The Precepts of Charity

Whatever God requires of us is a matter of precept. Now, God requires us to love him, and to love our neighbor for his sake. Hence, there are precepts of charity, which is the love of God and friendship with God in his holy grace. We have suchprecepts in scripture: (Deut. 10:12), “Fear the Lord thy God,and walk in His ways and love Him”; (Matt. 22:37, 39),“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind”; “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

The love of God involves love of neighbor for God. For who can really love God and not love what God loves? And God loves all men. Yet, since many would not notice that love of neighbor is included in the love of God, it is fitting that the great law of charity should have expression in two precepts: love of God, and love of neighbor.

These two precepts of charity suffice. Our Lord himself says (Matt. 22:40): “On these two commandments dependeth thewhole law, and the prophets.”

God is to be loved as the last end, the ultimate goal,the eternal purpose to which all things are to be referred. This totality of order and direction of creatures to God is indicated to mankind in the precept requiring all men to love God with the whole heart … whole soul … whole mind.

Other expressions of scripture emphasize the sametotality of tendency to God; we are told to love God with our whole might, and with all our strength.

Perfect fulfillment of the great precept of charity,that is, total love of God, cannot be attained in this earthlylife; it will come in heaven. St. Augustine says (De Perfect. Just it.), in the “fullness of heavenly charity, thisprecept will be fulfilled. … As long as carnal concupiscenceremains to be restrained by continence, man cannot love God with his whole heart.” Yet it is man’s duty on earth to comenearer and nearer to the fulfilling of the precept of perfect charity.

We are to love our neighbor as ourselves; not,indeed, as much as we love ourselves, but in the same manner, and with desire for thesame good that we seek for ourselves. We seek to attain God, and, loving our neighbor as ourselves, we seek to have our neighbor attain God.

The order of charity is expressed in the precept of charity:love of God first, and love of neighbor second. And yet the second love is in the first.