Article — Marc, Institutiones Morales
Article I: On the Nature of Charity
- Things to be noted beforehand. Love, taken generally, is a willing of good. It is distinguished, by reason of the person in whose favor the good is desired: 1. Love of complacency, or willing of good in itself, which equally redounds to the favor of the one loving and of the beloved. 2. Love of concupiscence, or willing of good for the advantage of the one loving. 3. Love of benevolence, willing of good for the advantage of the beloved.
But love of benevolence, if it is a simple act of the will by which we will good to someone, is called benevolence, as if to will well; if it is with election of one good before another, it is called dilection, as if selection; if it is of some good which is esteemed greatly, it is called charity, as if very dear; if finally it is with reciprocal love and some communication of goods, it is called friendship (St. Thom., 1.2, q. 26).
DEFINITION. Charity is a theological virtue by which we love God for his own sake, and ourselves and our neighbor on account of God.
The material OBJECT of charity is twofold, namely primary and secondary. The primary is God, whom we are bound to love above all things, as our ultimate end. The secondary is we ourselves, and our neighbor, whom we ought to love as ourselves, because God has prescribed this to us (St. Franc. Sales, Theotim., P. II, l. 4, c. 11).
The formal OBJECT of charity is not some particular attribute of God (as in faith and hope), but "is the infinite goodness of God, according as it is the aggregation of all perfections, or infinite perfection. Hence, from the common sense of the wise, a true act of love is to say: My God, because thou art infinite goodness, or, because thou art infinitely good, I love thee above all things" (II, 24; H. Ap., IV, 9).
From these things you will gather: 1. There is one virtue of charity by which we love God, ourselves, and our neighbor; for the reason of loving is one, namely divine goodness, in itself, and insofar as it is communicated or communicable to us and to our neighbor.
Likewise, charity in the way and in the Fatherland is one and the same; in the Fatherland it is more perfect, yet it retains the same object (Lessius, de Summo Bono, l. 2, c. 14).
The elicited ACTS of charity are many, although they proceed from one motive. The principal ones are: a) Complacency or joy concerning the infinite perfections of God considered in themselves, and concerning all those things which please God or amplify his glory. From this joy proceeds praise of God. b) Benevolence, or desire of divine goods, for example, of the glory of God to be promoted both in us and in others. From this is born full conformity of our will with the divine will. c) Sadness concerning all evils which are opposed to the divine good. From this holy sadness flows zeal, which ardently repels those things which are against the honor and will of God (2.2, q. 27, a. 2).
To these elicited acts add all commanded acts, namely those which are elicited by other virtues from the motive of charity (Muller, l. 2, § 19).
- PRINCIPLES. I. For the notion of charity it is required that it be love of complacency and benevolence. For it is required that God be loved as Infinite Good in himself and for his own sake, not on account of another. Yet charity by no means excludes love of concupiscence, or hope (cf. n. 461). Thus St. Alphonsus (Vera Sposa, c. 22, § 1, n. 3). Elsewhere (VI, n. 442) he says with St. Francis de Sales: "If someone loved God on account of his own good and were thus affected [by act], that if he hoped nothing from God, he would in no way love him, this man certainly would sin, because he would positively exclude charity." Cf. Perrone, de Carit., n. 32.
- II. Charity ought to be sincere, complete, and supreme. It ought to be sincere on account of the supernatural perfection and excellence of God; complete, that is, both affective, namely that which is in the heart and by which we will good to the beloved, and effective or efficacious, which puts itself forth in works by doing those things in which the beloved delights; and finally supreme, by which God is loved above all things.
Note. 1. It is not indeed required that it be supreme intensively, namely that we love God before all other things with a greater striving of will and heart. It suffices that it be supreme appreciatively, insofar as we hold God in greater estimation than all other goods, and will a greater good to him than to any others whatsoever (Mazzella, de Virt. infus., n. 1280).
- Yet it pertains to the notion of charity that love be predominant, so that man makes no creature of greater value than God, and wills rather to lose all things than to offend God mortally. Whence, "if love is so weak that it does not yet attain the object of charity, namely, does not yet love God above all things, this is not true charity, but the beginning of charity; but if it suffices for the notion of charity, which consists in the love of God above all things, this, however remiss it may be, is true charity" (VI, 442).
- Corollaries. 1. The desire of POSSESSING GOD is an act of charity. For charity tends into God as ultimate end; and therefore the desire of possessing God, who is indeed our ultimate end, is a proper act of charity, indeed more perfect than others: for the possession of God is consummated charity. Hence the Apostle said: having a desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ (Phil. 1:23). And St. Augustine expressly teaches this, writing: I call charity a movement of the soul toward enjoying God on account of himself (de Doctr. christ., l. 3, c. 10, n. 16). Cf. St. Alph., II, 24.
- To love divine goodness as convenient TO US is sometimes an act of charity, sometimes not.
If in an act of this kind we regard our own good as the term, such an act is in reality of love of concupiscence, which pertains only to hope. But if we regard our good as the term of the glory of God, by loving divine goodness as convenient to us, because it helps us toward attaining our ultimate end, which is to love God, and on account of which God created us, this is a true act of charity. Cf. St. Augustine on Ps. 134, n. 11.
- The same must be said of love of God on account of his benefits. If the benefits are regarded as conferred on us, it is an act of gratitude; but if they are regarded as communications of divine goodness, it is an act of charity (II, 24).
Note. The principal PREROGATIVES of charity are the following: 1. It renders man just, according to that saying (1 Pet. 4:8): Charity covers a multitude of sins. 2. It constitutes true friendship between God and man, according to that saying (Wis. 7:14): They who have used it have been made participants in the friendship of God. 3. It perfects all virtues, renders their acts meritorious of eternal life. 4. It renders the yoke of the Lord sweet and the burden of the law light, etc. Whence the Apostle (Rom. 8:28): To those loving God, all things work together unto good. See the Ascetical writers, for example Alvarez de Paz, de Vita spir., l. 4, throughout.