Article — Noldin, Summa of Moral Theology
Article First. On the Nature of Charity of God
53. Definition. 1. Theological charity as a virtue is defined: an infused supernatural habit by which we are inclined to love God above all things for His own sake, and ourselves and the neighbor for God's sake.
Habitual charity is not the Holy Spirit Himself inhabiting the soul, nor sanctifying grace inhering in the soul, but is a supernatural gift really distinct from sanctifying grace, inhering in the will, which renders man capable of eliciting, with the help of grace, acts of supernatural love of benevolence toward God, himself, and the neighbor. Although charity is distinct from sanctifying grace, nevertheless it is inseparably joined with it; hence it is acquired, increased, and destroyed together with sanctifying grace and, when the habits of faith and hope cease, remains in the heavenly fatherland.
- Theological charity as an act is defined: love by which we love God above all things for His own sake, and ourselves and the neighbor for God's sake. Therefore there is a twofold act of charity according as its object is twofold, but one motive of each act.
Note. 1. The name of love in theological usage signifies both natural and supernatural love, pure love and love of concupiscence, honorable and vicious love; on the contrary, the term charity signifies only supernatural and theological love, namely that by which God loves Himself and us, or that by which we by habit or by act love God.
- The object of theological charity ought to be God, insofar as He is proposed to us by faith; for the theological virtues ought to be supernatural not only with respect to their principle but also with respect to their object. But in those who habitually hold faith, in reality God, wise, powerful, just, etc., is conceived not only as He is known by natural reason, but also as He is known from faith.
1 St. Thomas, II-II, qq. 23-44. St. Alphonsus, bk. 2, nn. 22-80. Suarez, De caritate, disp. 1-10. Sporer-Bierbaum, Theologia moralis decalogalis, tract. 2, nn. 126-225. John Reuter, Theologia moralis, II, nn. 71-138. Castropalao, Operis moralis, pars I, tract. 6, on charity. Lessius, De summo bono. St. Francis de Sales, Theotimus. Ballerini-Palmieri, Opus theologicum morale, II, nn. 134-302. Lehmkuhl, Theologia moralis, I, nn. 314-327. Goepfert, Moraltheologie, I, nn. 305-312. Chr. Pesch, Praelectiones dogmaticae, Freiburg: Herder, 1900, VIII, nn. 533-661.
54. Division. 1. Love of benevolence is love by which we love a thing or person for its own sake, or by which we will good to someone for his own sake, that it may be well with him; love of concupiscence is love by which we love a thing or person for our sake, or by which we will good to someone for our sake, that it may be well with us from it.
a. To love is to will good. Now since in the act of love two things are to be considered, the good which we will and the person to whom we will the good, we can will the good, whether thing or person, in two ways: because it is good in itself, or on account of the perfection which it has in itself and by which it is lovable in itself; or because it is good to us, or on account of the advantage which it brings to us. Likewise we can will or desire good to some person in two ways: either because it is good for the beloved person, or because good comes to us from it. In the former case there is love of benevolence; in the latter, love of concupiscence.
b. Love of benevolence can be distinguished into love of complacency, by which we love a thing or person, virtue or a friend, for its own sake; and into love of benevolence, by which we will and desire good to some person for the person's own sake, that it may be well with him.
c. Love of benevolence which is referred to God, by reason of the formal object, is called perfect charity; love of concupiscence referred to God is called imperfect charity, or less perfect charity, since it is more perfect to love God because He is good in Himself than to love Him because good from God redounds upon us. And this latter indeed is the love which is contained in hope.
d. Love of benevolence is called love of friendship if those loving a. mutually will and communicate good to themselves, or if by affection and effect they mutually love one another, and b. if they have knowledge of this mutual benevolence and beneficence. The act of theological charity is an act of love of benevolence and friendship exercised between God and man: You are My friends, if you do the things which I command you.1
- Charity of God can be highest or above all things in two ways: appreciatively, if through it God is preferred to all other things, if therefore by force of charity we are prepared rather to lose all other goods and to sustain all other evils than to make a loss of God, or, what returns to the same thing, if we are prepared to avoid any mortal sin; intensively, if with a more vehement and ardent affection we love God than any other created thing.
a. Charity by which God is loved above all things has three grades: the first is if God is loved in such a way that we are prepared rather to lose all things and suffer all things than to offend God by grave sin; the second is if we love God in such a way that we are prepared rather to lose all things and suffer all things than to displease God by a light offense; the third is if we love God in such a way that we are prepared rather to lose all things and suffer all things than to omit that which is pleasing to God, indeed that which we know to be more pleasing to God. The first grade, since it is simply love of God above all things and excludes affection for any grave sin, suffices for obtaining justification and for fulfilling the precept of charity.
b. Therefore the faithful who fear lest they love a creature, a son or spouse, more than God are to be instructed concerning appreciatively highest love of God, and they must be told that if they observe precepts obliging under grave matter, and a fortiori if they also observe precepts obliging under light matter, there is no need to doubt concerning love of God as it is required for salvation. But if without an excusing cause they violate some precept on account of love of a creature, their love is inordinate and is not appreciatively highest love of God.
- Charity is divided into affective charity, by which by an internal act we love God and the neighbor; and effective or practical charity, by which we endeavor to observe the precepts and avoid sins, which two things are effects of internal charity.
