Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It would seem that, after Penance, man rises again to equal virtue. For the Apostle says (Rm. 8:28): "To them that love God all things work together unto good," whereupon a gloss of Augustine says that "this is so true that, if any such man goes astray and wanders from the path, God makes even this conduce to his good." But this would not be true if he rose again to lesser virtue. Therefore it seems that a penitent never rises again to lesser virtue.

Objection 2: Further, Ambrose says that "Penance is a very good thing, for it restores every defect to a state of perfection." But this would not be true unless virtues were recovered in equal measure. Therefore equal virtue is always recovered through Penance.

Objection 3: Further, on Gn. 1:5: "There was evening and morning, one day," a gloss says: "The evening light is that from which we fall the morning light is that to which we rise again." Now the morning light is greater than the evening light. Therefore a man rises to greater grace or charity than that which he had before; which is confirmed by the Apostle's words (Rm. 5:20): "Where sin abounded, grace did more abound."

On the contrary, Charity whether proficient or perfect is greater than incipient charity. But sometimes a man falls from proficient charity, and rises again to incipient charity. Therefore man always rises again to less virtue.

I answer that, As stated above (Question 86, Article 6, ad 3; Question 89, Article 1, ad 2), the movement of the free-will, in the justification of the ungodly, is the ultimate disposition to grace; so that in the same instant there is infusion of grace together with the aforesaid movement of the free-will, as stated in the 1.2, Question 113, Articles 5,7, which movement includes an act of penance, as stated above (Question 86, Article 2). But it is evident that forms which admit of being more or less, become intense or remiss, according to the different dispositions of the subject, as stated in the 1.2, Question 52, Articles 1,2; 1.2, Question 66, Article 1. Hence it is that, in Penance, according to the degree of intensity or remissness in the movement of the free-will, the penitent receives greater or lesser grace. Now the intensity of the penitent's movement may be proportionate sometimes to a greater grace than that from which man fell by sinning, sometimes to an equal grace, sometimes to a lesser. Wherefore the penitent sometimes arises to a greater grace than that which he had before, sometimes to an equal, sometimes to a lesser grace: and the same applies to the virtues, which flow from grace.

Reply to Objection 1: The very fact of falling away from the love of God by sin, does not work unto the good of all those who love God, which is evident in the case of those who fall and never rise again, or who rise and fall yet again; but only to the good of "such as according to His purpose are called to be saints," viz. the predestined, who, however often they may fall, yet rise again finally. Consequently good comes of their falling, not that they always rise again to greater grace, but that they rise to more abiding grace, not indeed on the part of grace itself, because the greater the grace, the more abiding it is, but on the part of man, who, the more careful and humble he is, abides the more steadfastly in grace. Hence the same gloss adds that "their fall conduces to their good, because they rise more humble and more enlightened."

Reply to Objection 2: Penance, considered in itself, has the power to bring all defects back to perfection, and even to advance man to a higher state; but this is sometimes hindered on the part of man, whose movement towards God and in detestation of sin is too remiss, just as in Baptism adults receive a greater or a lesser grace, according to the various ways in which they prepare themselves.

Reply to Objection 3: This comparison of the two graces to the evening and morning light is made on account of a likeness of order, since the darkness of night follows after the evening light, and the light of day after the light of morning, but not on account of a likeness of greater or lesser quantity. Again, this saying of the Apostle refers to the grace of Christ, which abounds more than any number of man's sins. Nor is it true of all, that the more their sins abound, the more abundant grace they receive, if we measure habitual grace by the quantity. Grace is, however, more abundant, as regards the very notion of grace, because to him who sins more a more "gratuitous" favor is vouchsafed by his pardon; although sometimes those whose sins abound, abound also in sorrow, so that they receive a more abundant habit of grace and virtue, as was the case with Magdalen.

To the argument advanced in the contrary sense it must be replied that in one and the same man proficient grace is greater than incipient grace, but this is not necessarily the case in different men, for one begins with a greater grace than another has in the state of proficiency: thus Gregory says (Dial. ii, 1): "Let all, both now and hereafter, acknowledge how perfectly the boy Benedict turned to the life of grace from the very beginning."

Articulus 2

Argumentum 1

Ad secundum sic proceditur. Videtur quod post poenitentiam resurgat homo in aequali virtute.

Dicit enim apostolus, Rom. VIII, diligentibus deum omnia cooperantur in bonum, ubi dicit Glossa Augustini quod hoc adeo verum est ut, si qui horum devient et exorbitent, hoc ipsum deus faciat eis in bonum proficere.

