BENIGNITY. - It is that disposition of soul by which one is glad and takes pleasure in doing good to others. While distinguishing it from goodness, St. Jerome defines its characteristics: "B. is a gentle virtue, amiable, tranquil, of sweet speech, of affable manners; a happy fusion of all qualities. Goodness is very close to it, because it too seeks to give pleasure; but it differs in this, that it is less comely and of a more severe aspect; it too is ready to do good and to render services; but without that joyousness, that gentleness which wins hearts"
(In epist. ad Galat., 5, 22). B. imports all together a sense of exquisite liberality, of amiable welcome, of helpful and generous condescension, by which one bends willingly and ever more spontaneously toward the neighbor who asks and has need of any help.
B. is a specialty of God; who, in fact, provides for the needs of his creatures, forgives their faults, embraces again the prodigal sons whenever they return to the father's house, so badly abandoned, helps them toward obedience and the practice of his precepts (cf., for example, Mt. 6, 24; 34; Lk. 15, 11 ff.; Mt. 7, 7-12).
St. Paul, moreover, conceives the whole design of the Redemption in function of the divine b. of the Father; Jesus is both the incarnation and the executor of this b., because while he lavishes his merciful goodness upon us, he also offers us the active and efficient means to supernatural good (Tit. 3, 4). Therefore the apostles too, ambassadors of Jesus and bearers of the message of salvation to men, will consider themselves stamped with this virtue, as every Christian must do who wishes to be fully conformed to the Master and divine exemplar. However, Christian b., which is a moral virtue, stands in the golden mean; it therefore guards against bonhomie, weakness and affectation.
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