CHARITY INCLUDES ALL THE VIRTUES
There flowed a river out ofthe place ofdelights to water the earthly paradise, and from there it was divided into four heads (Gen.2:10). The human person is in a place of delights where God makes the river of reason and natural light to rise and water the entire paradise of our heart. This river divides itself into four heads, that is, it forms four streams, according to the four regions of the soul.
1. On what is called the practical understanding, that is, which finds out the actions we should do or reject, natural light pours out prudence. This leads our mind to judge wisely of the evil we are to avoid and drive away, and of the good we are to do and pursue;
2. On our will it makes justice flow, which is nothing else than a constant and firm determination to give to everyone what is that person’s due.
3. On the concupiscible appetite it spreads temperance which moderates the passions therein.
4. On the irascible appetite or anger it places fortitude which moderates and controls all the movements of anger.
Now these four rivers, separated in this way, afterwards divide themselves into many others. This is in order that all human actions may be well formed to natural honesty and happiness. But besides all this, God wants to enrich the Christians with a special favour. So he causes to spring up on the top of the superior part of their spirit a supernatural fountain which we call grace. It includes indeed faith and hope yet consists in charity. It purifies the soul from all sins, and then adorns it and makes it beautiful with a most delightful beauty. Finally, it spreads its waters on all the faculties and operations of the soul. In this way it gives to the understanding a heavenly prudence, to the will a holy justice, to the irascible appetite a devout fortitude. All this is in order that the whole human heart may tend to supernatural honesty and happiness which consists in union with God.
If these four streams and rivers of charity meet in a soul anyone of the four natural virtues, they submit to their obedience. They mingle themselves with it to perfect it, as perfumed water perfects natural water when they are mixed together. But if holy charity, spread out in this manner, does not find the natural virtues in the soul then by itself it does all their operations as occasion requires. Thus heavenly love found numerous virtues in St. Paul, in St. Ambrose, St. Denis, St. Pachomius. It poured out on them an agreeable brightness and submitted them all to its service. But in [Mary] Magdalene, in St. Mary of Egypt, in the Good Thief and in a hundred other such penitents who had been great sinners , divine love did not find any virtue. So it did the function and the work of all the virtues, making itself patient, gentle, humble and generous in them.
We sow in the gardens a great variety of seeds. We cover them all with earth as if burying them, till the powerful sun makes them rise. It, so to say, resuscitates them, as they produce their leaves and their flowers with new seeds each according to its kind (Gen.1:12). Thus one single heat from heaven makes all the diversity of these productions by the seeds it finds hidden in the bosom of the earth. Surely, my Theotimus, God has sown in our souls the seeds of all the virtues. These, nevertheless, are so covered with our imperfection and weakness that they do not appear at all or very slightly. It is so until the vital heat of holy love comes to enliven and resuscitate them, producing by them the actions of all the virtues. The manna contained in itself the variety of the tastes of all the foods and aroused a longing for them in the mouths of the Israelites (Wis. 16:20). So also heavenly love contains in itself the diversity of the perfections of all the virtues. It does so in such an excellent and sublime a manner that it produces all their actions in time and place according to the opportunities.
Joshua indeed valiantly defeated God’s enemies by his proper guidance of the armies in his charge. But Samson defeated them even more gloriously. By his own hand, with the jawbone of an ass, he slew thousands of them (Judg- es15:15). Joshua by his command and good order, making use of the valour of his troops, did wonders. But Samson by his own strength, without using any other, worked miracles. Joshua had the strength of many soldiers under him. But Samson had the strength in himself, and could do by himself as much as Joshua and many soldiers with him could do all together. Heavenly love excels in both ways. When it finds virtues in a soul (and usually it finds at least faith, hope and repentance) it enlivens them, it commands them, it employs them happily in God’s service. With regard to the other virtues it does not find, it does their work by itself. It alone has much and more strength than they have all together.
In truth, the great Apostle [St Paul] says not only that charity gives us patience, kindness, constancy, simplicity, but he says that itself it is patient, kind (1 Cor. 13:4) constant. It is a characteristic of the highest virtues among Angels and humans to be able not only to order the inferior virtues to work but also to be able themselves to do what they command others. The Bishop gives the charges of all the ecclesiastical functions: to open the church, to read in it, to exorcise, to instruct, to preach, to baptize, to offer sacrifice, to give communion, to absolve. He himself also can do and does all this. He has in himself an eminent virtue which includes all the other inferior ones. So St. Thomas [Aquinas], taking into account St. Paul’s assurance that charity is patient, kind, strong, says, “Charity does and accomplishes the work of all the virtues.” St. Ambrose, writing to Demetrius, calls patience and the other virtues “members of charity”. The great St. Augustine tells us that the love of God includes all the virtues and does all their work in us. Here are his words: “What is said about virtue being divided into four (he means the four cardinal virtues) is said, it seems to me, because of the different affections which proceed from love. Accordingly, I do not hesitate to define these four virtues thus: Temperance is the love which gives itself entirely to God. Fortitude is the love which willingly bears all things for God . Justice is the love which serves God alone and for this orders rightly all that is subject to humans. Prudence is the love that chooses what is beneficial for its union with God and rejects what is harmful to it.”
One who has charity, therefore, has one’s soul clothed in a beautiful wedding garment which, like that of Joseph (Gen.37:3), is adorned with all the variety of virtues. Or rather, this person has a perfection which contains the virtue of all perfections or the perfection of all virtues. Thus charity is patient, kind, not envious but generous. It is not irresponsible but is prudent. It does not puff up with pride but is humble. It is not ambitious or disdainful but amiable and affable. It is not eager to demand what belongs to it but is free and ready to help. It is not irritable but peaceful, it does not think of any evil but is meek . It does not rejoice in evil but rejoices with the truth and in the truth. It bears all things. It believes easily all the good that is told to it, without any obstinacy, contention or distrust. It hopes all good for its neighbour without ever losing courage to obtain his salvation. It endures all things awaiting without disquiet that which is promised to it. In conclusion, charity is that gold refined by fire (Rev 3:18), which our Lord advised the Bishop of Laodicea to buy. It contains the price of all things, can do all and does all.