cases the obligation does not arise from the precept of charity itself; whence, omitting that act, we do not sin against this virtue, but against the other precept by which it was required.

Since charity is most excellent, most of precepts, and the cause of supernatural merit, the faithful must be especially exhorted to exercise it often, and especially in the moment of death; however, lest they be thrown into scruples, no mention is to be made to the dying of the strict precept.

973. In the positive divine law, especially of charity a special, distinct and explicit precept had to be given. — For every debt is a precept: namely insofar as something is a precept inasmuch as it is owed. But something is per se owed, namely the end because it has the notion of good per se (e.g. health), and something owed for the sake of another, namely that which is ordered to the end (e.g. medicine for health). Now the end of the spiritual life is that man be united to God, which is done by charity, and to this as to an end all other things that pertain to the spiritual life are ordered³.

Therefore a greatest precept is to be given of charity, and so much the greater as that which is per se is rather than that which is for the sake of another (ibid.). Hence it is called the greatest and first commandment in the law (Mt. XXII, 38; cfr. prop. 1 damn. by Alex. VIII ²).

Now of charity a twofold explicit and distinct precept was to be given in the positive law: the love of God and of neighbor.

For although one is included in the other, as in a principle the conclusion is contained, and therefore he who perfectly knew the principle (the love of God) according to all its virtue, would also perceive the conclusion (the love of neighbor), this however is not clear to all, and "therefore it is necessary not only to give precepts of the love of God but also of the love of neighbor, because of the less capable, who do not easily consider one of these precepts to be contained under another" (a. 2). — But these two suffice, for charity is friendship and therefore love toward another whose good we wish. But good is either the end, or that which is for the end, and therefore for charity two precepts suffice: one by which we are led to love God as the end; another by which we are led to love the neighbor for God's sake as for the end (a. 3). Of the love of self no explicit precept had to be given, because man naturally loves himself and his own body; the manner however of loving oneself, namely that he love himself in an ordered (and supernatural) way, is sufficiently indicated in the love of God and neighbor, inasmuch as he ought to love God above all things and neighbor as himself (ad 1).

Nevertheless the two aforesaid precepts were not to be enumerated in the decalogue, because they are about the end, while all the precepts of the decalogue are ordered to the love of God and neighbor, which therefore are presupposed by all and included in all (a. 1, ad 3). Whence Christ, Mt. XXII, 40: "On these two commandments the whole law hangs, and the prophets".

974. The intrinsic and precept manner in which God is to be loved, is that he be loved with the whole heart, as is said Deut. VI, 5 and Mt. XXII, 37. For there is required for the act of virtue not only that it falls upon due matter: God to be loved; but also that it is clothed with due circumstances by which it becomes proportioned to such matter: the manner of charity. God however is to be loved as the last end, to which all things are to be referred. And therefore he is to be loved totally, so that man receives nothing against the love of God (a. 4). Whence it is said (Deut. VI, 5): You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart.

God therefore is to be loved not only effectively by observance of the commandments, but also affectively by explicit affection; and not only affectively or by the will, but also effectively by all other powers moved by the will which thus become the principles of spiritual motions, namely the intellect, the inferior appetite and the external executive powers. And thus can be understood that God is said to be loved with the whole heart, and with the whole mind, and with the whole soul, and with the whole strength or all powers (Deut. VI, 5; Mt. XXII, 37; Mk. XII, 30; Lk. X, 27), although perhaps by all these the same thing is signified under other words.

"It is therefore commanded us, that our whole intention (of will) be carried to God, which is with the whole heart; and that our intellect be subjected to God, which is with the whole mind; and that our appetite be regulated according to God, which is with the whole soul; and that our exterior act obey God, which is with the whole strength, or virtue, or (all) powers to love God" (a. 5).

That precept is fully and perfectly fulfilled in the fatherland, where charity is always in act according to the whole power; on the way it can be fulfilled imperfectly, inasmuch as a man does nothing against the love of God, and thus one fulfills it more perfectly than another, the more he abstains from temporal things and thinks of God, and thus approaches more by a certain likeness to the perfection of the fatherland (a. 6).

975. The precept of the love of neighbor is so fittingly proposed: You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Lev. XIX, 17-18; Mt. XXII, 39). "For there is touched in it both the reason for loving and the manner of loving. The reason for loving indeed is touched by this that he is called neighbor; for this reason we ought to love others out of charity, because they are our neighbors, and according to the natural image of God, and according to the capacity for glory... The manner of loving however is touched, when it is said: as yourself; which is not to be understood as to this that one love his neighbor equally to himself, but similarly to himself, and this in three ways: 1° indeed on the part of the end, namely that one love his neighbor for God's sake, as he ought to love himself for God's sake, so that the love of neighbor be holy (and not merely natural); 2° on the part of the rule of love, namely that one does not condescend to his neighbor in any evil, but only in good things, as also a man must satisfy his own will only in good things, so that the love be just (i.e. honest); 3° on the part of the reason of love, namely that one does not love his neighbor for one's own utility or pleasure, but for that reason that he wishes good to his neighbor, as he wishes good to himself, so that the love of neighbor be true; for when one loves one's neighbor for one's own utility or pleasure, one does not truly love the neighbor, but oneself" (a. 7). — "From this very thing however that it is said: You shall love your neighbor, it is consequently given to understand that those who are more neighbors are more to be loved" (a. 8, ad 3): "the order of charity pertains to the very reason (or essence) of the virtue" and falls under the precept (a. 8).

That precept was more perfectly proposed and more evidently declared by Christ in the New Law to be exercised in a more perfect way than in the Old, and for this reason it is called new: "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another" (Jn. XIII, 34-35; cfr. XV, 12-13; I Jn. III, 16). It is namely new 1) by reason of the new exemplar (Jn. XIII, 34 and XV, 12); — 2) by reason of the motive, because Christ is in the neighbors: for supernatural love is founded on the communication of the divine life of Christ who unites all into one mystical body of which he is the head, and into one participation of the Eucharist (Jn. XV-XVII); whence Christ says: "Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my brothers, you did it to me" (Mt. XXV, 40); — 3) by reason of measure and manner, because one must love even to the giving of one's life (Jn. XV, 12-13; I Jn. III, 16; Eph. V, 2); — 4) by reason of extension, because it is toward all even strangers and enemies, which the Old Law did not explicitly deliver (Mt. V, 43-45, Lk. VI, 27-28; Rom. X, 12). Of which excellent charity the Apostle beautifully described the eminent gifts, I Cor. XIII, 4-7.

The precept not only obliges to benefiting the neighbor effectively and externally, but above all to truly loving with internal affection (cfr. I Pet. I, 22; prop. 10 and 11 damn. by Inn. XI ⁴); which is generally sufficiently fulfilled by the very love of God in which it is implicitly contained; explicitly however it is to be exercised when it is necessary for an external work and benefit to be rendered to the neighbor, or to avoid hatred and offense of the neighbor. Since however such occasions frequently occur, hence faithful living Christian lives by that very fact abundantly satisfy this precept.

Fulfilling the great commandment of love according to the example of Christ toward all, enemies also and evildoers, in all respecting the image of the Savior and the dignity of the sons of God, ready to lay down life for our brothers, loving not in word and tongue but in deed and in truth, we have the pledge of divine love and charity which unites us to God. As, inspired by the Spirit of eternal Love, the apostle of charity himself testified (I Jn. IV, 12 and 16): "If we love one another, God abides in us, and his charity is perfected in us... God is charity, and he who abides in charity abides in God and God in him".