Part 15 (1/2)

b) Nevertheless, it would be unreasonable to contend that Congruism solves all difficulties. The mystery surrounding both the unequal distribution of efficacious grace and the _scientia media_ still remains. Moreover, the theory that G.o.d adjusts himself slavishly to all the circ.u.mstances of His creatures, can hardly be reconciled with His dignity and omnipotence. It would no doubt be far worthier of His majesty to seize upon the free will of man and compel it to perform the salutary act which He wishes it to perform. Whoever has studied the lives of saints and eminent converts knows that the sudden and seemingly unaccountable changes of heart which many of them have experienced can hardly be regarded as miracles in the strict sense, though on the other hand it seems certain that grace worked in them with little or no regard to the ”congruity” of circ.u.mstances.

Again, it is one of the highest and most sublime missions of grace not to be balked by unfavorable circ.u.mstances but to re-shape them by changing a man's temperament, dulling concupiscence, weakening the power of temptation, and so forth. In other words, grace does not depend on but controls and fas.h.i.+ons the circ.u.mstances of the recipient.

After all is said, therefore, the relation of grace and free-will still remains an unsolved mystery.(775)

3. SYNCRETISM.-Seeing that each of the different systems which we so far reviewed contains grains of truth, some theologians(776) have adopted the good points of all four and combined them into a fifth, called Syncretism.

These authors begin by a.s.suming the existence of two quite distinct sorts of efficacious grace, the (Thomistic-Augustinian) _gratia efficax ab intrinseco_, and the (Molinistic-Congruistic) _gratia efficax ab extrinseco_. The former, they contend, is bestowed for the performance of more difficult good works, such as resisting grievous temptations, observing onerous precepts, exercising patience in severe tribulation, etc.; while the latter enables man to accomplish less difficult acts, such as short prayers, slight mortifications, etc. The connecting link between the two is prayer, which has been inst.i.tuted for the purpose of enabling man to obtain that _gratia efficax ab intrinseco_ which is necessary for the performance of the more difficult works of salvation. Sacred Scripture teaches that prayer originates in grace, that it is binding upon all men, and that it accomplishes its purpose infallibly.(777)

CRITICAL ESTIMATE OF SYNCRETISM.-The outstanding characteristic of Syncretism is its insistence on prayer as a highly important, not to say the most important, factor in the work of salvation.

a) In this the Syncretistic school is undoubtedly right. Sacred Scripture and Tradition both strongly emphasize the importance and necessity of prayer, so much so that one naturally expects to find prayer playing an essential and indispensable role in every complete and orthodox system of grace. ”The present economy of grace is essentially and intrinsically an economy of prayer,” is a theological axiom which cannot be too strongly insisted upon. To have brought out this great truth forcibly and luminously is the merit of Syncretism.

b) We do not mean to intimate, however, that the Syncretistic theory has solved the problem of the relation between free-will and grace. On the contrary, by adopting two such heterogeneous concepts as _gratia efficax ab intrinseco_ and _gratia efficax ab extrinseco_ it has actually increased the difficulties found in the other systems. For now we are put before the dilemma:-the Thomistic _gratia efficax_ either supposes free-will or it does not: if it does, there is no reason to limit this grace to the more difficult works of salvation; if it does not, then the _gratia efficax_ can be of no a.s.sistance in the performance of more difficult works, because these too, to be meritorious, require the cooperation of free-will.

The Syncretists try to evade this dilemma by contending that prayer, as the connecting link, communicates its own liberty and meritoriousness to the salutary acts performed through its agency, in other words, that these acts are the effect of prayer (_effectus orationis_). But aside from the fact that prayer itself is quite often a difficult act, the more arduous works of salvation would in the Syncretist hypothesis be stripped of their meritoriousness and degraded to the level of a _voluntarium in causa_, which is an untenable a.s.sumption.(778) Finally, there is something illogical and unsatisfactory in admitting on equal terms, as it were, two such incompatible notions as the Thomistic _cognitio Dei in decretis praedeterminantibus_ and the Molinistic _scientia media_.

Thus in the end all attempts to harmonize the dogmas of grace and free-will fail to solve the mystery, and we are compelled to exclaim with St. Paul: ”O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of G.o.d! How incomprehensible are His judgments, and how unsearchable His ways!”(779)

READINGS:-Molinistic and Congruistic works of importance are: *Molina, S. J., _Concordia Liberi Arbitrii c.u.m Gratiae Donis_, Lisbon 1588 (repr. Paris 1876).-Platel, S. J., _Auctoritas contra Praedeterminationem Physicam pro Scientia Media_, Douai 1669.-Henao, S. J., _Scientia Media Historice Propugnata_, Lyons 1655.-IDEM, _Scientia Media Theologice Defensa_, Lyons 1674-6.-De Aranda, S. J., _De Deo Sciente, Praedestinante et Auxiliante seu Schola Scientiae Mediae_, Saragossa 1693.-*Suarez, S. J., _De Concursu, Motione et Auxilio Dei_, new ed., Paris 1856.-IDEM, _De Auxilio Efficaci_, Paris ed., 1856, t. XI.-IDEM, _De Vera Intelligentia Auxilii Efficacis_ (_Op. Posthum._, t. X, Appendix).-*Lessius, S. J., _De Gratia Efficaci_ (_Opusc._, t. II, Paris 1878).-Sardagna, S. J., _Theologia Dogmatico-Polemica_, Ratisbon 1771.-Wirceburgenses (Kilber, S. J.), _De Gratia_, new ed., Paris 1853.-Murray, _De Gratia_, Dublin 1877.-B. Jungmann, S.

