Section 3: Fruits and Effects of Charity

The fruits and effects of charity, or the forms in which this virtue manifests itself, are, broadly speaking, the twelve so-called gifts of the Holy Ghost,¹ more especially joy and peace,² a desire to be made conformable to the will of God, and zeal for His holy cause.

¹ See Vol. I of this Handbook, pp. 280 sqq. Also W. F. Stadelman, C. S. Sp., Glories of the Holy Ghost, Techny, Ill., 1919, pp. 47 sqq. and G. H. Joyce, S. J., The Catholic Doctrine of Grace, pp. 94 sqq.

² John XV, 9–11; Rom. XIV, 17; 1 Cor. XIII, 4–7; Gal. V, 22 sqq.—St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 2a 2ae, qu. 28–29.—P. Bürger, Unterweisungen über die christliche Vollkommenheit, pp. 635, 642 sqq.

1. Joy in God (amor laetitiae) may be defined as pleasure in His presence, delight in contemplating His revelations, and the consciousness of being always an object of His omniscience and benevolent care.³

³ Cfr. Phil. I, 18; 3 John 4.—P. W. von Keppler (tr. by J. McSorley), More Joy, St. Louis 1914.—Seneca, Ep., 23, 4: “Believe me, true joy is a serious thing.”

“The joy of salvation,” says Bishop Keppler, “the joy of the Saviour, whether bleeding in victorious battle against the legions of evil, or risen again amid Easter alleluias, or gloriously ascended to Heaven and reigning there; the joy of the Holy Ghost; the vision of perfect future joy, the reward of Heaven,⁴—all this remained as a precious legacy to the disciples, and has become the precious legacy of every one who is united to the Saviour in faith and love. The inner experience of the Apostle testifies that ‘the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but justice and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.’⁵ He names joy second among the fruits of the spirit.⁶ He proclaims as the Christian law of life: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice.’⁷ and, ‘Let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts.’⁸ When the first Christian communities were organized, ‘breaking bread from house to house, they took their meat with gladness and simplicity of heart.’⁹ All the trouble, danger, and affliction which came upon the Christians in times of persecution could not cause anything more than a quasi-sadness in the midst of real permanent joy, ‘as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.’¹⁰ During centuries of the most frightful and bloody persecution, amid pain and torment, in flames and funeral pyres, in rackings and scourgings, in the darkest depths of dungeons, this indestructible joy has always kept up its exultant song.”¹¹

⁴ Matt. XXV, 21; 1 Pet. I, 6–8.

⁵ Rom. XIV, 17.

⁶ Gal. V, 22.

⁷ Phil. IV, 4.

⁸ Col. III, 15.

⁹ Acts II, 46.

¹⁰ 2 Cor. IV, 10.

¹¹ Keppler-McSorley, More Joy, pp. 116 sq.

“The characteristic of all those who have attained to a perfect love of God,” says the most renowned of contemporary Dominican theologians, Fr. Albert M. Weiss, “is an exceptional and imperturbable happiness, a cheerfulness so surprising, so permanent, so frank and childlike, that the prejudiced children of this world are tempted to get vexed at it. . . . Whoever encounters souls of this kind, perceives from their very appearance that their condition does not depend on the world around them, but originates in their own spiritual depths. Their minds are not easily upset by storms, for their lives are built upon God, who is inaccessible to the disturbing influence of the elements. They have nought to fear from God; they are at peace with themselves. Why then, should they not be happy?”¹²

¹² A. M. Weiss, O.P., Apologie, Vol. III, 2nd ed., p. 831; Keppler-McSorley, op. cit., p. 122.

This joy in God and in divine things inspires reverence for His majesty (amor reverentialis). Freely does the faithful Christian acknowledge the majesty and sublimity of God, and gladly does he bow before Him,—not like a slave who dreads the lash, but like a child that confidently trusts in his father’s kindness. “Perfect charity casteth out fear, because fear hath pain, and he that feareth is not perfected in charity.”¹³

¹³ 1 John IV, 18.—St. Augustine, Enarr. in Ps., 118, 25, n. 7: “Perfected charity casts out this fear, by which punishment is feared; it makes men free, not through fear of punishment, but through delight in justice. For that fear by which justice is not loved but punishment is feared is servile, because it is carnal, and therefore does not crucify the flesh. For the will to sin is alive, and appears in deed when impunity is hoped for. But when punishment is believed to follow, it lives hiddenly, yet it lives. For it would rather that what the law forbids were permitted, and it grieves that it is not permitted, because it does not spiritually delight in the law’s good, but carnally fears the evil which it threatens. But with chaste fear charity itself, which casts out this fear, fears to sin even if impunity should follow, because it does not judge that impunity will follow when, through love of justice, it regards sin itself as punishment.” (Migne, P. L., XXXVII, 1576).—IDEM, Serm., 161 (al. 18, De Verbis Apost.), n. 9: “Servile fear is that by which you fear to burn with the devil; chaste fear is that by which you fear to displease God.” (P. L., XXXVIII, 883).

