the mode which is
essential to an act of virtue comes under the precept which
prescribes that virtuous act. Now the order of charity is essential
to the virtue, since it is based on the proportion of love to the
thing beloved, as shown above (Q. 25, A. 12; Q. 26, AA. 1, 2). It is
therefore evident that the order of charity must come under the
precept.
Reply Obj. 1: A man gratifies more the person he loves more, so that
if he loved less one whom he ought to love more, he would wish to
gratify more one whom he ought to gratify less, and so he would do an
injustice to the one he ought to love more.
Reply Obj. 2: The order of those four things we have to love out of
charity is expressed in Holy Writ. For when we are commanded to love
God with our "whole heart," we are given to understand that we must
love Him above all things. When we are commanded to love our neighbor
"as ourselves," the love of self is set before love of our neighbor.
In like manner where we are commanded (1 John 3:16) "to lay down our
souls," i.e. the life of our bodies, "for the brethren," we are given
to understand that a man ought to love his neighbor more than his own
body; and again when we are commanded (Gal. 6:10) to "work good . . .
especially to those who are of the household of the faith," and when
a man is blamed (1 Tim. 5:8) if he "have not care of his own, and
especially of those of his house," it means that we ought to love
most those of our neighbors who are more virtuous or more closely
united to us.
Reply Obj. 3: It follows from the very words, "Thou shalt love thy
neighbor" that those who are nearer to us are to be loved more.
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QUESTION 45
OF THE GIFT OF WISDOM
(In Six Articles)
We must now consider the gift of wisdom which corresponds to charity;
and firstly, wisdom itself, secondly, the opposite vice. Under the
first head there are six points of inquiry:
(1) Whether wisdom should be reckoned among the gifts of the Holy
Ghost?
(2) What is its subject?
(3) Whether wisdom is only speculative or also practical?
(4) Whether the wisdom that is a gift is compatible with mortal sin?
(5) Whether it is in all those who have sanctifying grace?
(6) Which beatitude corresponds to it?
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FIRST ARTICLE [II-II, Q. 45, Art. 1]
Whether Wisdom Should Be Reckoned Among the Gifts of the Holy Ghost?
Objection 1: It would seem that wisdom ought not to be reckoned among
the gi
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