J., _De Gratia_, 6th ed., Ratisbon 1896.-Th. de Regnon, S. J., _Banez et Molina, Histoire, Doctrines, Critique, Metaphysique_, Paris 1883.-Card. Mazzella, S. J., _De Gratia Christi_, 3rd ed., Rome 1882.-Palmieri, S. J., _De Gratia Divina Actuali_, thes.

49-58, Gulpen 1885.-*V. Frins, S. J., _S. Thomae Doctrina de Cooperatione Dei c.u.m Omni __ Natura Creata, Praesertim Libera, seu S. Thomas Praedeterminationis Physicae Adversarius_, Paris 1890.-*Schiffini, S. J., _De Gratia Divina_, disp. 5, Freiburg 1901.-Card. Billot, S. J., _De Gratia Christi et Libero Hominis Arbitrio_, I, Rome 1908.-Limbourg, S. J. ”_Selbstzeichnung der thomistischen Gnadenlehre_,” in the Innsbruck _Zeitschrift fur kath. Theologie_, 1877.-B. J. Otten, S. J., _A Manual of the History of Dogmas_, Vol. II, St. Louis 1918, pp. 493 sqq.

Among the theologians who have tried to harmonize Thomism and Molinism we may mention, besides Ysambert and St. Alphonsus de'

Liguori, *Tournely, _De Gratia_, Venice 1755.-Card. Jos. Pecci, _Sentenza di S. Tommaso circa l'Influsso di Dio sulle Azioni delle Creature Ragionevoli e sulla Scienza Media_, Rome 1885.-A.

Adeodatus, J. _Pecci's Schrift: Lehre des hl. Thomas uber den Einfluss Gottes, etc., a.n.a.lysiert_, Mainz 1888.-C. Krogh-Tonning, _De Gratia Christi et de Libero Arbitrio S. Thomae Doctrina_, Christiania 1898.-J. Herrmann, C. SS. R., _De Divina Gratia_, Rome 1904.

The history of the great controversy between Thomism and Molinism can be studied in H. Serry, O. P., _Historia Congregationum de Auxiliis Divinae Gratiae_, Louvain 1700 and Antwerp 1709.-Livinus de Meyer, S. J., _Historia Controversiarum de Divinae Gratiae Auxiliis_, Antwerp 1705.-*Schneemann, S. J., _Entstehung der thomistisch-molinistischen Controverse_, Freiburg 1879.-*IDEM, _Weitere Entwicklung der thomistisch-molinistischen Controverse_, Freiburg 1880.-*IDEM, _Controversiarum de Divinae Gratiae Liberique Arbitrii Concordia Initia et Progressus_, Freiburg 1881.

PART II. SANCTIFYING GRACE

The grace of justification, commonly called sanctifying grace, is related to actual grace as an end to its means. Actual grace introduces the state of sanctifying grace or preserves and augments it where it already exists.

This fact makes it advisable to consider the genesis of sanctifying grace before studying its nature and effects.

We shall therefore treat in three chapters: (1) of the Process of Justification (_iustificatio in fieri_); (2) of the State of Justification (_iustificatio in esse_), and (3) of the Fruits of Justification (_iustificatio in facto esse_), or the Merit of Good Works.

Chapter I. The Genesis Of Sanctifying Grace, Or The Process Of Justification

The justification of an adult human being does not take place suddenly, but runs through certain well-defined stages, which in their totality are called the process of justification.

Being a ”regeneration in G.o.d,” justification bears a striking resemblance to the development of the ftus in the maternal womb. Like physical birth, spiritual regeneration is preceded by travailing, _i.e._ fear and painful contrition.

The dogmatic teaching of the Catholic Church on justification is formally defined by the Tridentine Council, whose decrees(780) contain a masterly a.n.a.lysis of this most interesting of psychological processes. The holy Synod puts faith at the beginning. ”Faith,” it says, ”is the beginning of human salvation, the foundation and the root of all justification.”(781) The nature of faith and the part it plays in justification were the chief points in dispute between the Church and the so-called Reformers. Luther and his followers denatured the traditional Catholic teaching by basing justification solely on faith, which they falsely defined as mere confidence or trust in the mercy of G.o.d.