Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It would seem that the habitual grace did not follow after the union. For nothing follows itself. But this habitual grace seems to be the same as the grace of union; for Augustine says (De Praedest. Sanct. xv): "Every man becomes a Christian from the beginning of his belief, by the same grace whereby this Man from His beginning became Christ"; and of these two the first pertains to habitual grace and the second to the grace of union. Therefore it would seem that habitual grace did not follow upon the union.

Objection 2: Further, disposition precedes perfection, if not in time, at least in thought. But the habitual grace seems to be a disposition in human nature for the personal union. Therefore it seems that the habitual grace did not follow but rather preceded the union.

Objection 3: Further, the common precedes the proper. But habitual grace is common to Christ and other men; and the grace of union is proper to Christ. Therefore habitual grace is prior in thought to the union. Therefore it does not follow it.

On the contrary, It is written (Is. 42:1): "Behold my servant, I will uphold Him . . . "and farther on: "I have given My Spirit upon Him"; and this pertains to the gift of habitual grace. Hence it remains that the assumption of human nature to the unity of the Person preceded the habitual grace of Christ.

I answer that, The union of the human nature with the Divine Person, which, as we have said above (Question 2, Article 10; Question 6, Article 6), is the grace of union, precedes the habitual grace of Christ, not in order of time, but by nature and in thought; and this for a triple reason: First, with reference to the order of the principles of both. For the principle of the union is the Person of the Son assuming human nature, Who is said to be sent into the world, inasmuch as He assumed human nature; but the principle of habitual grace, which is given with charity, is the Holy Ghost, Who is said to be sent inasmuch as He dwells in the mind by charity. Now the mission of the Son is prior, in the order of nature, to the mission of the Holy Ghost, even as in the order of nature the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Son, and love from wisdom. Hence the personal union, according to which the mission of the Son took place, is prior in the order of nature to habitual grace, according to which the mission of the Holy Ghost takes place. Secondly, the reason of this order may be taken from the relation of grace to its cause. For grace is caused in man by the presence of the Godhead, as light in the air by the presence of the sun. Hence it is written (Ezech. 43:2): "The glory of the God of Israel came in by the way of the east . . . and the earth shone with His majesty." But the presence of God in Christ is by the union of human nature with the Divine Person. Hence the habitual grace of Christ is understood to follow this union, as light follows the sun. Thirdly, the reason of this union can be taken from the end of grace, since it is ordained to acting rightly, and action belongs to the suppositum and the individual. Hence action and, in consequence, grace ordaining thereto, presuppose the hypostasis which operates. Now the hypostasis did not exist in the human nature before the union, as is clear from Question 4, Article 2. Therefore the grace of union precedes, in thought, habitual grace.

Reply to Objection 1: Augustine here means by grace the gratuitous will of God, bestowing benefits gratis; and hence every man is said to be made a Christian by the same grace whereby a Man became Christ, since both take place by the gratuitous will of God without merits.

Reply to Objection 2: As disposition in the order of generation precedes the perfection to which it disposes, in such things as are gradually perfected; so it naturally follows the perfection which one has already obtained; as heat, which was a disposition to the form of fire, is an effect flowing from the form of already existing fire. Now the human nature in Christ is united to the Person of the Word from the beginning without succession. Hence habitual grace is not understood to have preceded the union, but to have followed it; as a natural property. Hence, as Augustine says (Enchiridion xl): "Grace is in a manner natural to the Man Christ."

Reply to Objection 3: The common precedes the proper, when both are of the same genus; but when they are of divers genera, there is nothing to prevent the proper being prior to the common. Now the grace of union is not in the same genus as habitual grace; but is above all genera even as the Divine Person Himself. Hence there is nothing to prevent this proper from being before the common since it does not result from something being added to the common, but is rather the principle and source of that which is common.

Articulus 13

Argumentum 1

Ad decimumtertium sic proceditur. Videtur quod gratia habitualis in christo non subsequatur unionem. Idem enim non sequitur ad seipsum. Sed haec gratia habitualis videtur eadem esse cum gratia unionis, dicit enim Augustinus, in libro de praedest. Sanctorum, ea gratia fit ab initio fidei suae homo quicumque christianus, qua gratia homo ille ab initio suo factus est christus; quorum duorum primum pertinet ad gratiam habitualem, secundum ad gratiam unionis.