1 John 15:14.
55. Object of charity of God. 1. The primary material object of charity is God Himself; the secondary object is creatures capable of divine grace and glory. Therefore the same infused habit which inclines to loving God for His own sake also inclines secondarily to loving ourselves and the neighbor for God's sake.
- The formal object or motive on account of which each object is to be loved is God Himself, His highest goodness. But this infinite goodness of God, which is the motive of theological charity, is constituted not only by the accumulation of all perfections, but also by each single attribute of God, whether absolute or relative: for any attribute of God is God Himself, and expresses infinite goodness and perfection.
a. The formal object of theological charity is the goodness of God; for because charity is a theological virtue, its formal object ought to be God Himself, and because it is an act of the will, it ought to be the goodness of God. Now the goodness of God can be considered in two ways: absolutely, insofar as it is good in itself; and relatively, insofar as it is our good, beatifying us. Considered in the latter way, it is the object of hope; considered in the former way, it is the object of charity. The absolute goodness of God again can be considered in two ways: insofar as it embraces the divine essence with all attributes, or insofar as it is some single divine attribute, for example, wisdom, benignity. But since the divine attributes are distinguished neither among themselves nor from the essence, any attribute of God, whether absolute or relative, includes the whole divine goodness. Therefore the formal object and motive of charity is both the goodness of God insofar as it is, as it were, the sum of all attributes, and the goodness of God insofar as in any divine perfection, whether absolute or relative, the whole infinite goodness of God is contained.
b. Since the act of perfect charity is necessary for all the faithful by necessity of means, it ought to be easy and accessible to all; but the act of charity is rendered easy for the faithful if they consider God under that aspect or perfection under which He moves more strongly to love. But the relative attributes of God move more strongly to love than the absolute ones: for through them the highest and infinite goodness of God is manifested to us better and more perfectly. And indeed goodness more fittingly shines forth from those perfections which show God as father, redeemer, sanctifier, as Him who adopts man through grace as a son and makes him a participant of divine beatitude. Therefore from these we are more easily moved to charity. And this is the reason why Sacred Scripture, provoking us to divine charity, proposes God to us under the aspect of our strength, our joy, and our benefactor.
c. Since Jesus Christ is true God, he who loves Jesus as He is a divine person elicits an act of charity of God. But nowhere does divine goodness manifest itself to us more splendidly than in the incarnation, passion, and death of Christ the Lord. Therefore there is no easier way of arriving at an act of divine charity than by considering the benignity of God by which, being born, He gave Himself as companion; eating with us, as food; dying, as price; reigning, as reward.
56. Practice of theological charity.1 Charity of God has several acts, and therefore can be exercised in diverse ways:
a. By complacency, by which we rejoice concerning the good which He possesses: for he who loves God wills His good, and since he understands that God possesses goods both internal, namely the highest and infinite perfections, and external, namely glory resulting from His wonderful works, he rejoices concerning these and exults that God is infinitely knowing, powerful, merciful, etc. This is the act of love by which God loves Himself, rejoicing infinitely concerning His infinite good, and by which the angels and saints love God: for clearly beholding God, carried away by love toward Him, they rejoice and exult with joy unspeakable and glorified that God is so immense, so incomprehensible.2
b. By desire, by which we wish good to Him, both that which He possesses and that which He does not possess: for he who loves God wills good to Him, and since he understands that God most abundantly possesses every good, namely infinite perfections, with intimate affection he congratulates Him, admiringly praises Him, and blesses Him. Since, besides this, he understands that there is a good which He does not possess, namely greater external glory, he wishes and desires that He be always more and more perfectly known and loved by all His creatures. Therefore he who recites Glory be to the Father, who prays, "hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done," elicits so many acts of theological charity.
c. By grief and sadness concerning sins: for he who wills good to God by that very fact hates what is contrary to the divine good, and since he understands that sins are contrary to the divine good, he is saddened by them, both his own and those of others, as by an evil contrary to God, and detests them.
d. By effective love, by which we endeavor to confer and procure external glory for God: for he who truly and sincerely wills goods to God and understands that the glory of God is a good which He can possess and does not yet possess, cares for increasing and promoting the knowledge and love of God, both in himself and in others. Hence zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of souls is an exercise of charity toward God.
e. By obediential love; for he who wills good to God and understands that God's good is increased and promoted by this, that what He Himself wills and commands is done, intends this, that God be served as perfectly as possible both by himself and by others, by the fact that precepts are observed and sin, at least mortal sin, is avoided. Therefore Christ says: If you love Me, keep My commandments. He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word.3
1 Sporer-Bierbaum, I, tr. 2, n. 142 ff.
2 1 Pet. 1:8.
3 John 14:15, 21, 23.
57. On the efficacy of charity. 1. An act of perfect charity justifies man of itself without a sacrament, though not without the desire of the sacrament: I love those who love Me.1 He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him.2 Everyone who loves is born of God.3 Many sins are forgiven her, because she loved much.4
a. The will of receiving the sacrament which is the necessary means instituted by God for obtaining remission of sins is implicitly contained in the act of charity, because in it is contained the will of observing all precepts.
b. An act of charity justifies man not by way of an efficient cause, but by way of the ultimate disposition; when this has been placed, God by force of promise infallibly infuses sanctifying grace.
- Since charity is an act of love by which God is loved from the whole heart, from the whole mind, and from the whole soul, it contains full subjection and perfect oblation toward God, by which man subordinates himself to God and refers himself and all his things to God.
1 Prov. 8:17.
2 John 14:21.
3 1 John 4:7.
4 Luke 7:47.