§ 1. On the existence of the precept of charity toward neighbor

570. Proposition. There exists a special precept of loving neighbor with supernatural love, both affective and effective.

Preliminary note. Natural love, by which neighbor is loved on account of natural gifts, whether material (e.g. on account of his beauty, goods of fortune, etc.) or spiritual (e.g. on account of his knowledge, talent, art, etc.), is distinguished from supernatural love, by which he is loved on account of God, insofar as the neighbor is a son of God, brother of Christ, temple of the Holy Spirit, etc. For just as we love the son of our friend on account of the friend, so also we ought to love neighbor as the son of God, loved above all things. Even purely natural love, by which we love neighbor, is licit per se, provided it is not disordered; but now we are not speaking about it. - As was already noted above, by the name neighbor we understand all creatures which are capable of heavenly beatitude, namely, all men on this earth (and consequently even sinners, heretics, Jews, etc.), all the blessed in heaven, and the souls in purgatory; but not the damned in Gehenna, as obstinate enemies of God. - Just as the precept of loving God is a special precept and not only a general one, so also the precept of loving neighbor is distinguished from the other precepts. - But the love to be shown to neighbor is not only by interior affection but also by exterior work, if necessity or occasion requires this.

It is proved 1. from Sacred Scripture, which already in the Old Testament inculcated this precept,² and in the New Testament, which is customarily called the law of love, renewed it in many places and explained it more. Thus, e.g., after Christ had brought forward the first and greatest precept of the dilection of God, He adds: "But the second [commandment] is like to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."³ "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. In this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have dilection for one another."⁴ In this place Christ calls the precept of charity a new commandment, not indeed in the sense that previously there had been no obligation at all of loving neighbor, but because these things are new: 1. the exemplar of this dilection (the love of the Savior Himself); 2. its motive; 3. its measure and mode. St. John the Apostle again and again exhorted his disciples to love one another.⁵ - "And now I ask thee, lady, not as writing a new commandment to thee, but that which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another."⁶ That this charity toward neighbor must be shown not only by affection and words but also by work, the same St. John inculcates, saying: "He who has the substance of this world, and sees his brother having need, and closes his bowels from him, how does the charity of God remain in him? My little children, let us not love in word nor with the tongue, but in deed and in truth."⁷ Therefore from Sacred Scripture it is abundantly established that there exists a special precept of loving neighbor by internal and external acts.

It is proved 2. from condemned propositions. Innocent XI proscribed the following two propositions:⁸ "We are not bound to love neighbor by an internal and formal act"; and: "We can satisfy the precept of loving neighbor by external acts alone."

Properties of charity toward neighbor. This charity ought to be 1. affective and effective; 2. universal; 3. well ordered.

1. Charity ought to be affective and effective, i.e. it ought to produce internal and external acts. The internal acts of charity toward neighbor are after the manner of the acts of charity toward God (cf. above n. 555): 1. to rejoice together in his prosperous affairs and to be saddened together in his adverse affairs; 2. sincerely to desire good for him. - But the external acts of charity toward neighbor are to do good to him and especially to provide him the seven works of spiritual and corporal mercy, about which there will be treatment below, n. 587 sqq.

2. Charity ought to be universal, i.e. it ought to extend itself to all capable of heavenly beatitude, so that no one is excluded. The extension of charity to enemies will be treated specially below, § 2.

3. Charity ought to be well ordered both as to persons and as to goods. The order of charity will be treated below, § 3.

² Cf. Lev. 19, 17 sq.; Deut. 15, 11.

³ Matth. 22, 39.

⁴ Jo. 13, 34 sq.

⁵ Cf. 1 Jo. 3, 11, 23; 4, 11.

⁶ 2 Jo. v. 5.

⁷ 1 Jo. 3, 17 sq.

⁸ Denz. n. 1160 sq.