Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It would seem that the order of charity does not endure in heaven. For Augustine says (De Vera Relig. xlviii): "Perfect charity consists in loving greater goods more, and lesser goods less." Now charity will be perfect in heaven. Therefore a man will love those who are better more than either himself or those who are connected with him.

Objection 2: Further, we love more him to whom we wish a greater good. Now each one in heaven wishes a greater good for those who have more good, else his will would not be conformed in all things to God's will: and there to be better is to have more good. Therefore in heaven each one loves more those who are better, and consequently he loves others more than himself, and one who is not connected with him, more than one who is.

Objection 3: Further, in heaven love will be entirely for God's sake, for then will be fulfilled the words of 1 Cor. 15:28: "That God may be all in all." Therefore he who is nearer God will be loved more, so that a man will love a better man more than himself, and one who is not connected with him, more than one who is.

On the contrary, Nature is not done away, but perfected, by glory. Now the order of charity given above (Articles 2,3,4) is derived from nature: since all things naturally love themselves more than others. Therefore this order of charity will endure in heaven.

I answer that, The order of charity must needs remain in heaven, as regards the love of God above all things. For this will be realized simply when man shall enjoy God perfectly. But, as regards the order between man himself and other men, a distinction would seem to be necessary, because, as we stated above (Articles 7,9), the degrees of love may be distinguished either in respect of the good which a man desires for another, or according to the intensity of love itself. In the first way a man will love better men more than himself, and those who are less good, less than himself: because, by reason of the perfect conformity of the human to the Divine will, each of the blessed will desire everyone to have what is due to him according to Divine justice. Nor will that be a time for advancing by means of merit to a yet greater reward, as happens now while it is possible for a man to desire both the virtue and the reward of a better man, whereas then the will of each one will rest within the limits determined by God. But in the second way a man will love himself more than even his better neighbors, because the intensity of the act of love arises on the part of the person who loves, as stated above (Articles 7,9). Moreover it is for this that the gift of charity is bestowed by God on each one, namely, that he may first of all direct his mind to God, and this pertains to a man's love for himself, and that, in the second place, he may wish other things to be directed to God, and even work for that end according to his capacity.

As to the order to be observed among our neighbors, a man will simply love those who are better, according to the love of charity. Because the entire life of the blessed consists in directing their minds to God, wherefore the entire ordering of their love will be ruled with respect to God, so that each one will love more and reckon to be nearer to himself those who are nearer to God. For then one man will no longer succor another, as he needs to in the present life, wherein each man has to succor those who are closely connected with him rather than those who are not, no matter what be the nature of their distress: hence it is that in this life, a man, by the inclination of charity, loves more those who are more closely united to him, for he is under a greater obligation to bestow on them the effect of charity. It will however be possible in heaven for a man to love in several ways one who is connected with him, since the causes of virtuous love will not be banished from the mind of the blessed. Yet all these reasons are incomparably surpassed by that which is taken from nighness to God.

Reply to Objection 1: This argument should be granted as to those who are connected together; but as regards man himself, he ought to love himself so much the more than others, as his charity is more perfect, since perfect entire reason of his love, for God is man's charity directs man to God perfectly, and this belongs to love of oneself, as stated above.

Reply to Objection 2: This argument considers the order of charity in respect of the degree of good one wills the person one loves.

Reply to Objection 3: God will be to each one the entire reason of his love, for God is man's entire good. For if we make the impossible supposition that God were not man's good, He would not be man's reason for loving. Hence it is that in the order of love man should love himself more than all else after God.

Articulus 13

Argumentum 1

Ad tertiumdecimum sic proceditur. Videtur quod ordo caritatis non remaneat in patria.

Dicit enim Augustinus, in libro de vera relig., perfecta caritas est ut plus potiora bona, et minus minora diligamus.

