Article II. On the necessity of charity

560. Proposition 1. Habitual charity (or the virtue of charity) is necessary for salvation for all, infants as well as adults, and always has been necessary by necessity of means.

This is Catholic doctrine;⁶¹ hence St. John says simply: "God is charity; and he who remains in charity remains in God, and God in him."⁶² But he who does not have "the wedding garment,"⁶³ i.e. charity, will be cast into the exterior darkness. The reason is: a) because no one is saved unless he is God's friend. But through charity alone is true friendship constituted between God and man, as is clear from what was said above. Therefore no one is saved without charity. b) because no one is saved without sanctifying grace. But charity is indissolubly joined with sanctifying grace.

⁶¹ Conc. Trid. sess. 6, cap. 7.

⁶² 1 Jo. 3, 16.

⁶³ Matth. 21, 13.

561. Proposition 2. Actual charity (or an act of charity) is necessary by necessity of means for all adults capable of the use of reason, a) if, existing in the state of mortal sin, they cannot receive a sacrament of the dead (baptism or penance); b) after habitual charity has been obtained, at some times in life.

The reason for the first part is that for receiving the sacraments of the dead, baptism and penance, and, through them as mediating, for receiving justification, attrition suffices, which is not an act of perfect charity.⁶⁴ But when the sinner cannot receive these sacraments, then contrition is required and suffices for obtaining justification, and contrition includes true charity.⁶⁵ Nor, however, is it required that this act of charity be perfect in every part, but the Angelic Doctor rightly says: "However small the sorrow may be, provided it reaches the character of contrition, it deletes every fault."⁶⁶ - The reason for the second part is that no adult will come to the vision of God unless he tends to union with God; and this indeed is done through actual charity. Hence St. John says concerning fraternal charity: "He who does not love remains in death."⁶⁷ The same holds a fortiori concerning divine charity.

⁶⁴ Cf. Conc. Trid. sess. 14, c. 4 de sacr. poenit. (Denz. n. 897 sq.). This opinion is now certain, whatever may be said about the nature of that attrition. Cf. below III, 342 sqq. in the treatise on penance.

⁶⁵ Cf. Prop. 71 condemned by Baius (Denz. n. 1071).

⁶⁶ Suppl. q. 5, a. 3.

⁶⁷ 1 Jo. 3, 14.

562. Proposition 3. Actual charity (or an act of charity) is necessary also by necessity of a special divine precept for all adults enjoying the use of reason.

The existence of this divine precept is manifestly drawn from the words of Christ: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God from thy whole heart, and in thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind."⁶⁸ - But that this precept is special and distinct from the other commandments, and is something other than the observance of the other commandments (which some of the older authors falsely taught⁶⁹), is clear: a) From the immediately following words of Christ: "This is the greatest and the first commandment." For if it is the greatest and first commandment, it is not the complex of all the commandments. b) From the proposition condemned by Alexander VII: "A man is never, at any time of his life, bound to elicit an act of faith, hope, and charity by force of the divine precepts pertaining to these virtues." The following condemned propositions also pertain here: "We do not dare to condemn as sinning mortally one who would elicit an act of dilection of God only once in life." "It is probable that the precept of charity toward God does not of itself oblige rigorously even in each five-year period." "It obliges only when we are bound to be justified and do not have another way by which we can be justified." These three propositions were condemned by Innocent XI in the year 1679. "A man is not bound to love either at the beginning or in the course of his moral life." Alexander VIII condemned this proposition in the year 1690.⁷⁰ - c) From the authority of St. Thomas, who says: "Nevertheless the act of dilection falls under special precepts."⁷¹

⁶⁸ Matth. 22, 37 sq.

⁶⁹ E.g. Joan. Sanches (Select. disp. 1, n. 2), Maldonatus (Comm. in Matth. 22, 38).

⁷⁰ These condemned propositions are found in Denz. n. 1101, 1155-1157, 1289.

⁷¹ S. theol. 2, 2, q. 44, a. 1 ad 1.

