Part I. On the Cultivation of Charity Generally

Two things here come to be explained, namely the necessity of means and the efficacy of the act of charity. I have said: the necessity of means, because the necessity of precept will rather be treated distinctly, that is, insofar as it regards God, oneself, and neighbor.

I. Necessity of means. There can be discussion only of adults; but again a distinction must be made between adults not yet justified and adults justified. Now:

1. According to some, the act of charity is necessary by necessity of means for adults not yet justified who habitually enjoy the use of reason, insofar as the infusion of grace in the aforesaid never takes place without an act of charity; not as if attrition did not suffice for justification, but, so they say, by the force of the sacrament itself received with attrition only, man is disposed to actual charity, and in the very instant of justification elicits a true act of charity.

"Sanctifying grace," says Hugon, "is infused together with habitual charity into the penitent man, not merely as into one dead, but in such a way that man receives it by a voluntary and free act, and freely consents to the friendship of God. But this actual and free acceptance of grace and consent to the friendship of God, what else is it than an act of charity consequent upon sanctifying and habitual grace itself in the genus of efficient cause, although it can be said to precede it by nature in the genus of material and dispositive cause?"¹

According to others, the act of charity is not necessary by necessity of means for obtaining justification; but this can be acquired through the sacrament with attrition, without an act of charity. For besides the fact that they do not see that an act of charity is necessarily contained in the free acceptance of sanctifying grace, they reason thus: An adult who wished to be baptized, and was attrite, and is baptized while sleeping, obtains justification without eliciting an act of charity. Nor can they admit that an act of charity is virtually contained in the preceding act of attrition, because an inferior act cannot virtually contain a superior act; nor do they understand how a preceding act could, in justification itself, become an act of charity, especially if it is a question of the justification of one sleeping. Nor should it be objected that an act of charity is virtually contained in the preceding volition of Baptism and attrition; for an inferior act cannot virtually contain a superior act.

St. Thomas says thus: "The justification of the ungodly is brought about by God moving man to justice. For He Himself is the one who justifies the ungodly. But God moves all things according to the mode of each one.... and therefore in him who has the use of free choice, movement by God toward justice is not made without a movement of free choice: but He so infuses the gift of justifying grace that, together with this, He also moves free choice to accepting the gift of grace in those who are capable of this motion" (I-II, q. 113, a. 3). And elsewhere: "In those having the use of free choice... there does not happen to be an infusion of grace without an actual movement of free choice toward God and toward sin" (III, q. 87, a. 2). Yet it is not clear that St. Thomas understands an act of charity; all the more because the holy Doctor admits that one sleeping, who previously had the sacrament in intention, is justified through Baptism (I-II, q. 113, a. 3, ad 1).

2. The act of charity is not necessary by necessity of means for justified adults. For once justification has been posited, only the continuation of justification is required; for this it suffices that sin be avoided.

¹ De sacramentis in speciali, p. 407.

II. Efficacy of the act of charity. An act of charity or of perfect contrition suffices for justifying man, that is, when that act has been posited, God justifies in the same instant, or infuses sanctifying grace. This is clear: 1. from Sacred Scripture: "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him";¹ 2. from the Council of Trent, which "teaches moreover that, although it happens sometimes that this contrition is perfected by charity and reconciles man to God before this sacrament is actually received, nevertheless the reconciliation itself is not to be ascribed to that contrition without the desire of the sacrament, which is included in it";² 3. to this is added condemned Baius proposition 31: "Perfect and sincere charity, which is from a pure heart and a good conscience and unfeigned faith, can be in catechumens as well as penitents without remission of sins."³

Yet observe that an act of charity or of perfect contrition justifies not in the mode of efficient cause, or of meritorious cause de condigno, or of formal cause, but in the mode of material and dispositive cause, or in the mode of a dispositive cause meritorious de congruo, that is, one which, from the will of God, infallibly obtains the infusion of sanctifying grace.

¹ John 14:23; cf. 1 John 4:7 and 16; Luke 7:47.

² Session 14, chapter 4.

³ Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 1031.