Volume I, Treatise IV, Chapter I

Of the Merit and Excellency of Union and Fraternal Charity

Benoup, says the Royal Prophet, “how good and pleasing a thing it is for brethren to live together in union |” (Psalms 132:1) How estimable is union and harmony amongst brethren!—St. Jerom says, that this passage is addressed peculiarly to religious assembled together inthe same community. And in truth, says he, itis a very great good, and a very great comfort, that for one brother we have left in the world, we find an infinity of brethren in religion, who love us better than our brothers coulddo. For ordinarily speaking, the affection our relations have for us is not sincere—it is very often grounded on interest; and it is only upon this account that they shew kindness tous. Take from them this interest, and they are seldom concerned for us—perhaps my own brother feels less affection for my person than he feels for my estate. But as to our spiritual brethren, who have contemned and abandoned all they possessed, they are far from desiring or sighing after the possessions of others; it is not your riches, but the salvation of your soul, they desire; see here what is most justly entitled to the name of love. The great St. Ambrose also teaches us, that brotherhood in Jesus Christ is far more excellent than that of blood; because the one may perhaps produce some likeness of body, but the other produces a likeness and union both of heart and soul, according to what is affirmed in the Acts of the Apostles: “The multitude of the believers had but one heart and one soul.” (Acts 4:32)

St. Basil, reflecting on this strict union between religious persons, says; what can we figure to ourselves more pleasing, happy, and admirable, than to see men of divers nations so stictly united by an exact resemblance of manners and discipline that they seem to have but one mind in divers bodies, and in like manner to see many different bodies become the instruments of one mind only? It is this that seemed wonderful on our being first established, and in fact, it is a kind of continued miracle in our society; in which there is so great an harmony and so strict an union between men of so many nations, and so differing in their birth, education, inclination, mind, and temper:—so that whatever difference nature had made between them, grace which unites, “and makes them live in one house, and under one rule”’ (Psal. Ixvii. 7), gives them a perfect conformity of inclinations and will. In this the mercy of God appears so great, that we enjoy not only amongst ourselves this blessing, but it spreads its sweet. odour abroad also, to the extreme edification of our neighbour, and to the greater glory of God. Whence it happens, that many of those who enter into the society, when asked the motive of their choice, answer, that it is the union they see in it which most of all moves them to make the election. This perfectly agrees with the idea of St. Austin, who, when speaking of this passage: “how good and profitable a thing if is for brethren to live together in union,” says; these words of the Psalter, their sweet sound, their harmonious melody, have given birth even to monasteries. It is by the accents of so charming a voice, that many, awaked from their drowsiness and tepidity, have left both friends and riches, to live together in the union and poverty of a religious life; and it is at the sound of this trumpet that, assembled from divers parts of the world, they were persuaded that this mutual charity which united them together was the foretaste of a heavenly life. In fine, it is this has peopled so many religious houses, established so many different orders, and attracted so many hearts to Jesus Christ. The Wise Man also, speaking of “three things very precious both in the sight of Gud and man,” puts ‘‘ concord amongst brethren” (Ecclesiasticus 25:1) in the first lace. P We have two precepts of charity. The one, “to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength, and this is the first and greatestcommandment. The other, which is like to the former, is to love our neighbour as ourselves.” (Matthew 22:38) And it is of this second commandment we shall treat at present; because it is the origin of that fraternal union we intend to speak of. For this union of minds and hearts is the effect of charity; whose property, says St. Denis, is to join and unite things together, St. Paul likewise calls it the “bond of perfection.” (Colossians 3:14) For it attracts and unites together things which had been before widely separated one from the other—of many wills it makes one—it prompts me to desire that for another which I desire for myself, by making me love him as myself. This makes me look on my friend as my second self, and on me as a second selfto him; and in fine, of us both it makes only one. It is for this reason St. Austin praises very much the expression of the poet of old who called his “friend the one-half of his soul;”” as if he and his friend had had but one soul which animated both their bodies. But that we may know the value and excellency of charity and love of our neighbour, and in what esteem our Saviour holds it, let us examine the words of Jesus Christ already cited. St. Chrysostom reflecting on these, and considering that after our Saviour had spoken of the first commandment, which is “to love God,” he presently adds that the secend, which is “to love our neighbour, is like unto the first:” Behold, says he, the extreme goodness and bounty of our Lord, who notwithstanding the infinite difference and distance there is between God and man, would have us love man with the very self-same love, with which we ought to love God—this methinks is to give the same measure and extent to the love of our neighbour, as to the love of himself; since that he ordains us to love himself with all our heart, and with all our soul, he also commands us to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. When we have an intimate friend, whom we desire to recommend extremely to another, our ordinary expression is; “by the love you shew to him you will express your love to me.” In the same manner, says St. Chrysostom, when our Saviour said, the second commandment was like the first, he would have us to understand, that if we love our neighbour we love God himself, and it is in this sense that he said to St. Peter: “If you love me feed my sheep” (John 21:17)—as if he would say, if you love me take care of mine, and thus I shall know whether it is true or not, that you really and effectually love me. Of our charity towards our neighbour there is yet another measure, of which Jesus Christ himself gave the model, when he said to his disciples: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 13:34) As our Saviour has loved us purely for God, he will have us also love our neighbour purely for God. Behold here, says St. Austin, the commandment he calls new; not only because he then issued a new ordinance, or because he had lately taught it, by word as well as by example; but because it is effectually a new mode of loving, which he exacts from us. Natural love, which is founded upon flesh and blood, and upon the considerations of interest or pleasure, is a very ancient love, and as old as the world; a love that is no less in practice amongst the bad than it is amongst the good; and which is equally common to men and beasts; according to the common saying, “Every animal loves its own kind.” But the love with which Christ would have us love our neighbour is a new love, because he would have it to be a spiritual and supernatural one, which makes us love our neighbour for God, and with the same love and charity wherewith we love God. The divines and holy fathers take notice, that the virtue of charity which makes us love God fur God, is the same that makes us love our neighbour for God. And they say, moreover, that as this love of God is a theological virtue, that is to say, a virtue wholly divine, which has God for its object: so that charity towards our neighbour is also a theological virtue, inasmuch as it is for God that we love our neighbour; and that the same infinite bounty and goodness of God, which deserves we should love it for itself, deserves also that for it we should love our neighbour.