563. Extension of this precept. The precept of charity, insofar as it is negative, prohibits sins against this virtue, about which discussion will return below; but insofar as it is affirmative, it obliges that sometimes a due act of charity be elicited by us. But we must: a) love God from the whole heart, from the whole mind, from the whole soul, from all the powers. The Holy Fathers explain these terms in diverse ways. But St. Thomas⁷² gives this declaration: "It is commanded us that our whole intention be borne toward God, which is from the whole heart; and that our intellect be subjected to God, which is from the whole mind; and that our appetite be regulated according to God, which is from the whole soul; and that our exterior act obey God, which is to love God from the whole strength, or virtue, or powers." - b) love God with charity appretiatively supreme, as was already explained above, n. 557.

Since the affirmative precept of charity does not oblige always and for always, it is now asked:

How often and when an act of charity is to be elicited. To this question it is answered that this precept of charity obliges either per se or per accidens.

Per se there is an obligation of eliciting an act of charity:

1. At the beginning of the moral life, i.e. when man, having already obtained sufficient use of reason, knows sufficiently clearly that God is lovable and to be loved above all things.⁷³ For then man is bound to elicit an act of charity, because otherwise he makes little of God and consequently sins gravely. But this beginning of the moral life is not to be taken mathematically but morally, because perfect use of reason is not acquired all at once, but is usually acquired successively.⁷⁴ Good Catholics, even if they do not remember having fulfilled this precept, ought not be anxious, because they have already satisfied this obligation by any service freely rendered to God.

2. At the article of death. Thus the by far more probable opinion.⁷⁵ For a man about to depart from this world at once is bound to desire union with God, which cannot be done without an act of charity.

3. More often in life. Thus it is established from the condemned propositions recounted above. But if it is now asked how often in life a man is bound per se to elicit an act of charity, theologians do not agree, nor can anything else certain be said except that an act of charity must be elicited more often than every five years. Thus from the condemned proposition cited above. St. Alphonsus⁷⁶ thinks that man is bound under grave sin to elicit an act of charity every month; others will that this obligation exists on every Sunday and feast day.⁷⁷ - Besides, the faithful of fearful conscience ought not be anxious about transgression of this precept, because they sufficiently elicit an act of charity as often as from the intention of honoring God they perform some pious work, as often as they pour forth pious prayers, etc. For even in the mere recitation of the Lord's Prayer three acts of charity are contained; namely, the threefold desire that the name of God be sanctified, that the will of God be done in heaven and on earth, that the kingdom of God come.

Per accidens the obligation of eliciting an act of charity urges:

1. As often as someone is engaged in a danger of sinning which cannot be removed without an act of charity. This case can easily occur if someone suffers grave temptations of hatred against neighbor, which cannot be conquered without a strong act of charity toward God, since He prohibits every hatred against neighbor, since neighbor is the image of God.

2. As often as someone, existing in the state of mortal sin and lacking a confessor, is bound to recover the state of sanctifying grace; e.g. someone is bound to receive some sacrament of the living, or someone is bound solemnly to administer some sacrament while he himself is in the state of mortal sin and lacks access to a confessor. For then an act of perfect contrition must be elicited, which is necessarily joined with an act of charity. - Some theologians have asserted that after mortal sin has been committed a man is bound immediately to elicit an act of contrition and charity; this opinion today has been abandoned by all, as less conformable to the decrees of the Council of Trent.⁷⁸ Certainly it is best and very much to be advised to rise as quickly as possible from the state of mortal sin, but nowhere does there exist a grave precept of effecting this resurrection immediately.⁷⁹

Note. It is very salutary that we elicit acts of charity most frequently; and therefore Benedict XIV⁸⁰ exhorts bishops that in any parish church they have the acts of faith, hope, and charity read aloud to the people on all Sundays and feast days.

⁷² Ib. a. 5.

⁷³ Cf. S. theol. 1, 2, q. 89, a. 6.

⁷⁴ Cf. Billuart, De pecc. diss. 8, a. 7.

⁷⁵ St. Alphonsus (Theol. mor. II, 23) calls this opinion most probable.

⁷⁶ Homo apost. tr. 4, n. 14.

⁷⁷ Billuart, De gratia diss. 4, a. 7, §2.

⁷⁸ Sess. 14, c. 4 de sacr. poenit. (Denz. n. 897 sq.).

⁷⁹ Cf. St. Alph., Theol. mor. l. 6, n. 437.

⁸⁰ Const. Etsi minime, d. 7 Febr. 1742.