The Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic, C.S. Lewis wrote: “Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives”. Without affections, our lives are scourged with discouragement and helplessness. Affections are the psychological and spiritual bread and butter of being completely human.
The Bible extols the power of affections. In its numerous instances, God’s Word presents them in a positive tone. For instance, after praising the Christians at Philippi, Saint Paul is so thankful for their partnership in the gospel proclamation as well as in their wholehearted embracing of its message that he tells them outrightly: “For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1, 8). The affection the Apostle of the Gentiles is nourishing in his heart has nothing to do with seduction. His affection is Jesus’, not his own. Thus, one can deeply appreciate and understand why Christ’s affection is the powerful motivator for much gratitude and, at the same time, solicitude.
A disinterested concern for the brethren is the innermost core of Christian affection, which is essentially brotherly. Consequently, it is brotherly love which concretises one’s knowledge of Jesus Christ.
As the second letter of Saint Peter beautifully portrays: “For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 1, 5-8). Finally, brotherly affection leads to a close-knit unity among those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as their saviour and Lord. “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (Phil 2, 1).
The subject was taken up in the eighteenth century by the famous American Christian preacher and theologian, Jonathan Edwards. In his classic book “Religious Affections”, Edwards defines spiritual affections as those that emanate “from the enlightening of understanding, to understand the things taught of God and Christ, in a new manner. There is a new understanding of the excellent nature of God and his wonderful perfections, some new view of Christ in his spiritual excellencies and fulness; or things are opened to him in a new manner, whereby he now understands those divine and spiritual
doctrines which were once foolishness to him.”
Edwards states that spiritual affections come from those influences and operations on the heart that are spiritual, supernatural and divine. Spiritual affections are transcendentally excellent and friendly in their nature to divine things in themselves. Thus, they are authentically holy because they are primarily based on the loveliness of the moral excellency of divine things. The more the mind thinks about and apprehends divine things, the more it cultivates spiritual affections. The latter’s main concern is always the lamblike, dovelike spirit and temper of Jesus Christ. Spiritual affections soften the heart, and are listened to and followed with a Christian tenderness of spirit. They are truly gracious and holy because they are balanced. Yet, such balance does not impede them from rising to God inasmuch as the higher they are raised, the more the spiritual appetite and craving of the soul after spiritual achievements is increased. Finally, spiritual affections are tenable when they are translated into acts of Christian charity. Lord Jesus think, feel and act in and through me. Amen.
■ Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap