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Objection 1: It would seem that charity is not friendship. For
nothing is so appropriate to friendship as to dwell with one's friend,
according to the Philosopher (Ethic. viii, 5). Now charity is
of man towards God and the angels, "whose dwelling is not with men"
(Dan. 2:11). Therefore charity is not friendship.
Objection 2: Further, there is no friendship without return of love
(Ethic. viii, 2). But charity extends even to one's enemies,
according to Mt. 5:44: "Love your enemies." Therefore
charity is not friendship.
Objection 3: Further, according to the Philosopher (Ethic.
viii, 3) there are three kinds of friendship, directed respectively
towards the delightful, the useful, or the virtuous. Now charity is
not the friendship for the useful or delightful; for Jerome says in
his letter to Paulinus which is to be found at the beginning of the
Bible: "True friendship cemented by Christ, is where men are drawn
together, not by household interests, not by mere bodily presence,
not by crafty and cajoling flattery, but by the fear of God, and the
study of the Divine Scriptures." No more is it friendship for the
virtuous, since by charity we love even sinners, whereas friendship
based on the virtuous is only for virtuous men (Ethic. viii).
Therefore charity is not friendship.
On the contrary, It is written (Jn. 15:15): "I will not
now call you servants . . . but My friends." Now this was said to
them by reason of nothing else than charity. Therefore charity is
friendship.
I answer that, According to the Philosopher (Ethic. viii,
2,3) not every love has the character of friendship, but that love
which is together with benevolence, when, to wit, we love someone so
as to wish good to him. If, however, we do not wish good to what we
love, but wish its good for ourselves, (thus we are said to love
wine, or a horse, or the like), it is love not of friendship, but
of a kind of concupiscence. For it would be absurd to speak of having
friendship for wine or for a horse.
Yet neither does well-wishing suffice for friendship, for a certain
mutual love is requisite, since friendship is between friend and
friend: and this well-wishing is founded on some kind of
communication.
Accordingly, since there is a communication between man and God,
inasmuch as He communicates His happiness to us, some kind of
friendship must needs be based on this same communication, of which it
is written (1 Cor. 1:9): "God is faithful: by Whom you are
called unto the fellowship of His Son." The love which is based on
this communication, is charity: wherefore it is evident that charity
is the friendship of man for God.
Reply to Objection 1: Man's life is twofold. There is his
outward life in respect of his sensitive and corporeal nature: and with
regard to this life there is no communication or fellowship between us
and God or the angels. The other is man's spiritual life in respect
of his mind, and with regard to this life there is fellowship between
us and both God and the angels, imperfectly indeed in this present
state of life, wherefore it is written (Phil. 3:20): "Our
conversation is in heaven." But this "conversation" will be
perfected in heaven, when "His servants shall serve Him, and they
shall see His face" (Apoc. 22:3,4). Therefore charity is
imperfect here, but will be perfected in heaven.
Reply to Objection 2: Friendship extends to a person in two ways:
first in respect of himself, and in this way friendship never extends
but to one's friends: secondly, it extends to someone in respect of
another, as, when a man has friendship for a certain person, for his
sake he loves all belonging to him, be they children, servants, or
connected with him in any way. Indeed so much do we love our friends,
that for their sake we love all who belong to them, even if they hurt
or hate us; so that, in this way, the friendship of charity extends
even to our enemies, whom we love out of charity in relation to God,
to Whom the friendship of charity is chiefly directed.
Reply to Objection 3: The friendship that is based on the virtuous
is directed to none but a virtuous man as the principal person, but for
his sake we love those who belong to him, even though they be not
virtuous: in this way charity, which above all is friendship based on
the virtuous, extends to sinners, whom, out of charity, we love for
God's sake.
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