Sed in patria erit perfecta caritas. Ergo plus diliget aliquis meliorem quam seipsum vel sibi coniunctum.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, ille magis amatur cui maius bonum volumus. Sed quilibet in patria existens vult maius bonum ei qui plus bonum habet, alioquin voluntas eius non per omnia divinae voluntati conformaretur. Ibi autem plus bonum habet qui melior est.

Ergo in patria quilibet magis diliget meliorem. Et ita magis alium quam seipsum, et extraneum quam propinquum.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, tota ratio dilectionis in patria deus erit, tunc enim implebitur quod dicitur I ad Cor. XV, ut sit deus omnia in omnibus.

Ergo magis diligitur qui est deo propinquior. Et ita aliquis magis diliget meliorem quam seipsum, et extraneum quam coniunctum.

Sed Contra

Sed contra est quia natura non tollitur per gloriam, sed perficitur. Ordo autem caritatis supra positus ex ipsa natura procedit. Omnia autem naturaliter plus se quam alia amant.

Ergo iste ordo caritatis remanebit in patria.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod necesse est ordinem caritatis remanere in patria quantum ad hoc quod deus est super omnia diligendus.

Hoc enim simpliciter erit tunc, quando homo perfecte eo fruetur.

Sed de ordine sui ipsius ad alios distinguendum videtur.

Quia sicut supra dictum est, dilectionis gradus distingui potest vel secundum differentiam boni quod quis alii exoptat; vel secundum intensionem dilectionis. Primo quidem modo plus diliget meliores quam seipsum, minus vero minus bonos. Volet enim quilibet beatus unumquemque habere quod sibi debetur secundum divinam iustitiam, propter perfectam conformitatem voluntatis humanae ad divinam. Nec tunc erit tempus proficiendi per meritum ad maius praemium, sicut nunc accidit, quando potest homo melioris et virtutem et praemium desiderare, sed tunc voluntas uniuscuiusque infra hoc sistet quod est determinatum divinitus.

Secundo vero modo aliquis plus seipsum diliget quam proximum, etiam meliorem. Quia intensio actus dilectionis provenit ex parte subiecti diligentis, ut supra dictum est.

Et ad hoc etiam donum caritatis unicuique confertur a deo, ut primo quidem mentem suam in deum ordinet, quod pertinet ad dilectionem sui ipsius; secundario vero ordinem aliorum in deum velit, vel etiam operetur secundum suum modum.

Sed quantum ad ordinem proximorum ad invicem simpliciter quis magis diliget meliorem, secundum caritatis amorem. Tota enim vita beata consistit in ordinatione mentis ad deum. Unde totus ordo dilectionis beatorum observabitur per comparationem ad deum, ut scilicet ille magis diligatur et propinquior sibi habeatur ab unoquoque qui est deo propinquior. Cessabit enim tunc provisio, quae est in praesenti vita necessaria, qua necesse est ut unusquisque magis sibi coniuncto, secundum quamcumque necessitudinem, provideat magis quam alieno; ratione cuius in hac vita ex ipsa inclinatione caritatis homo plus diligit magis sibi coniunctum, cui magis debet impendere caritatis effectum.

Continget tamen in patria quod aliquis sibi coniunctum pluribus rationibus diliget, non enim cessabunt ab animo beati honestae dilectionis causae. Tamen omnibus istis rationibus praefertur incomparabiliter ratio dilectionis quae sumitur ex propinquitate ad deum.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod quantum ad coniunctos sibi ratio illa concedenda est. Sed quantum ad seipsum oportet quod aliquis plus se quam alios diligat, tanto magis quanto perfectior est caritas, quia perfectio caritatis ordinat hominem perfecte in deum quod pertinet ad dilectionem sui ipsius, ut dictum est.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod ratio illa procedit de ordine dilectionis secundum gradum boni quod aliquis vult amato.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod unicuique erit deus tota ratio diligendi eo quod deus est totum hominis bonum, dato enim, per impossibile, quod deus non esset hominis bonum, non esset ei ratio diligendi. Et ideo in ordine dilectionis oportet quod post deum homo maxime diligat seipsum.