156. The infinity of charity
156. THE INFINITY OF CHARITY
Does charity in us increase more and more forever, without limit? Will we never be bored in Heaven to all eternity because there will always be new and exciting ways to love, new things to love, new increases in love? And if in Heaven, here too?
Whether charity increases indefinitely?
. . . let none of the faithful say: “Enough.”
. . . the wayfarer’s charity can ever increase more and more. . . . [C]harity has no limit to its increase, since it is a participation in the infinite charity which is the Holy Ghost. . . .
The capacity of the rational creature is increased by charity because the heart is enlarged thereby . . . so that it still remains capable of receiving a further increase (II-II,24,7).
St. Thomas is a rational, logical, judicious, careful, thoughtful, conservative kind of intellectual, not naturally given to exaggeration, fanaticism, passionate outbursts, Romanticist exuberance, poetic extremes, or Existentialist impatience with limits. Those who know only this dimension of him may be surprised to find this other dimension in him too. It is his “vertical”, not “horizontal”, dimension. The word for limits and finitude, the word “enough”, expresses a primary “horizontal” virtue regarding all things human and natural. It is the virtue of moderation. “Nothing too much”, or “moderation in all things”, was one of the two virtues (the other was “know thyself”) inscribed over the door of the temples to Apollo, especially that of the Delphic oracle, in ancient Greece; and St. Thomas wisely approves this. But when it comes to the relationship with God, with the supernatural, he is an “extremist”. All the natural virtues are means between two opposite extremes, as Aristotle said; but the three theological, or supernatural, virtues do not follow this formula. No one can have too much faith (trust in God), too much hope in God’s generosity, or too much love for God. “Enough” is one of the two legitimate earthly words that no one pronounces in Heaven. (The other is “mine”. Remember the seagulls in Finding Nemo.) Nor should the faithful say “enough” to any Heavenly values on earth.
“I have seen everything under the sun”, says weary, despairing Ecclesiastes. But no one will ever “have seen everything” beyond the sun. “When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining like the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun”, and we will not even begin to be bored. Because of our charity, we will experience some startlingly new beauty and joy in God every moment. “Every moment mercies new fall as fresh as morning dew.”
And this begins in this life, if we had but the wise eyes to see the appetizers of Heaven, the colonies of Heaven, the prophets of Heaven, the spies of Heaven, that are already in our midst. Thus St. Thomas says that “the wayfarer’s charity can ever increase more and more.” It is like the series of positive integers: there is no highest number, no limit.
And the reason is that charity is an actual participation in, not merely an image of, or an imitation of, or an effect of, God Himself. God the Holy Spirit is the eternal charity that unites the Father and the Son; and He is not merely for us or with us but in us and we in Him. Charity is like blood; it is the actual life that runs from the heart (God) through the arteries (Christ) of the Mystical Body, and returns through the veins (man). For He is the Heart as well as the Head of His own mystical Body.
Our hearts are finite, but the very capacity to hold love and choose love can be infinitely increased, and therefore our love will be infinitely increased, forever, in Heaven.
This is not the same infinity as the divine infinity. God is actually infinite; our participation in Him and His charity is potentially infinite, like the number series. God is already perfectly, completely achieved infinite perfection; we grow in perfection forever and ever, always increasing God—ward. We cannot imagine this. But we can believe it, hope for it, and love it.
This process begins in this life, and can be verified in experience. In fact, if it does not begin in this life it will not be continued and perfected in Heaven. God seeds eternal plants in temporal pots.