Caritas

Deus caritas est. (1 John 4:8 Latin Vulgate)

God is love.

Caritas--divine love infused into the will--not an emotion. Divine Love for God and for man--self and others. (Thomas Aquinas)

God’s love for us is unquestionable and incorruptible. However, how can humans reciprocate this Caritas?

I imagine it is similar to a parent teaching a child how to sing, dance, or play an instrument. My husband is a wonderful musician. When our son was younger, my husband patiently taught him how to play guitar. At first, our son’s attempts were merely goofy imitations. After a few years of practice, my son started to despair--realizing how inferior he was compared to his dad. Yet, his dad continued to encourage him--telling him: “I know you have it in you.” (My husband could sense that the musicality that was within him was also in our son.) So, they continued like this for years--Dad teaching and encouraging, Son imitating, progressing, regressing, despairing, practicing, developing his own techniques--until finally, our son could fully express what was in him all along.

So, don’t despair. We may not be able to reciprocate Divine Love...yet. But our Father knows that the same Caritas that is in HIM is also in us. As we follow, obey, imitate, and practice--we will get better and better at expressing this Divine Love.