Part II (Pars Prima Secundae) Part 107 (1/2)
Reply Obj. 1: Hope regards future happiness as the last end: yet it may also regard the a.s.sistance of grace as that which leads to that end, according to Ps. 27:7: ”In Him hath my heart hoped, and I have been helped.”
Reply Obj. 2: Although sometimes the wicked do not undergo temporal punishment in this life, yet they suffer spiritual punishment. Hence Augustine says (Confess. i): ”Thou hast decreed, and it is so, Lord--that the disordered mind should be its own punishment.” The Philosopher, too, says of the wicked (Ethic. ix, 4) that ”their soul is divided against itself ... one part pulls this way, another that”; and afterwards he concludes, saying: ”If wickedness makes a man so miserable, he should strain every nerve to avoid vice.” In like manner, although, on the other hand, the good sometimes do not receive material rewards in this life, yet they never lack spiritual rewards, even in this life, according to Matt. 19:29, and Mk. 10:30: ”Ye shall receive a hundred times as much” even ”in this time.”
Reply Obj. 3: All these rewards will be fully consummated in the life to come: but meanwhile they are, in a manner, begun, even in this life. Because the ”kingdom of heaven,” as Augustine says (loc. cit.), can denote the beginning of perfect wisdom, in so far as ”the spirit”
begins to reign in men. The ”possession” of the land denotes the well-ordered affections of the soul that rests, by its desire, on the solid foundation of the eternal inheritance, signified by ”the land.”
They are ”comforted” in this life, by receiving the Holy Ghost, Who is called the ”Paraclete,” i.e. the Comforter. They ”have their fill,” even in this life, of that food of which Our Lord said (John 4:34): ”My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me.” Again, in this life, men ”obtain” G.o.d's ”Mercy.” Again, the eye being cleansed by the gift of understanding, we can, so to speak, ”see G.o.d.”
Likewise, in this life, those who are the ”peacemakers” of their own movements, approach to likeness to G.o.d, and are called ”the children of G.o.d.” Nevertheless these things will be more perfectly fulfilled in heaven.
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THIRD ARTICLE [I-II, Q. 69, Art. 3]
Whether the Beat.i.tudes Are Suitably Enumerated?
Objection 1: It would seem that the beat.i.tudes are unsuitably enumerated. For the beat.i.tudes are a.s.signed to the gifts, as stated above (A. 1, ad 1). Now some of the gifts, viz. wisdom and understanding, belong to the contemplative life: yet no beat.i.tude is a.s.signed to the act of contemplation, for all are a.s.signed to matters connected with the active life. Therefore the beat.i.tudes are insufficiently enumerated.
Obj. 2: Further, not only do the executive gifts belong to the active life, but also some of the directive gifts, e.g. knowledge and counsel: yet none of the beat.i.tudes seems to be directly connected with the acts of knowledge or counsel. Therefore the beat.i.tudes are insufficiently indicated.
Obj. 3: Further, among the executive gifts connected with the active life, fear is said to be connected with poverty, while piety seems to correspond to the beat.i.tude of mercy: yet nothing is included directly connected with justice. Therefore the beat.i.tudes are insufficiently enumerated.
Obj. 4: Further, many other beat.i.tudes are mentioned in Holy Writ.
Thus, it is written (Job 5:17): ”Blessed is the man whom G.o.d correcteth”; and (Ps. i, 1): ”Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the unG.o.dly”; and (Prov. 3:13): ”Blessed is the man that findeth wisdom.” Therefore the beat.i.tudes are insufficiently enumerated.
Obj. 5: On the other hand, it seems that too many are mentioned. For there are seven gifts of the Holy Ghost: whereas eight beat.i.tudes are indicated.
Obj. 6: Further, only four beat.i.tudes are indicated in the sixth chapter of Luke. Therefore the seven or eight mentioned in Matthew 5 are too many.
_I answer that,_ These beat.i.tudes are most suitably enumerated. To make this evident it must be observed that beat.i.tude has been held to consist in one of three things: for some have ascribed it to a sensual life, some, to an active life, and some, to a contemplative life [*See Q. 3]. Now these three kinds of happiness stand in different relations to future beat.i.tude, by hoping for which we are said to be happy. Because sensual happiness, being false and contrary to reason, is an obstacle to future beat.i.tude; while happiness of the active life is a disposition of future beat.i.tude; and contemplative happiness, if perfect, is the very essence of future beat.i.tude, and, if imperfect, is a beginning thereof.
And so Our Lord, in the first place, indicated certain beat.i.tudes as removing the obstacle of sensual happiness. For a life of pleasure consists of two things. First, in the affluence of external goods, whether riches or honors; from which man is withdrawn--by a virtue so that he uses them in moderation--and by a gift, in a more excellent way, so that he despises them altogether. Hence the first beat.i.tude is: ”Blessed are the poor in spirit,” which may refer either to the contempt of riches, or to the contempt of honors, which results from humility. Secondly, the sensual life consists in following the bent of one's pa.s.sions, whether irascible or concupiscible. From following the irascible pa.s.sions man is withdrawn--by a virtue, so that they are kept within the bounds appointed by the ruling of reason--and by a gift, in a more excellent manner, so that man, according to G.o.d's will, is altogether undisturbed by them: hence the second beat.i.tude is: ”Blessed are the meek.” From following the concupiscible pa.s.sions, man is withdrawn--by a virtue, so that man uses these pa.s.sions in moderation--and by a gift, so that, if necessary, he casts them aside altogether; nay more, so that, if need be, he makes a deliberate choice of sorrow [*Cf. Q. 35, A. 3]; hence the third beat.i.tude is: ”Blessed are they that mourn.”
