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Theology of the Heart: Teachings of the Saints |
“The
Law of Divine love is the Standard for all Human Actions”
St. Thomas Aquinas
"It is evident that not all
are able to labor at learning and for that reason Christ has given a
short law. Everyone can know this law and no one may be excused from
observing it because of ignorance. This is the law of divine love. As
scripture says, The Lord will quickly execute sentence upon the earth.
This law should be the standard for all human actions. In the case of
products of human manufacture, each product is considered right and good
when it conforms to a standard. So also each human act is considered
right and virtuous when it conforms to the standard of divine love. But
when a human act does not conform to the standard of love, then it is
not right, nor good, nor perfect.
This law of divine love accomplishes in a person four things that are
much to be desired. First, it is the cause of one’s spiritual life. For
it is evident that by the very nature of the action what is loved is in
the one who loves. Therefore whoever loves God possesses God in himself;
for scripture says, Whoever remains in love remains in God and God in
him. It is the nature of love to transform the lover into the object
loved. And so if we love God, we ourselves become divinized; for again,
Whoever is joined to God becomes one spirit with him. Augustine adds,
“As the soul is the life of the body, so God is the life of the soul.”
Thus the soul acts virtuously and perfectly when she acts through
charity, and through charity God lives in her; indeed, without charity
she cannot act; for scripture says, Whoever does not love, remains in
death. If a person possesses all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but lacks
charity, that person has no life. For it matters not whether one has the
grace of tongues, or the gift of faith, or any other gift such as
prophecy; these do not bring life without charity. Even if a dead body
should be adorned with gold and precious jewels, it nevertheless remains
dead.
The second point about charity is that it leads to the observance of the
divine commandments. Gregory the Great says that charity is not idle.
For charity is present if one is occupied about great things; but if one
is not so occupied, charity is not present. We see a lover do great and
difficult things because of the one loved, and that is why the Lord
says, Whoever loves me will keep my word. Whoever keeps this command and
the law of divine love fulfills the whole law. A third point about
charity is that it provides protection against adversity. For misfortune
cannot harm one who has charity; rather it becomes useful to that
person; as scripture says, All things work for good for those who love
God. Furthermore, misfortune and difficulties seem pleasant to the
lover, and our own experience verifies this.
A fourth point about charity is that it truly leads to happiness, since
eternal blessedness is promised only to those who have charity. For all
other things are insufficient without charity. You must note that it is
only the different degrees of charity, and not those of any other
virtues, which constitute the different degrees of blessedness. Many of
the saints were more abstemious than the apostles, but the apostles
excel all the other saints in blessedness because of their higher degree
of charity."
From a conference by St. Thomas Aquinas (Opuscula, In duo praecenta...
Ed. J.P. Torrel, in Revue des Sc. Phil. Et Théol., 69, 1985, pp. 26-29.
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