Ergo videtur quod gratia habitualis non subsequatur unionem.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, dispositio praecedit perfectionem tempore, vel saltem intellectu. Sed gratia habitualis videtur esse sicut quaedam dispositio humanae naturae ad unionem personalem. Ergo videtur quod gratia habitualis non subsequatur unionem, sed magis praecedat.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, commune est prius proprio. Sed gratia habitualis est communis christo et aliis hominibus, gratia autem unionis est propria christo. Ergo prior est, secundum intellectum, gratia habitualis quam ipsa unio. Non ergo sequitur eam.

Sed Contra

Sed contra est quod dicitur Isaiae XLII, ecce servus meus, suscipiam eum, et postea sequitur, dedi spiritum meum super eum, quod quidem ad donum gratiae habitualis pertinet.

Unde relinquitur quod susceptio naturae humanae in unione personae praecedat gratiam habitualem in christo.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod unio humanae naturae ad divinam personam, quam supra diximus esse ipsam gratiam unionis, praecedit gratiam habitualem in christo, non ordine temporis, sed naturae et intellectus. Et hoc triplici ratione. Primo quidem, secundum ordinem principiorum utriusque. Principium enim unionis est persona filii assumens humanam naturam, quae secundum hoc dicitur Missa esse in mundum quod humanam naturam assumpsit.

Principium autem gratiae habitualis, quae cum caritate datur, est spiritus sanctus, qui secundum hoc dicitur mitti quod per caritatem mentem inhabitat.

Missio autem filii, secundum ordinem naturae, prior est missione spiritus sancti, sicut ordine naturae spiritus sanctus procedit a filio et a patre dilectio. Unde et unio personalis, secundum quam intelligitur missio filii, est prior, ordine naturae, gratia habituali, secundum quam intelligitur missio spiritus sancti.

Secundo, accipitur ratio huius ordinis ex habitudine gratiae ad suam causam. Gratia enim causatur in homine ex praesentia divinitatis, sicut lumen in aere ex praesentia solis, unde dicitur Ezech. XLIII, gloria dei Israel ingrediebatur per viam Orientalem, et terra splendebat a maiestate eius.

Praesentia autem dei in christo intelligitur secundum unionem humanae naturae ad divinam personam. Unde gratia habitualis christi intelligitur ut consequens hanc unionem, sicut splendor solem. Tertia ratio huius ordinis assumi potest ex fine gratiae.

Ordinatur enim ad bene agendum.

Actiones autem sunt suppositorum et individuorum.

Unde actio, et per consequens gratia ad ipsam ordinans, praesupponit hypostasim operantem. Hypostasis autem non praesupponitur in humana natura ante unionem, ut ex supra dictis patet.

Et ideo gratia unionis, secundum intellectum, praecedit gratiam habitualem.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod Augustinus ibi gratiam nominat gratuitam dei voluntatem gratis beneficia largientem. Et propter hoc eadem gratia dicit hominem quemcumque fieri christianum qua gratia factus est christus homo, quia utrumque gratuita dei voluntate, absque meritis, factum est.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod, sicut dispositio in via generationis praecedit perfectionem ad quam disposuit in his quae successive perficiuntur, ita naturaliter perfectionem sequitur quam aliquis iam consecutus est, sicut calor, qui fuit dispositio ad formam ignis, est effectus profluens a forma ignis iam praeexistentis.

Humana autem natura in christo unita est personae verbi a principio absque successione. Unde gratia habitualis non intelligitur ut praecedens unionem, sed ut consequens eam, sicut quaedam proprietas naturalis.

Unde et Augustinus dicit, in enchirid., quod gratia est quodammodo christo homini naturalis.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod commune est prius proprio si utrumque sit unius generis, sed in his quae sunt diversorum generum, nihil prohibet proprium prius esse communi. Gratia autem unionis non est in genere gratiae habitualis, sed est super omne genus, sicut et ipsa divina persona. Unde hoc proprium nihil prohibet esse prius communi, quia non se habet per additionem ad commune, sed potius est principium et origo eius quod commune est.