To this childlike reverence is added gratitude (amor gratitudinis), which consists in the joyful acknowledgement of innumerable favors received from God without any merit of our own,¹⁴ and is combined with fear of all that runs counter to His will and regret for one’s own weakness, imperfection, and sinfulness (amor dolorosus). If a man’s individual faults are the object of this sorrow, it is called contrition; in all other cases, Christian sadness.¹⁵

¹⁴ 2 Cor. II, 14; Eph. V, 20; Col. III, 15, 17; 1 Thess. V, 18.

¹⁵ Matt. V, 5; Rom. XII, 15; 1 Cor. XIII, 6.—St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 2a 2ae, qu. 28, art. 2.

2. The tendency to conform one’s will to that of God (amor oboedientiae sive conformitatis) takes the form either of obedience or resignation, according to the manner in which the divine will manifests itself, namely, as a law or as a decree. Both obedience and resignation to the will of God must be universal and willingly rendered. However, it is no sin, but sometimes may be a proof of childlike charity, to desire that this or that particular decree of Providence be changed. Christ prayed on Mount Olivet: “My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt,”¹⁶—and we are allowed to follow His example.

¹⁶ Matt. XXVI, 39 sqq.

3. Zeal for the cause of God is such a necessary requirement of true charity that the latter cannot exist without the former. This zelus amoris consists mainly in an earnest endeavor to prevent others from offending God, or to induce them to embrace the true faith, or to do penance for their sins, or to lead a more perfect life. To be genuine, this zeal for souls must be free from egotistic motives, aim only at God and His glory, and employ no means except those which are legitimate in themselves or at least do not hinder the attainment of the end in view. This is but another way of saying that our zeal must be tempered with prudence and should never outrun the bounds of modesty and benevolence. Where these conditions are lacking, even the most ardent zeal is apt to injure rather than to help the cause of God.¹⁷

¹⁷ Ps. LXVIII, 10; Matt. XXIII, 15; Luke IX, 51 sqq.; John II, 17; Rom. X, 2; XII, 9; 2 Cor. XI, 2; Gal. I, 14; VI, 17 sq.; 2 Tim. I, 3; Jas. I, 21.—P. Chaignon, S. J., Le Ciel Ouvert par le Zéle, Angers 1882 (German tr. by M. Hoffmann, Der Seeleneifer, Mayence 1902).

Legitimate means for propagating the kingdom of God are instruction, example, and intercessory prayer. To these may be added almsgiving for the purpose of rendering the poor more receptive for good advice and example. Violence and compulsion are contrary to the spirit of Christianity and therefore forbidden.¹⁸

¹⁸ Epist. ad Diognet., c. 7, n. 3–5 (Funk, Patr. Apost., Vol. I, 2nd ed., p. 402): “Was it, as one might reckon concerning men, in tyranny and fear and terror? Certainly not, but in gentleness and meekness: as a king sending a royal son, He sent him; as God He sent him; as a man to men He sent him; as saving He sent him, as persuading, not compelling—for violence has no place with God. He sent him as calling, not pursuing; He sent him as loving, not judging.”—Tertullian, Apol., c. 24: “See that this too does not contribute to the charge of irreligion: to take away freedom of religion and forbid the choice of divinity, so that it is not permitted to me to worship whom I wish, but I am forced to worship whom I do not wish. No one will wish himself to be worshipped by an unwilling person, not even a man.” (Ed. E. F. Leopold, p. 1, 96).—IDEM, Ad Scap., c. 2: “It is a right of man and a power of nature for each one to worship what he has thought fit, nor does the religion of one harm or benefit another. But it is not the part of religion to compel religion, which ought to be undertaken voluntarily, not by force, since even sacrifices are demanded from a willing spirit.” (Ed. Leopold, p. 248).—A. Seitz, Die Heilsnotwendigkeit der Kirche, pp. 192 sqq.

READINGS.—St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 1a 2ae, qu. 28.—F. W. Faber, The Creator and the Creature, Book III.—St. Francis de Sales, Traité de l’Amour de Dieu.—Ad. Tanquerey, Synopsis Theol. Mor., Vol. II, pp. 419 sq.—Msgr. Gay, La Vie et les Vertus Chrétiennes, Paris 1876, Tr. XII.