What Is Agape?

The Good Samaritan (before 1850) by Théodule-Augustin Ribot

WHAT IS AGAPE?

Agape or the love of God is to avoid evil by keeping the commandments and to do good by practicing the virtues.

Catechism of the Catholic Church:

1824 Fruit of the Spirit and fullness of the Law, charity keeps the commandments of God and his Christ: “Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.” [Jn 15:9-10; cf. Mt 22:40; Rom 13:8-10]

1828 The practice of the moral life animated by charity gives to the Christian the spiritual freedom of the children of God. He no longer stands before God as a slave, in servile fear, or as a mercenary looking for wages, but as a son responding to the love of him who “first loved us”: [Cf. 1 Jn 4:19]

If we turn away from evil out of fear of punishment, we are in the position of slaves. If we pursue the enticement of wages,...we resemble mercenaries. Finally if we obey for the sake of the good itself and out of love for him who commands...we are in the position of children. [St. Basil, Reg. fus. tract., prol. 3:PG 31,896B]

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 describes some characteristic attributes of the virtue of charity:

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.