Article III: On Loving Oneself

S. Th. II-II, q. 25, aa. 4, 5, 7.

886. Man must love himself, both with natural love, which he also fulfills naturally, since each one naturally loves his own conservation and happiness (and thus to love is common to the good and the evil); - and with the supernatural love of charity, as is manifestly supposed in the precept of the Lord, namely, of loving neighbor as oneself. For although friendship properly so called cannot be had directly toward oneself, but something greater than friendship, nevertheless friendship can be had toward God, and consequently toward others (and ourselves) who are God's. Hence St. Thomas, q. 25, a. 4:

"Since charity is a certain friendship... we can speak of charity in two ways. In one way under the common aspect of friendship, and according to this it must be said that friendship is not had properly toward oneself, but something greater than friendship, because friendship imports a certain union... But to each one toward himself there is unity, which is greater than union toward another. Hence, just as unity is the principle of union, so the love by which someone loves himself is the form and root of friendship. For in this we have friendship toward others, because we have ourselves toward them as toward ourselves... In another way we can speak of charity according to its proper nature, insofar, namely, as it is principally the friendship of man toward God, and consequently toward those things which are God's: among which is also the very man who has charity; and thus among the other things which he loves from charity as pertaining to God, he also loves himself from charity."

887. How man must love himself. - By force of the divine precept man is bound, from charity toward himself, to love himself supernaturally, on account of God, not according to sensitive and corporeal nature considered in itself, and according to the corruption of the exterior man in those things which are repugnant to reason, but according to rational nature or the interior man, insofar as he can participate in divine beatitude according to soul and according to body. This is the most perfect reason and at the same time the sole norm and rule in love of ourselves: we ought to love ourselves, that is, soul and body, insofar as we pertain to God. And indeed:

1. Primarily the soul, which, created by God, through grace has been made a consort of the divine nature, redeemed by the blood of Christ, the temple of divinity, and capable of eternal beatitude.

Hence we are bound a) to prefer the salvation of the soul and sanctification before all things (Mt. VI, 33), and to employ the means necessary for salvation, b) to cultivate Christian virtues, c) to do good and meritorious works according to the example of Christ (Mt. VI, 19-20), d) to esteem grace and the means for preserving and increasing it more than all temporal helps, e) and to hate and fear the one thing, sin, which turns one away from God. But all goods of the soul, whether natural, such as erudition, knowledge, honor, reputation, glory, etc., or even supernatural, are not to be loved on account of themselves but on account of God.

2. Secondarily and subordinately we must also love the body, not on account of itself but on account of God, insofar as it is the instrument of the soul for offering honor to God and doing good (Rom. VI, 13, 19), and a temple of God sanctified by grace and in some way capable of beatitude, which redounds from the glory of the soul into the body (I Cor. VI, 19-20; XV, 42-43 [the original prints II Cor.]).

Hence a) we are bound to employ the ordinary means for conserving our own life, integrity of members, and health, by procuring for ourselves food, clothing, habitation, so that the body can be a suitable instrument for serving the soul and serving God; nevertheless b) in desiring the good of the body, for example health, pleasure, life, etc., we must seek all these things on account of God, unto the glory of God; c) we must restrain the concupiscence of the flesh and disordered desires out of hatred of sin, and inflict reasonable mortification upon the body, which weighs down the soul and is prone to rebellion, namely, so that it may be subjected to the mind and to the service of God (Col. III, 5; I Cor. IX, 27); d) nevertheless, we must not afflict the body out of hatred of the body considered according to its nature (thus it is good), nor seek mortification on account of mortification itself (just as neither pleasure on account of pleasure), nor flee all delights and pleasures, but we can rejoice and enjoy even earthly delights, yet according to right reason.

888. They sin against charity toward themselves: a) More by excess, those who indulge disordered egoism and chiefly pursue private advantages, more than the good of God, or exclusively, with the glory of God or the salvation and utility of others set after them (Phil. II, 21; I Cor. X, 24 [the original prints II Cor.]; II Tim. III, 1-2). Hence it is understood 1. that this happens in every mortal sin (Ps. X, 6; Tob. XII, 10); 2. that for the sake of no good is it permitted to sin even venially.

b) More by defect: 1. those who so love exterior or bodily goods that spiritual goods are contemned, namely, by preferring the good of the body to the good of the soul (Mt. X, 28), or even by placing goods of fortune before the salvation and life of the body;

2. those who neglect the means necessary for salvation or the ordinary means of conserving their own life, integrity of the body, or health; or expose themselves without sufficient reason to danger of soul (for example, by long deferring penance) or of body (for example, of death or grave illness);

3. those who wish evil to themselves and, a fortiori, inflict it on themselves, for example, by directly harming the health of the body, by injuring themselves in the integrity of members, or by taking bodily life from themselves.

Nevertheless, one need not attend specially in confession to that malice by which these sins are opposed to charity toward oneself, because it is included in every sin; besides, these sins always injure another precept or virtue, and therefore they must be declared according to another species.