Sunday, March 9, 2014

Thomas Aquinas: "the law of love does not require indiscriminate affirmation of everything about other persons"

"It might seem to follow that love must accept everyone, even enemies, just as they are, and to affirm them even in the error or sin which is present in them. But the law of love does not require indiscriminate affirmation of everything about other persons (cf St. Thomas Aquinas, S.t., 2-2, q.34, a.3).

One's love must be like Jesus's. He loves sinners and brings them into communion with Himself in order to overcome their error and sin. When the scribes and pharisees bring a woman caught in adultery to Jesus, He not only saves her from being stoned to death but warns her not to sin again (see John 8:3-11).

In a true sense, Jesus is not judgmental, He sets aside the legalistic mentality, readily forgives sinners, does not condemn the world, and points out that those who refuse to acknowledge their sinfulness are self-condemned by the truth they violate (see John 3:16-21). But He realistically recognizes sinners as sinners and never accepts error as truth...

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