Sed hoc non esset si homo resurgeret in minori virtute.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, Ambrosius dicit quod poenitentia optima res est, quae omnes defectus revocat ad perfectum.

Sed hoc non esset nisi virtutes in aequali quantitate recuperarentur. Ergo per poenitentiam semper recuperatur aequalis virtus.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, super illud genes. I, factum est vespere et mane dies unus, dicit Glossa, vespertina lux est a qua quis cecidit, matutina in qua resurgit.

Sed lux matutina est maior quam vespertina. Ergo aliquis resurgit in maiori gratia vel caritate quam prius habuerat.

Quod etiam videtur per id quod apostolus dicit, Rom. V, ubi abundavit delictum, superabundavit et gratia.

Sed Contra

Sed contra, caritas proficiens vel perfecta maior est quam caritas incipiens. Sed quandoque aliquis cadit a caritate proficiente, resurgit autem in caritate incipiente. Ergo semper resurgit homo in minori etiam virtute.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod, sicut dictum est, motus liberi arbitrii qui est in iustificatione impii, est ultima dispositio ad gratiam, unde in eodem instanti est gratiae infusio cum praedicto motu liberi arbitrii, ut in secunda parte habitum est.

In quo quidem motu comprehenditur actus poenitentiae, ut supra dictum est.

Manifestum est autem quod formae quae possunt recipere magis et minus, intenduntur et remittuntur secundum diversam dispositionem subiecti, ut in secunda parte habitum est.

Et inde est quod, secundum quod motus liberi arbitrii in poenitentia est intensior vel remissior, secundum hoc poenitens consequitur maiorem vel minorem gratiam. Contingit autem intensionem motus poenitentis quandoque proportionatam esse maiori gratiae quam illa a qua cecidit per peccatum; quandoque vero aequali; quandoque vero minori. Et ideo poenitens quandoque resurgit in maiori gratia quam prius habuerat; quandoque autem in aequali; quandoque etiam in minori. Et eadem ratio est de virtutibus, quae ex gratia consequuntur.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod non omnibus diligentibus deum cooperatur in bonum hoc ipsum quod per peccatum a dei amore cadunt, quod patet in his qui cadunt et nunquam resurgunt, vel qui resurgunt iterum casuri, sed in his qui secundum propositum vocati sunt sancti, scilicet praedestinatis, qui, quotiescumque cadunt, finaliter tamen resurgunt. Cedit igitur eis in bonum hoc quod cadunt, non quia semper in maiori gratia resurgant, sed quia resurgunt in permanentiori gratia, non quidem ex parte ipsius gratiae, quia, quanto gratia est maior, tanto de se est permanentior; sed ex parte hominis, qui tanto stabilius in gratia permanet quanto est cautior et humilior.

Unde et Glossa ibidem subdit quod ideo proficit eis in bonum quod cadunt, quia humiliores redeunt, et quia doctiores fiunt.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod poenitentia, quantum est de se, habet virtutem reparandi omnes defectus ad perfectum, et etiam promovendi in ulteriorem statum, sed hoc quandoque impeditur ex parte hominis, qui remissius movetur in deum et in detestationem peccati.

Sicut etiam in baptismo aliqui adulti consequuntur maiorem vel minorem gratiam, secundum quod diversimode se disponunt.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod illa assimilatio utriusque gratiae ad lucem vespertinam et matutinam fit propter similitudinem ordinis, quia post lucem vespertinam sequuntur tenebrae noctis, post lucem autem matutinam sequitur lux diei, non autem propter maiorem vel minorem similitudinem quantitatis.

Illud etiam verbum apostoli intelligitur de gratia, quae exsuperat omnem abundantiam humanorum peccatorum.

Non autem hoc est verum in omnibus, quod quanto abundantius peccavit, tanto abundantiorem gratiam consequatur, pensata quantitate habitualis gratiae. Est tamen superabundans gratia quantum ad ipsam gratiae rationem, quia magis gratis beneficium remissionis magis peccatori confertur. Quamvis quandoque abundanter peccantes abundanter dolent, et sic abundantiorem habitum gratiae et virtutum consequuntur, sicut patet in Magdalena.

Ad 4

Ad id vero quod in contrarium obiicitur, dicendum quod una et eadem gratia maior est proficiens quam incipiens, sed in diversis hoc non est necesse. Unus enim incipit a maiori gratia quam alius habeat in statu profectus, sicut Gregorius dicit, in II dialog., praesentes et secuturi omnes cognoscant, benedictus puer a quanta perfectione conversionis gratiam incoepisset.