Active life consists chiefly in man's relations with his neighbor, either by way of duty or by way of spontaneous gratuity. To the former we are disposed--by a virtue, so that we do not refuse to do our duty to our neighbor, which pertains to justice--and by a gift, so that we do the same much more heartily, by accomplis.h.i.+ng works of justice with an ardent desire, even as a hungry and thirsty man eats and drinks with eager appet.i.te. Hence the fourth beat.i.tude is: ”Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice.” With regard to spontaneous favors we are perfected--by a virtue, so that we give where reason dictates we should give, e.g. to our friends or others united to us; which pertains to the virtue of liberality--and by a gift, so that, through reverence for G.o.d, we consider only the needs of those on whom we bestow our gratuitous bounty: hence it is written (Luke 14:12, 13): ”When thou makest a dinner or supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren,” etc ... ”but ... call the poor, the maimed,” etc.; which, properly, is to have mercy: hence the fifth beat.i.tude is: ”Blessed are the merciful.”
Those things which concern the contemplative life, are either final beat.i.tude itself, or some beginning thereof: wherefore they are included in the beat.i.tudes, not as merits, but as rewards. Yet the effects of the active life, which dispose man for the contemplative life, are included in the beat.i.tudes. Now the effect of the active life, as regards those virtues and gifts whereby man is perfected in himself, is the cleansing of man's heart, so that it is not defiled by the pa.s.sions: hence the sixth beat.i.tude is: ”Blessed are the clean of heart.” But as regards the virtues and gifts whereby man is perfected in relation to his neighbor, the effect of the active life is peace, according to Isa. 32:17: ”The work of justice shall be peace”: hence the seventh beat.i.tude is ”Blessed are the peacemakers.”
Reply Obj. 1: The acts of the gifts which belong to the active life are indicated in the merits: but the acts of the gifts pertaining to the contemplative life are indicated in the rewards, for the reason given above. Because to ”see G.o.d” corresponds to the gift of understanding; and to be like G.o.d by being adoptive ”children of G.o.d,” corresponds to the gift of wisdom.
Reply Obj. 2: In things pertaining to the active life, knowledge is not sought for its own sake, but for the sake of operation, as even the Philosopher states (Ethic. ii, 2). And therefore, since beat.i.tude implies something ultimate, the beat.i.tudes do not include the acts of those gifts which direct man in the active life, such acts, to wit, as are elicited by those gifts, as, e.g. to counsel is the act of counsel, and to judge, the act of knowledge: but, on the other hand, they include those operative acts of which the gifts have the direction, as, e.g. mourning in respect of knowledge, and mercy in respect of counsel.
Reply Obj. 3: In applying the beat.i.tudes to the gifts we may consider two things. One is likeness of matter. In this way all the first five beat.i.tudes may be a.s.signed to knowledge and counsel as to their directing principles: whereas they must be distributed among the executive gifts: so that, to wit, hunger and thirst for justice, and mercy too, correspond to piety, which perfects man in his relations to others; meekness to fort.i.tude, for Ambrose says on Luke 6:22: ”It is the business of fort.i.tude to conquer anger, and to curb indignation,” fort.i.tude being about the irascible pa.s.sions: poverty and mourning to the gift of fear, whereby man withdraws from the l.u.s.ts and pleasures of the world.
Secondly, we may consider the motives of the beat.i.tudes: and, in this way, some of them will have to be a.s.signed differently. Because the princ.i.p.al motive for meekness is reverence for G.o.d, which belongs to piety. The chief motive for mourning is knowledge, whereby man knows his failings and those of worldly things, according to Eccles. 1:18: ”He that addeth knowledge, addeth also sorrow [Vulg: labor].” The princ.i.p.al motive for hungering after the works of justice is fort.i.tude of the soul: and the chief motive for being merciful is G.o.d's counsel, according to Dan. 4:24: ”Let my counsel be acceptable to the king [Vulg: to thee, O king]: and redeem thou thy sins with alms, and thy iniquities with works of mercy to the poor.” It is thus that Augustine a.s.signs them (De Serm. Dom. in Monte i, 4).
Reply Obj. 4: All the beat.i.tudes mentioned in Holy Writ must be reduced to these, either as to the merits or as to the rewards: because they must all belong either to the active or to the contemplative life. Accordingly, when we read, ”Blessed is the man whom the Lord correcteth,” we must refer this to the beat.i.tude of mourning: when we read, ”Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsel of the unG.o.dly,” we must refer it to cleanness of heart: and when we read, ”Blessed is the man that findeth wisdom,” this must be referred to the reward of the seventh beat.i.tude. The same applies to all others that can be adduced.
Reply Obj. 5: The eighth beat.i.tude is a confirmation and declaration of all those that precede. Because from the very fact that a man is confirmed in poverty of spirit, meekness, and the rest, it follows that no persecution will induce him to renounce them. Hence the eighth beat.i.tude corresponds, in a way, to all the preceding seven.
Reply Obj. 6: Luke relates Our Lord's sermon as addressed to the mult.i.tude (Luke 6:17). Hence he sets down the beat.i.tudes according to the capacity of the mult.i.tude, who know no other happiness than pleasure, temporal and earthly: wherefore by these four beat.i.tudes Our Lord excludes four things which seem to belong to such happiness.
The first of these is abundance of external goods, which he sets aside by saying: ”Blessed are ye poor.” The second is that man be well off as to his body, in food and drink, and so forth; this he excludes by saying in the second place: ”Blessed are ye that hunger.”
The third is that it should be well with man as to joyfulness of heart, and this he puts aside by saying: ”Blessed are ye that weep now.” The fourth is the outward favor of man; and this he excludes, saying, fourthly: ”Blessed shall you be, when men shall hate you.”