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 GRACE

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GRACE

Divine nature is effected. Two extremes must be avoided, so that the triitli will be found.

An exaggerated theory wa.s taught by certain mystics and quietists, a theory not free from panthe- istic taint. In this view the soul is formally changed into God, an altogether imtenable and impossible hypothesis, since concupiscence remains even after justification, and the presence of concupiscence is, of course, absolutely repugnant to the Divine nature.

Another theory, held by the Scotists, teaches that the participation is merely of a moral-juridical na- ture, and not in the least a physical participation. But since sanctifying grace is a physical accident in the soul, one cannot help referring such participation in the Divine nature to a physical and interior as- similation with God, by virtue of which we are per- mitted to share those goods of the Divine order to which God alone by His own nature can lay claim. In any event the "participatio divinae natura;" is not in any sense to be considered a deification, but only a making of the soul "like unto God". To the difficult question: Of which special attribute of God does this participation partake? theologians can answer only by conjectures. Manifestly only the communicable attributes can at all be considered in the matter, wherefore Gonet (t'lj'p. thomist., IV, ii, x) was clearly wrong when he said that the attribute of participation was the aaeitds, absolutely the most incommunicable of all the Divine attributes. Ri- palda (loc. cit., disp. xx, sect. 14) is probably nearer the truth when he suggests Divine sanctity as the attribute, for the very idea of sanctifying grace brings the sanctity of God into the foreground.

The theory of Suarez (De grat., VII, i, xxx), which is also favoured by Scripture and the Fathers, is per- haps the most plausible. In this theory sanctifying grace imparts to the soul a participation in the Divine spirituality, which no rational creature can by its own unaided powers penetrate or comprehend. It is, therefore, the office of grace to impart to the soul, in a supernatural waj', that degree of spirituality which is absolutely necessary to give us an idea of God and His spirit, either here below in the shadows of earthly ex- istence, or there above in the unveiled splendour of Heaven. If we were asked to condense all that we have thus far been considering into a definition, we would formulate the following: Sanctifying grace is "a quality strictly supernatural, inherent in the soul as a habitus, by w hich wc are made to participate in the divine nature'.

(b) Formal Operations. — Sanctifying Grace has its formal operations, which are fundamentally nothing else than the formal cause considered in its various moments. These operations are made known by Ilevelation; therefore to children and to the faithful can the splendour of grace best be presented by a vivid description of its operations. These are: sanctity, beauty, friendship, and sonship of God.

(o) The Sanctity of the soul, as its first formal operation, is contained in the idea itself of sanctifying grace, inasmuch as the infusion of it makes the subject holy and inaugurates the state or condition of sanctity. So far it is, as to its nature, a physical adornment of the soul ; it is also a moral form of sanctification, which of itself makes baptized children just and holy in the sight of God. This first operation is thrown into relief by the fact that the " new man", created in justice and holiness (Eph., iv, 24), was preceded by the "old man" of sin, and that grace changed the sinner into a saint (Trent, Sess. VI, cap. vii: ex injusto fit juMuf;). The two moments of actual justification, namely the remission of sin and tlie sanctification, are at the same time moments of habitvial justification, and become the formal operations of grace. The mere infusion of the grace effects at once the remission of original and mortal sin, and inaugurates the condition or state of holiness. (See Pohle, I.«hrb. der Dogm., 527 sq.'*

(/3) Although the beauty of the soul is not men- tioned by the teaching office of the Ghurch as one of the operations of grace, nevertheless the Roman Gate- chism refers to it (P. II, cap. ii, de bap., n. 50). If it be permissible to imderstand by the spouse in the Canticle of Canticles a symbol of the soul decked in grace, then all the passages touching the ravishing beauty of the spouse may find a fitting application to the soul. Hence it is that the Fathers express the supernatural beauty of a soul in grace by the most splendid comparisons and figures of speech, for in- stance: "a divine picture" (Ambro.se); "a golden statue" (Chrysostom) ; "a streaming light'' (Basil), etc. Assuming that, apart from the material beauty expressed in the fine arts, there exists a purely spir- itual beauty, we can safely state that grace, as the participation in the Divine nature, calls forth in the soul a physical reflection of the uncreated beauty of God, which is not to be compared with the soul's natural likeness to God. AVe can attain to a more intimate idea of the Divine likeness in the soul adorned with grace, if we refer the picture not merely to the absolute Divine nature, as the protot j^pe of all beauty, but more especially to the Trinity whose glorious nature is so charmingly mirrored in the soul by the Di- vine adoption and the inhabitation of the Holy Ghost (cf. H. Krug, De pulchritudine divina, Freiburg, 1902).

(7) The Friendship of God is, consequently, one of the most excellent of the effects of grace; Aristotle denied the possibility of such a friendsliip by reason of the great disparity between God and man. As a matter of fact man is, inasmuch as he is God's crea- ture, His servant, and by reason of sin (original and mortal) he is God's enemy. This relation of service and enmity is transformed by sanctifying grace into one of friendship (Trent, Sess. VI, cap. vii: exinimico amicus). According to the Scriptural concept (Wis., vii, 14; John, xv, 15) this friendship resembles a mystical matrimonial union between the soul and its Divine spouse (Matt., ix, 15; Apoc, xix, 7). Friend- ship consists in the mutual love and esteem of two persons based upon an exchange of service or good office (Aristot., "Eth. Nicom.", VIII sq.). True friendsliip resting only on virtue (amicitia honesla) demands undeniably a love of benevolence, which seeks only the happiness and well-being of the friend, whereas the frientlly excliange of benefits rests upon a utilitarian basis (mnicitia uliUs) or one of pleasure {amicitia deleclahilis), which presupposes a selfish love; still the benevolent love of friendship must be mutual, because an imrequited love becomes merely one of silent admiration, which is not friendship by any means. But the strong bond of union lies undeniably in the fact of a mutual benefit, by reason of which friend regards friend as his other self {alter ego). Fi- nally, between friends an equality of position or station is demanded, and where this does not exist an eleva- tion of the inferior's status {amicitia excellenticc), as, for example, in the case of a friendship between a king and noble subject. It is easy to jx-rceive that all these conditions are fulfilled in the frientlship between God and man effected by grace. For, just as God re- gards the just man with the pure love of benevolence, He likewise prepares him by the infusion of theologi- cal charity for the reception of a correspondingly pure and unselfish affection. Again, althouf^h man's knowledge of the love of God is very limived, while God's knowledge of love in man is perfect, this con- jecture is sufficient — indeed in human friendship.^ it alone is possible — to form the basis of ;. friendly relation. The exchange of gifts consists, oi the part of God, in the bestowal of suiiernatural bi'nefits, on the part of man, in the promotion of God's glory, and partly in the performance of works of frat'^rnal char- ity. There is, indeed, in the first instance, a vast difference in the resijective positions of Goi 1 and man; but by the infusion of grace man receives a patent of