In fine, we cannot find anything in the whole Scripture more earnestly recommended to us, or so often inculcated, as this union and fraternal charity. For the Son of God recommends it himself to us more than once in his sermon at the last supper. “The precept which I give you,” says he, “is, that you love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:17); and a little after, “that which I command you is, that you love one another.” By this we see how much he desires that this charity should take deep root in our hearts; and without doubt it can never tuke sufficient, because it is upon this that the whole law depends; and this is the fulfilling of all the other commandments, according to these words of the apostle; ‘‘ He who loves his neighbour has accomplished the law.” (Romans 13:8) The beloved disciple, who had imbibed this same doctrine from the very bosom of his Master, scarce speaks of anything else in all his canonical epistles; and St. Jerom relates of him, that being so worn out with old age, that he was not able to go to church, unless he was carried, he continually repeated to his disciples these words, “Children, love one another.” They, tired out with his continual repetition of the same advice, asked him one day the reason why he so often recommended the same thing;

to whom he made, says St. Jerom, this answer, truly worthy of St. John: “because it is the precept of our Lord, and this alone is sufficient, if well observed.” St. Paul declares the same when he says; ‘‘ The whole law is comprised in this commandment— you should love your neighbour as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14) Accomplish this but perfectly well, and you have fulfilled all the rest. St. Austin, reflecting on this precept, says, that our Lord adds so great a weight unto it, that he sticks not to make it the distinctive mark of his disciples, when he says; by this all will know you to be my disciples, if you love one another.”

But the Son of God does not stop here; and it is a remark of St. Chrysostom, that in the prayer he made to his eternal Father, after the last supper, he was not content that charity should be only the mark and badge of his disciples, but he would also that there should be such a union amongst them, that the world should be thereby convinced of the truth of his being sent. “T pray not only for them,” says he, “but for those also that shall believe in me, by their help and ministry: and I beg of you that they become one; and that as you, my Father, are in me, and as I am in you, so they may be also as one in us, that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:20,21) Can any one extol the excellency of this fraternal union higher than to say, that it ought to be sufficient to convince the world of the coming of the Son of God, and oblige it to receive his doctrine?

The truth of this will be perfectly understood in what happened to St. Pacomius, when he was yet a pagan, and served in the army of Constantine the Great. He embarked with new levies, who were sent against Maxentius, and they arrived in very great distress, in a town where the inhabitants gave them all sorts of provisions with so much cheerfulness, that Pacomius, astonished at it, asked who those persons were, that had such a wonderful inclination to help and assist others. They answered him, they were Christians, whose institution was to help and succour all the world, as much as they were able. Upon this he found himself interiorly touched with so ardent a desire of embracing the profession of Christianity, that lifting up his hands to heaven, and calling God to witness, he embraced it forthwith. So that the example alone of the fervent charity of these Christians was a sufficient motive to convert him, and make him believe that their religion was excellent.

But there is still another thing, which ought to be a great comfort to us, in the prayer’ of the Son of God to his Father, wherein he says; “And that the world may know that you have sent me; and that you have loved them, as you have loved me myself.” (John 17:23) One of the chief marks, to know that God particularly loves any congregation, and cherishes it with a love approaching to that he bears his Son, is when he pours forth upon them the grace of fraternal union; as he did in the primitive Church, upon the Christians that enjoyed the first-fruits and first blessings of the Holy Ghost. Wherefore, ‘Cif we love one another, God will dwell in us, and will love us with a perfect love.” (1 John 4:12) And seeing he has promised, “that where two or three are together in his name, he will be in the midst of them.” (Mat. xviii. 20.) What effects ought we not to hope for, from his divine presence, amongst so many persons met together in his name, and for his love? That we may therefore enjoy the great benefits he has promised, and that we may have an assured pledge, and earnest, that he re- Mains with us, and that he loves us with a special affection, let us endeavour always to maintain ourselves in the spirit of union and fraternal charity.

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