CHARITY IS TO BE CALLED LOVE
Origen says somewhere that, in his opinion, Sacred Scripture wanted to prevent the word “love” from giving occasion for evil thoughts to arise in the minds of weak persons. This word is more apt to indicate a sexual passion than spiritual affection. So, instead of “love”, Scripture has used the word “charity” and “affection” as they are more virtuous. On the contrary, St. Augustine, after examining better the usage of the word of God, clearly demonstrates that the word “love” is not less holy than “affection”. Both, one or the other, sometimes indicate a holy affection and sometimes a perverted passion. To prove it, he cites several passages from Scripture.
The great St Denis,[1] as an excellent teacher of the qualities of the divine names, speaks very highly in favour of the word “love”. He teaches that theologians, that is to say, the apostles and their first disciples for this Saint did not see others used the word “love” quite willingly for divine things rather than “affection.” They did so to correct the common people and control their fantasy from taking a secular and sexual meaning from the word “love.” Although they felt that both one or the other meant the same thing, however, it seemed to some of them that the word “love” was more apt and suitable in reference to God than “affection.” So much so the theologian, St. Ignatius [of Antioch] wrote these words: “My love is crucified.” Thus, these early theologians used the word “love” for divine realities to remove from it the smell of impurity of which it was suspected by worldly imagination. Likewise, to express human affections, they took pleasure in using the word affection as free from the suspicion of indecency. One of them said about it, according to St. Denis, “your affection has entered my soul in the same way as the affection of women” (2 Sam 1:26).
Finally, the word “love” expresses greater fervour, greater effectiveness and greater activity than affection. Among the Romans, affection is a term much weaker than love. Their great orator [Cicero] says: “Claudius has affection for me, and to put it forcefully, he loves me.” Hence the name “love”, being more excellent, was rightly given to charity since charity is the highest and most eminent of all loves. Yes, due to all these reasons and since I intend to speak of active charity,[2] rather than habitual charity, I have called this small work Treatise on the Love of God.
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[1] St. Francis de Sales seems to follow the popular tradition that St. Denis was Dionysius the Areopagite. Dionysius the Areopagite was one of those who became a believer after St. Paul's preaching in front of the Areopagus (Acts 17:34). His name was assumed by the author of four Greek treatises on liturgical and mystical theology to give apostolic sanction to his work. Among the treatises are: The Divine Names and Mystical Theology. The author is thought to be a Syrian monk of the 6th century. Now he is known as Pseuda-Dionysius ( New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol 11, PAU - PYX).
[2] Theologians distinguish habitual grace and actual grace. Habitual grace is love of God, charity, in so for as it transforms a person and makes him or her a child of God. This is habit of charity or habitual charity. Hence it is a state, a habit in the sense of the Latin term habitus. Actual grace is love of God (active charity) that is active, inspiring and transforming each act of the Christian.