Thomas Aquinas, on 1Thess 3:12

“And may the Lord multiply you, and make you abound in charity towards one another, and towards all men: as we do also towards you,”

“The other is for their welfare, so Paul asks: and may the Lord make you increase, that is, in faith: "May the Lord add to his people a hundred times as many as they are" (1 Chr. 21:3). And Paul prays also that their merits may increase; so he says, and abound in love, which can always increase in this life: "Above all these put on love, which binds everything together" (Col. 3:14). And, first, charity to one another, secondly, charity to all men. "Let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Gal. 6:10). And Paul gives an example of himself when he comments: as we do to you, as if to say: just as I also love you: "You are in our hearts, to die together and to live together" (2 Cor. 7:3).”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.