are three exceptions: one, when a man is
entering religion and giving away all his goods; two, when he can
easily replace what he gives away; and, three, when he is in presence
of great indigence on the part of an individual, or great need on the
part of the common weal. In these three cases it is praiseworthy for
a man to forgo the requisites of his station in order to provide for a
greater need.[1]

[Footnote 1: II. ii. 32, 6.]

The mediaeval teaching on almsgiving is very well summarised by Fr.
Jarrett,[1] as follows: '(1) A man is obliged to help another in his
extreme need even at the risk of grave inconvenience to himself; (2) a
man is obliged to help another who, though not in extreme need, is yet
in considerable distress, but not at the risk of grave inconvenience
to himself; (3) a man is not obliged to help another when necessity is
slight, even though the risk to himself should be quite trifling.'

[Footnote 1: _Mediaeval Socialism_, p. 90.]

The importance of the duty of almsgiving further appears from the
section where Aquinas lays down that the person to whom alms should
have been given may, if the owner of the goods neglects his duty,
repair the omission himself. 'All things are common property in a
case of extreme necessity. Hence one who is in dire straits may take
another's goods in order to succour himself if he can find no one who
is willing to give him something.'[1] The duty of using one's goods
for the benefit of one's neighbours was a fit matter for enforcement
by the State, provided that the burdens imposed by legislation were
equitable. 'Laws are said to be just, both from the end, when, to wit,
they are ordained to the common good--and from their author, that is
to say, when the law that is made does not exceed the power of the
law-giver--and from their form, when, to wit, burdens are laid on the
subjects according to an equality of proportion and with a view to the
common good. For, since every man is part of the community, each man
in all that he is and has belongs to the community: just as a part in
all that it is belongs to the whole; wherefore nature inflicts a loss
on the part in order to save the whole; so that on this account such
laws, which impose proportionate burdens, are just and binding in
conscience.'[2]

[Footnote 1: _Ibid._, art. 7 ad. 3.]

[Footnote 2: I. ii. 96,4.]

There can be no doubt that the practice of the scholastic teaching of
community of user, in its proper