Thomas Aquinas, on 1Tim 5:8

“But if any man have not care of his own, and especially of those of his house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

“Then when he says, but if any man, he assigns the reason for his statement that she learn first to govern her own house and to make a return of duty to her parents, saying that she needs to be instructed on this point, because it is a matter of necessity. Therefore, he says, of her own, whose care has been entrusted to her, and especially those of her own house: he set in order charity in me (Song 2:4). And, as Augustine says, we can wish well to everyone, but those who are closer to us are regarded as our principles and, consequently, more worthy of love. Ambrose says that the reason for this is that perhaps those who are not ashamed to receive from their own would be ashamed to receive from others. He has denied the faith by his works, because if he does not observe the faith in regard to those to whom nature has joined him, the result is that he will not observe it in regard to others: they profess that they know God, but in their works they deny him (Titus 1:16). But is it true that he is worse than an infidel? For Augustine seems to think the contrary: if I had not come and spoken to them they would not have sinned (John 15:22), for he comments on this and says that he is speaking of the sin of infidelity which is graver than all other sins, because sins against God are graver than those against our neighbor. I answer that believer and unbeliever can be taken in two senses: first, in regard to the state of sin, and then the latter are in a worse state, because nothing they do is pleasing to God. Second, in regard to one sin, and then it is the opposite: for a believer and an unbeliever, if they commit adultery, the believer sins more, because he sins against the faith. And so he says that if a believer scorns to provide for his parents, he sins more than an unbeliever who does the same: it had been better for them not to have known the path of justice, then after they have known it, to turn back from that holy commandment which was delivered to them (2 Pet 2:21).”

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