And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
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Ambrosiaster
AD 400
He wishes, with God’s assistance, to pour into them pure Christian doctrine, that their faith will be firm and that they will see clearly all the vast implications of their faith. He wants them to be able to distinguish what is useful from what is useless. He prays that they may adorn the teaching of the Lord with works of righteousness, producing the fruit of immortality to bring about an abundance of good things. This will be the glory of the apostle to the Gentiles.
"Wherefore I pray "says the apostle, "that your love may abound yet more and more, in knowledge and in all judgment, that ye may approve things that are excellent."
That your charity: It is worthy of remark, that St. Paul does not beg that the Philippians may enjoy temporal blessings, but that they may be rewarded with an increase of spiritual favours; (Calmet) and as he remarks in the succeeding verses, that they may be filled with the fruits of justice.
There is no end to such love. Anyone who is loved so deeply, loved in this way, wishes to be loved all the more. There is no measure to love. One who loves and is loved in return does not wish that love to stop but to increase. .
And this, says he, I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more. For this is a good of which there is no satiety; for see, being so loved he wished to be loved still more, for he who loves the object of his love, is willing to stay at no point of love, for it is impossible there should be a measure of so noble a thing. Paul desires that the debt of love should always be owing; Owe no man any thing, save to love one another. Romans 13:8 The measure of love is, to stop nowhere; that your love, says he, may abound yet more and more. Consider the character of the expression, that it may abound yet more and more, he says, in knowledge and all discernment. He does not extol friendship merely, nor love merely, but such as comes of knowledge; that is, You should not apply the same love to all: for this comes not of love, but from want of feeling. What means he by in knowledge? He means, with judgment, with reason, with discrimination. There are who love without reason, simply and any ho...
