Article I: On Those to Be Loved from Charity Generally

S. Th. II-II, q. 25, aa. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12; de Virt., q. 2, a. 7.

880. The object of love is twofold. - Since to love is to will good to someone, in every love there is a twofold object: the person to whom we will good, who is the immediate object, loved in itself and simply; - and the good which we will to him, which is loved only mediately and under a certain respect, insofar as we love the person to whom this good belongs. Hence loved persons alone are properly called the material object of love.

881. Thesis. The principal material object of charity is God himself, the supernatural end, who is loved in himself on account of his proper goodness, and by reason of whom other persons are loved, so that thus we may love him better and more perfectly. The secondary material object is all rational creatures which can communicate in the beatitude of God: we ourselves, all wayfaring men, the saints in heaven, the good angels, souls dwelling in purgatory; but not irrational creatures, the damned, and evil angels. These are loved not in themselves on account of their proper goodness, but on account of God and his goodness: just as if someone has friendship toward some man, by reason of him he loves all who pertain to that man, whether sons, or friends, or servants, etc., insofar as they pertain to him, so the friendship of charity extends itself to all the members of God's household, whom he calls to his society and beatitude.

882. What good do we will by the love of charity? - The principal good which we will to God is his infinite perfections, which indeed we do not desire for him, but in which we are complacent; the secondary good is the external manifestation and glorification of these perfections, which we wish and procure for God and concerning which, when procured, we rejoice.

The principal good which we will to ourselves and to neighbor is charity itself together with its foundation, grace making one pleasing, and beatitude; the secondary good is both all supernatural goods which of themselves conduce to beatitude, and also, accidentally, natural goods insofar as they can sometimes conduce to beatitude.

Charity can also be concerned with irrational creatures or demons, insofar as it wills them to be preserved for the glory of God or the utility of men.

883. Four diverse things are to be loved from charity, according to Augustine, de doctr. chr., l. 1, cc. 23 and 26:

1. something as the cause and root of beatitude: God;

2. something which directly participates beatitude: the one loving himself, or we ourselves;

3. those whom we can have associated with us in this participation: neighbors;

4. finally, something to which beatitude is derived only through a certain redundancy: our body.