Mother and Child, Mary Cassatt

“A GOOD Christian mother feels her love for her child, whom she holds in her arms, more than her love for God, whom she does not see; yet if she is truly Christian, she loves the Lord with an efficacious love of esteem more than her child. For this reason, theologians distinguish commonly between appreciative love (love of esteem) and intensive love, which is generally greater for loved ones whom we see than for those who are at a distance. But, with the progress of charity, the love of esteem for God becomes more intense and is known as zeal; in heaven its impetuosity will exceed that of all our strongest affections.

“Such is the nature of the virtue of charity; it is the principle of a love of God that is like the flowing of our hearts toward Him who draws us and vivifies us. Thus we ultimately find a great gratification in Him, desiring that He may reign more and more profoundly in our souls and the souls of others. For this love of God, knowledge is not necessary; to know our heavenly Father through faith suffices.”

—- Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P., The Three Ages of the Interior Life, Volume Two (Tan Books, 1948), p. 190

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