Recalling:
“The law of divine love is the standard for all human actions”.
“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 fourthings that are much to be desired.
Commencing…
The secondpoint 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.
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.
http://www.vatican.va/spirit/documents/spirit_20010116_thomas-aquinas_en.html
The more one loves the Beloved, the more like the Beloved one becomes.
E.g. married love, the spouse adjusts mannerisms to accommodate the other squeeze toothpaste from the end
God seeks the soul, the soul longs to be sought, and when found, the soul wants to be like the Seeker
Often time, Man seeks God to redefine God in Man’s image
Being Child of God is being docile to His direction, Church Fathers very clear
Following God’s commandments helps the soul to become more like God
This soul becomes the embodiment of God’s love in action
A thirdpoint 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.
Love makes the difficulties of life bearable rather than occasions of anger and discord.
A well-formed prayer life enables one to see God in the midst of tragedy rather than the instigator of the problem.
Therese’ Lisieux faith life cultivated through short life, did not lose faith in the midst of a suffering death.
Small adversities in family life are small inoculations for large trials. The stories retold around the table are badges of honor, camaraderie.
A fourthpoint 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.”
End result of charity is always-beautiful fruit. Difference between narcissistic love, destroyer of modern souls.
50 years hindsight, one sees the destruction of hormonal birth control on woman’s body. Rarely make use of it.
