The Great Commentary of Cornelius a Lapide: the First Epistle of S. John
Ver. 18. — My little children , let us not love in word , and in tongue, but in deed and in truth . He condemns here all false charity, which exhibits itself in words only, as S. James (ii. 15) does also. S. Gregory (Moral, xxi. 14) says that our charity must ever be exhibited in reverent words, &c., and in ministering bountifully. And S.
Bernard (in Cant ii. 4) explaining the words, “ He ordered charity in me ” (see. Vulg.) says, “ He requires not the craft of the lying tongue, nor the taste of affected wisdom. Let us love in deed and in truth, being moved to good deeds by the impulse of living charity rather than by any affected love. Give me a man who loves God with all his heart, himself and his neighbours, and everything else relating to God with well-ordered love, and I boldly pronounce him to be a wise man, to whose taste all things seem to be just as they really are, and who can in truth safely say, Because He hath ordered love in me. But who is he ? ”
But observe here, that if any one cannot succour in deed and act (as, e.g., being too poor), yet he can do so in words and kind feelings. And again, he who gives relief should not give it grudgingly , or with words of reproof, but cheerfully and kindly.
S. Gregory (Hom. iii. in Evang.) says well, “Let not any one credit himself with anything which his mind suggests, unless his acts bear witness to it. For in loving God, our tongue, our thoughts, and our life are all required. Love towards Him is never idle. It worketh great things if it really exist, but if it refuses to do so, it is not love.” And S. Chrysostom (Hom. liii. et lxviii. ad pop.) says, “ The more thou givest to God, the more does He love thee, and to those He loves more, He gives more grace ; when He sees any one to whom He owes nothing, He flies from him, and avoids him ; but when He sees any one to whom He owes something, He runs up to him at once. Thou shouldest therefore do everything to make God thy debtor.” And then he explains how this can be done, viz., by showing mercy to the poor. “ Give largely, that thou mayest be rich, scatter abroad, that thou mayest gather in, imitate a sower. Sow in blessings, that thou mayest reap in blessings.” And S. Leo (Serm. vi. de jejun. x. Mensis) says, “Persevere, O Christian, in thy bounty, give that which thou wilt receive back again, sow what thou wilt reap, scatter that which thou wilt gather up. Fear not the cost, be not anxious or doubtful about the result. Thy substance, when well laid out, is increased, and to wish for rightful profit for thy piety, is to traffic for the gain of an eternal reward. He who rewardeth thee wishes thee to be munificent, and He who gives that thou hast, orders thee to give it away, saying, ‘Give, and it shall be given,’ and so on.” S. Chrysostom accordingly said rightly, “ that almsgiving was of all things the most gainful.”
Ver. 19. — Hereby we know that we are of the truth , that we have true love, that we are the sons of truth, of true and genuine charity.
Secondly, we are of God, who is the chief and highest truth, and true charity. See John xiv. 6, xviii. 37. And accordingly S. Augustine rightly concludes (de Moribus Eccl. cap . xxxiii.), “ Let our meals, our words, our dress, our appearance be blended with charity, and be united and joined together in one charity ; to violate this is counted as sinning against God ... if only this be wanting, everything else is vain and empty ; where it exists is perfect fulness.”
And shall assure our hearts before Him. (1.) Hugo, Lyranus, and Dionysius explain, We shall induce our hearts to please God daily more and more. (2.) Ferus explains it, We shall gain confidence to ask anything of God. (3.) We shall have our hearts at peace, for we shall persuade them that we are striving after true charity, when we love, not in word, but in deed and in truth. (4.) The sense most clearly is this, We shall approve our hearts to God in manifesting the fruits of love. We can lie to men by pretending love in our hearts, but we cannot lie to God, who sees the heart. They then who love their neighbour in deed and in truth fear not the eye and judgment of God, but would boldly appear in His sight, lay their hearts before Him, and show that they were resting on real charity. So Œcumenius ; and see Gal. i. 10, “Do I wish to persuade men or God ? ” That is, I strive to prove my cause to God. So S. Chrysostom. S. Augustine reads in this passage, “I wish to make myself approved to God, and not to men.” As S. Augustine ( contra Secundi, num. i. 1) says, “Think as you please about Augustine, provided only my conscience accuses me not in the sight of God.”
Morally . S. John here teaches us to examine all our deeds by the rule of God’s judgment. For frequently we are deceived into thinking that we are acting purely from the love of God, when in fact we are acting from the impure motive of self-love. Before beginning anything conform thyself to this rule, act as in the sight of God, who sees, and will call thee to account. Do it as though it were thy very last act. And in any doubt, adopt that course which thou wouldest wish thou hadst adopted when thou comest to die.” So did the Psalmist (Ps xvi. 8) ; Elisha (2 Kings iii. 14).
And S. Francis Xavier, “ Wherever I am, I would remember that I am on the stage of the world.” And Campion, when about to suffer martyrdom, said, “ We are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men” (1 Cor iv. 9). Let us imitate these, and thus “shall we persuade our hearts in His sight.”
Ver. 20. — For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart , and knoweth all things. If we cannot conceal our hypocrisy from our own hearts, much less can we conceal it from God, who is greater and deeper even than our own heart, who is more intimately acquainted with it, and is nearer to it than we are ourselves. If thy conscience condemns thee, how much more will God, who rules over and judges thy conscience? “If we cannot hide anything from our conscience,” says Œcumenius, “ how can we hide it from God who is ever present ? ” “Thou hidest thy conscience from man,” says S. Augustine, “hide it from God if thou canst. Let thy conscience bear thee witness, for it is of God. And if it is of God, do not boast of it before men, because the praises of men exalt thee not, nor do their reproofs bring thee down. Let Him see thee who crowneth thee: let Him, by whose judgment thou wilt be crowned.” Diadochus says (de perf Spirit . cap . c.), “The judgment of God is far above that of our conscience.” See 1 Cor. iv. 1 and Ps. lxiii. (Vulg. 7). “ Man will go down to his deep heart, and God will be exalted,” that is, man will think many evils in the depth of his heart, but God will be deeper than it. But Lyra, Aquila, and Theodotion read iorem, will shoot at it. See A. V.
Thomas Anglicus merely applies the passage thus, If the sin of the heart is great, greater is God's compassion in forgiving. And God too is greater than our heart, because He alone satisfies the desires of our heart, and even overflows and surpasses them.
Ver. 21. — If our heart condemn us not , then have we confidence towards God, viz., that we shall obtain from Him all that we ask. See Ps. cxix. 6. The contrary is the case with the wicked. See Prov. xxviii. 9, as S. Gregory says (Mor. x. 15, or 17), “He who remembers that he still refuses to listen to the command of God, doubts whether he will obtain what he wishes for. And our heart blames us when we pray, when it calls to mind that he opposes the will of Him whom he is addressing. ‘ As oil makes the light to shine, so do good deeds give confidence to the soul.’ ”