‘Taught by the Blood’: Aquinas and Catherine on Christ’s Charity and Ours

Abstract In Sources of Christian Ethics , Servais Pinckaers submits that, contrary to the presumed disjunction between Scholastic theology and mystical spirituality, a harmony historically existed between the two. In support of Pinckaers’ claim, this study proposes that such a harmony may be found between the theological writings of Thomas Aquinas and Catherine of Siena. One key place of convergence is their respective treatments of charity. Christ’s charity figures prominently in the accounts of both Thomas and Catherine, who each describe its pedagogic and exemplary efficacy in relation to the charity of the baptized. When treating the effects of the Redemption, Thomas emphasizes the exemplary efficacy of Christ’s charity to elicit our charity. Similarly for Catherine, Christ’s charity – displayed emblematically by his Blood – enkindles a reciprocal charity in the soul who contemplates it. Furthermore, Thomas and Catherine conceive of charity as the foundation of the moral life, describing it as the ‘form’ of the virtues and the essence of spiritual perfection. Examining these accounts, drawn primarily from the Summa and Dialogue , yields insight into charity’s fundamental place in the theology of Aquinas and Catherine, as well as the complementary insights each offers regarding Christ’s charity and ours.