1683. About marriage love and that of parents toward their children
The source of true marital love and the love of parents toward their children, and even greater love toward grandchildren, no one knows. Yet because something heavenly is [felt] in those loves, there must be something universal coming out of heaven and flowing into the minds of all people. Such a phenomenon cannot be without a cause in the innermost regions, and in the most high. Without a cause in the innermost regions, and in the most high, it would never exist; for what is there that is without a cause and origin of itself?
Its origin is obvious, namely, that the Lord loves as a whole all angels, spirits and men as His own, and because of this that Love itself is compared to marriage love and is ascribed to the Lord as bridegroom and husband, and to the Church as bride and wife. Without the love of the Lord toward all and each and its obvious inflow into the innermost, and then the very inward human minds, no marriage love would ever exist, consequently no love of goodness, which branches out in various ways from the principle of marriage. Moreover, if the Lord did not love all and each as a Father loves his children, and the innermost heaven from the Lord as a mother loves her children, a love of children would never exist. It cannot produce itself.
It is also because of this descent of love that parental love is even greater toward grandchildren. 1748, 25 March.
1683. CONCERNING CONJUGIAL LOVE, AND [THE LOVE] OF PARENTS TOWARDS CHILDREN.
Whence the origin of love truly conjugial, whence the love of parents towards children, and the [perhaps] still greater love towards grandchildren, no one has hitherto known, when yet, as there is something celestial in those loves, [knowledge respecting them] ought to come from heaven, and thus to flow, as a universal principle, into the minds of all. Nothing of this nature can be without a cause in the inmosts and the supreme, nor could anything by any means exist without a cause in the inmosts and the supreme; for what is there without a cause and a principle of being? [In this case] the principle is manifest, to wit, the Lord's love towards the universe of creatures, as well angels and spirits as men, as being of Him, whence that love in itself is compared to conjugial love, and is predicated of the Lord as the bridegroom and husband, and of the Church as the bride and wife. Apart from the Lord's love towards all and each of His creatures, and His manifest influx into the inner and inmost of human minds, there never could exist any conjugial love, consequently any love of good, which is in various ways derived from conjugial love. In like manner, unless the Lord loved all and each as a father his children, and the inmost heaven from the Lord, as a mother her infants, there would by no means exist any storge [or parental affection]. The greater love or storge towards grandchildren cannot be a matter of self-origination; wherefore love descends; it comes from the source now indicated. - 1748, March 25.
1683. De amore conjugiali, et parentum erga liberos
Unde amor vere conjugialis, et unde amor parentum erga liberos, et major erga nepotes, nemo nescit, usque tamen, quia coeleste amoribus istis inest, ex coelo venire debet, et sic in omnium mentes, ut universale, influere, nihil tale absque causa potest esse in intimis, ac supremo, absque causa in intimis et supremo, neutiquam existeret, quid enim absque causa, et principio sui? principium 1
ejus manifestum est, nempe quod Dominus amet universos tam angelos, spiritus, quam homines, sicut Ipsius, inde comparatur Ipse ille amor, amori conjugiali, et praedicatur de Domino, ut sponso et marito, et de Ecclesia, ut sponsa, et uxore; absque amore Domini erga omnes et singulos, et ejus manifesto influxu in mentes intimas, et sic intimiores humanas, nusquam existeret aliquis amor conjugialis, proinde nusquam aliquis amor boni, qui ex conjugiali derivatur diversimode; similiter nisi Dominus amaret omnes et singulos, ut Pater liberos, et intimum coelum ex Domino, ut mater infantes suos, nusquam existeret storge, a semet non imprimi potest, quod storge major sit erga nepotes, sic descendat amor, inde quoque venit. 1748, 25 Martius.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has sui; principium