CHAPTER XIV

THE PERFECTION OF LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOUR CONSIDERED AS A MATTER OF COUNSEL

We devoted the last chapter to the consideration of the perfection of brotherly love, as exhibited in the degree necessary to salvation. We will now treat of the same virtue, as manifested in a degree exceeding common perfection, and thus forming a matter of counsel. This perfection of fraternal charity may be regarded from a triple point of view. First we may consider its comprehensiveness; for love is perfect in proportion to the number of persons whom it includes.

             Now there are three degrees in the comprehensiveness of charity. Some men love their neighbours, either on account of the benefits they receive from them, or by reason of some tie of blood or of social life. This love is bounded by the limits of human friendship, and of it Our Lord says, "If you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? do not even the publicans this? And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more? do not even the heathens this?" (Matt. v. 46). Others, again, include strangers in their charity, as long as they meet with nothing in these strangers antipathetic to themselves. This degree of charity is limited by natural feeling; for as all men form one species, each individual man is by nature the friend of all others. Thus, it is natural to us to put one who has lost his way on the right road, to help a man who has fallen down, and to perform similar kindly offices. As, however, we naturally prefer ourselves to others, it follows, that we shall love one thing and hate what is opposed to it. Therefore a merely natural love never includes the love of our enemies. But the third degree of charity is the love extended even to our enemies. Speaking of this love, Our Lord says (Matt. v. 44), "Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you." He shows that this love constitutes the perfection of charity, by concluding His instruction with the words, "Be ye, therefore, perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect."

             The fact that this perfection is beyond ordinary perfection, appears in the words of St. Augustine (Enchirid.), "These things belong to the perfect among the sons of God. Nevertheless, all the faithful ought to strive to fulfil them; and by prayer and self-conquest the soul of man ought to be brought to these sentiments. But this sublime virtue is not found in the generality of mankind, although we believe that the prayer: 'Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us,' is heard by God."

             But, as by the term "our neighbour" all men are understood; and as no exception is made in the precept of loving our neighbour as ourselves; it may be thought, that the love of our enemies is commanded as necessary to salvation. This difficulty is easily solved, if we call to mind what has been said about the perfection of Divine love. The precept, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart," etc., may be understood as a matter either of precept, to be obeyed as a necessity, or as a counsel, or as perfection attained only by the Blessed in Heaven. If the command, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart" be understood to mean that man's heart is to be always actually fixed on God, it can only be obeyed by the Blessed in Heaven. If it be taken as signifying that man is not to admit anything into his heart contrary to Divine love, it is, in this sense, a precept which must of necessity be obeyed. If, again, we understand by these words, the renunciation of all things for the sake of greater freedom in communion with God, it is a counsel of perfection. In the same way we may say that it is a precept not to exclude even our enemies from the universal love of our neighbour enjoined upon us, nor to admit within our heart anything opposed to this love.

             But to love our enemies with an actual love when there is no necessity for so doing, is a counsel of perfection. Of course it is necessary for salvation to love our enemies by doing them actual service and assisting them, if they be in any extremity, if, for example, they be dying of hunger. The precept of brotherly love does not, however, bind us to show any special affection nor to do any particular service to our enemies, unless they be in the extreme distress of which we have spoken; neither are we bound by precept to do any special service to any other of our neighbours. Love of our enemies springs, directly and purely, from love of God; whereas our love for other men arises from divers motives, e.g., from gratitude, from kinship, from fellow-citizenship, and the like. But nothing save the love of God can make us love our enemies; for we love them because they are His creatures, made in His image, and capable of enjoying Him. And, as charity prefers God before all other good, the consideration of the Divine Good which inclines it to love its enemies, outweighs the consideration of any injury received from them which would incline our nature to hate them. Thus, in proportion to the love of God in a man's soul, will be his readiness to love his enemies.

             The perfection of brotherly love depends, secondly, upon its intensity. We know that the more intensely a man loves one object, the more easily will he for its sake despise other things. Hence the perfection of his love for his neighbour, may be gauged by what he sacrifices on his neighbour's account. Some men, in their love of others, will give up their material possessions, either dispensing them to their neighbours at their discretion, or relinquishing them entirely, in order to supply the necessities of other men. St. Paul seems to refer to this form of charity in his First Epistle to the Corinthians (xiii. 3), where he says, "If I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor." In the book of Canticles, also, we are told that, "If a man should give all the substance of his house for love, he shall despise it as nothing" (Cant. viii. 7). Our Lord includes this in the counsel of perfection, which He gave when He said, "If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven; and come follow me" (Matt. xix. 21). In this passage the sacrifice of material possession seems to be recommended for two ends. The words, "give to the poor," point to love of our neighbour; the other words, "follow Me," indicate love of God. But a man fulfils the same end, whether he suffers the loss of his material goods for the love of God, or for the sake of his neighbour. St. Paul commends the charity of the Hebrews in these words, "You took with joy the being stripped of your own goods" (Heb. x. 34). In the Book of Proverbs (xii. 26) we are told also that, "He that neglecteth a loss for the sake of a friend is just." St. John says in like manner (1 Ep. iii. 17), "He that hath the substance of this world and shall see his brother in need, and shall shut up his bowels from him, how doth the charity of God abide in him? "

             The second degree of love of our neighbour, consists in exposing ourselves to physical hardships for his sake. St. Paul gives us an example of this kind of charity when he says, "In labour and toil we worked day and night, lest we should be chargeable to any of you" (2 Thess. iii. 8). This second degree of charity also includes a willingness to bear suffering and persecution for the love of our neighbour. St. Paul mentions this charity in the 2nd Epistle to the Corinthians (i. 6), "Whether we be in tribulation, it is for your exhortation and salvation," and also in his Epistle to Timothy, "Wherein I labour even unto bands as an evil doer; but the word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things, for the sake of the elect, that they may obtain salvation" (2 Tim. ii. 9). Those fail to attain to this degree of charity who will deprive themselves of no luxury, and submit to no inconvenience for the sake of others. It is to such men as these that Amos (vi. 4) addresses the following words: "You that sleep upon beds of ivory, and are wanton on your couches: you that eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the herd; you that sing to the sound of the psaltery: they have thought themselves to have instruments of music like David; that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the best ointments; and they are not concerned for the affliction of Joseph." And Ezechiel also says (xiii. 5), "You have not gone up to face the enemy, nor have you set up a wall for the house of Israel, to stand in battle in the day of the Lord."

             The third degree of charity consists in sacrificing our life for another. St. John (i. 3) says, "In this we have known the charity of God, because He hath laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." Our Lord Himself declares that, "Greater love than this hath no man, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John xv. 13). Hence it is in this sacrifice of life that the perfection of charity consists.

             The word "life" may be understood, however, in two senses. There is the spiritual life whereby God Himself animates the soul. We may not sacrifice this life. For our love of our soul is proportionate to our love of God; and we ought to love God more than we love our neighbour. Therefore, we may not, in order to save another, injure our own soul by sin. We have also the physical life which animates our body. This life we ought to lay down for the brethren. For, it is our duty to prefer our neighbour to our body; and therefore it is right to sacrifice our physical life for the spiritual welfare of others. We are bound by precept to act thus if we see our neighbour exposed to any extreme spiritual danger. Thus, if we were to see another seduced from the Faith by unbelievers, we should be bound to expose ourselves to death if, thereby, we could save him from such ruin. But it pertains to the perfection of justice, and is a matter of counsel, to sacrifice life for the salvation of those who are not in grave spiritual necessity. St. Paul teaches us to do so by his own example, for he says, "But I, most gladly will spend and be spent myself for your souls" (2 Cor. xii. 15). On this passage the Gloss remarks, "It is perfect charity to be prepared to die for the brethren." The state of slavery does in some sort resemble death, and is therefore called civil death. For life is chiefly manifested in ability to move; he that cannot move save by the agency of others, may be accounted dead. Now, a slave has no power over himself, but is governed by the will of his master; and therefore this condition of bondage may be compared to death. Hence a man, who, for the love of another, delivers himself to bondage, practises the same perfection of charity, as he who exposes himself to death. Nay, we may say that he does more; for slavery is more abhorrent to our nature than is death.

             The perfection of fraternal charity must next be considered as manifested by the value of what we do for others. For our love for our neighbour is proved by the value of the gifts that we bestow upon him. Now there are three degrees in this charity. The first degree consists in ministering to the bodily wants of our brethren by clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, tending the sick, and the like. Our Lord promises to consider as done to Himself, everything of this nature that we do for others. The second degree of charity consists in bestowing upon our neighbour such spiritual benefits as do not exceed the capability of human nature. Among such benefits we may mention the instruction of the ignorant, advice given to those in doubt, or the conversion of such as have gone astray. Such works of mercy are commended in Job iv. 3, "Behold, thou hast taught many, and thou hast strengthened the weary hands: thy words have confirmed them that were staggering, and thou hast strengthened the trembling knees." The third degree of charity consists in enriching our neighbour with such spiritual benefits as are supernatural and exceed human reason. Such benefits are, instruction in divine truth, direction to God, and the spiritual communication of the Sacraments. Of gifts such as these, St. Paul says, "He who giveth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you" (Gal. iii. 5). Again he says (1 Thess. ii. 13), "When you had received of us the word of the hearing of God, you received it, not as the word of men, but (as it is indeed) the word of God." And writing to the Corinthians the Apostle, after saying, "I have espoused you to one husband," continues, "for if he that cometh preacheth another Christ, whom we have not preached; or if you receive another Spirit whom you have not received; or another Gospel which you have not received, you might well bear with him" (2 Cor. xi. 2). He who bestows upon others gifts of this nature practises a singular perfection of brotherly love; for, it is by means of these gifts, that man attains to union with his last End, in which consists his highest perfection.

             Job was asked by one of his friends, "Knowest thou the great paths of the clouds, and the perfect knowledges?" (Job xxxvii. 16). The clouds, says St. Gregory, typify holy preachers. For these clouds have most intricate "paths," or ways of holy preaching, and "perfect knowledges" when they recognise that of their own merits, they are nothing, and that all that they impart to their neighbours is above them. A further degree of perfection is attained when spiritual gifts of this nature are bestowed not on one alone, or on two, but on a whole multitude. For, according to the Philosopher, the good of a nation is better and more divine, than is the good of an individual man. Hence St. Paul writes to the Ephesians (iv. 13), "Other some pastors and doctors, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ," i.e. the Church. And again, in the First Epistle to the Corinthians (xiv. 12), he says, "Forasmuch as you are zealous of spirits, seek to abound unto the edifying of the Church."