JD Vance stirred the pot by referencing Saint Augustine’s biblical concept of ordo amoris or “order of love.”

Catholicism argues for a hierarchy of duty with regard to the love of neighbor. Christ our Lord taught the parable of the Good Samaritan to reveal that our duty to love our neighbor extends to all. Nevertheless, the order of love is not flattened out completely and redistributed to all persons without distinction. For example, as a married man, I have the obligation of love to make sure that my wife’s medical care is being met before I do the other 50 women on the same hospital floor. There is a higher love for my wife that is not wrong or selfish. Likewise, I have a higher obligation of love to make sure that my own children are properly nourished and clothed–above my duty to to feed and clothe children in France.

The principle is set down by Saint Paul:

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. 1 Timothy 5:8

As a Christian, I must have a concern for the well-being of all people made in the image of God, but I have a rightful prior concern for “those of his house.”

Saint Thomas Aquinas discusses the hierarchy or ordo caritatis (order of charity) at Summa theologiae II, q. 26 and orders love in this way:

1. God
2. Myself (“a man ought to love himself more than his neighbor.”)
3. Neighbor
4. My body (:”we ought to love our neighbor more than our own body.”)

Regarding our neighbor, Thomas teaches we love all universally but practically we must love unequally

On this respect we love all men equally out of charity: because we wish them all one same generic good, namely everlasting happiness. Secondly love is said to be greater through its action being more intense: and in this way we ought not to love all equally. STh q. 26, a. 6.

The degree of care we have for our various neighbors is related to proximity levels of kinship, friendship, and nationality:

Moreover there is yet another reason for which, out of charity, we love more those who are more nearly connected with us, since we love them in more ways. For, towards those who are not connected with us we have no other friendship than charity, whereas for those who are connected with us, we have certain other friendships, according to the way in which they are connected. STh q. 26, a. 6.

A proper ordo amoris may look like this:

1. God
2. myself
3. my spouse
4. my family, children and parents
5. my godchildren and extended family
6. my friends and coworkers
7. my neighborhood (I pay HOA for this one, not all neighborhoods)
8. my county
9. my state
10. my nation
11. my nation’s allies

The Christian may at any time extend charity, love and care to someone outside this levels of proximate and remote relationships. An American traveling for business can give alms to a stranger in Argentina. The act is perfectly Christian if done with the proper intention to honor God. The alms would immoral, however, if that money prevented him from paying the mortgage on his family home or prevented him from paying for a taxi to make his airplane flight back to his family. The ordo amoris establishes the what is and is not allowed in the quest for charity toward God and neighbor.

Consequently, we use our goods and time to execute a positive effect in the world so that “thy kingdom come, by will be done.” There is however a rational order, hierarchy and prevention mechanism in the pursuit of love or charity.