Part III (Secunda Secundae) Part 61 (1/2)
Reply Obj. 3: G.o.d draws all things to Himself, in so far as He is the source of being, since all things, in as much as they are, tend to be like G.o.d, Who is Being itself.
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SECOND ARTICLE [II-II, Q. 34, Art. 2]
Whether Hatred of G.o.d Is the Greatest of Sins?
Objection 1: It would seem that hatred of G.o.d is not the greatest of sins. For the most grievous sin is the sin against the Holy Ghost, since it cannot be forgiven, according to Matt. 12:32. Now hatred of G.o.d is not reckoned among the various kinds of sin against the Holy Ghost, as may be seen from what has been said above (Q. 14, A. 2).
Therefore hatred of G.o.d is not the most grievous sin.
Obj. 2: Further, sin consists in withdrawing oneself from G.o.d. Now an unbeliever who has not even knowledge of G.o.d seems to be further away from Him than a believer, who though he hate G.o.d, nevertheless knows Him. Therefore it seems that the sin of unbelief is graver than the sin of hatred against G.o.d.
Obj. 3: Further, G.o.d is an object of hatred, only by reason of those of His effects that are contrary to the will: the chief of which is punishment. But hatred of punishment is not the most grievous sin.
Therefore hatred of G.o.d is not the most grievous sin.
_On the contrary,_ The best is opposite to the worst, according to the Philosopher (Ethic. viii, 10). But hatred of G.o.d is contrary to the love of G.o.d, wherein man's best consists. Therefore hatred of G.o.d is man's worst sin.
_I answer that,_ The defect in sin consists in its aversion from G.o.d, as stated above (Q. 10, A. 3): and this aversion would not have the character of guilt, were it not voluntary. Hence the nature of guilt consists in a voluntary aversion from G.o.d.
Now this voluntary aversion from G.o.d is directly implied in the hatred of G.o.d, but in other sins, by partic.i.p.ation and indirectly.
For just as the will cleaves directly to what it loves, so does it directly shun what it hates. Hence when a man hates G.o.d, his will is directly averted from G.o.d, whereas in other sins, fornication for instance, a man turns away from G.o.d, not directly, but indirectly, in so far, namely, as he desires an inordinate pleasure, to which aversion from G.o.d is connected. Now that which is so by itself, always takes precedence of that which is so by another. Wherefore hatred of G.o.d is more grievous than other sins.
Reply Obj. 1: According to Gregory (Moral. xxv, 11), ”it is one thing not to do good things, and another to hate the giver of good things, even as it is one thing to sin indeliberately, and another to sin deliberately.” This implies that to hate G.o.d, the giver of all good things, is to sin deliberately, and this is a sin against the Holy Ghost. Hence it is evident that hatred of G.o.d is chiefly a sin against the Holy Ghost, in so far as the sin against the Holy Ghost denotes a special kind of sin: and yet it is not reckoned among the kinds of sin against the Holy Ghost, because it is universally found in every kind of that sin.
Reply Obj. 2: Even unbelief is not sinful unless it be voluntary: wherefore the more voluntary it is, the more it is sinful. Now it becomes voluntary by the fact that a man hates the truth that is proposed to him. Wherefore it is evident that unbelief derives its sinfulness from hatred of G.o.d, Whose truth is the object of faith; and hence just as a cause is greater than its effect, so hatred of G.o.d is a greater sin than unbelief.
Reply Obj. 3: Not everyone who hates his punishment, hates G.o.d the author of punishments. For many hate the punishments inflicted on them, and yet they bear them patiently out of reverence for the Divine justice. Wherefore Augustine says (Confess. x) that G.o.d commands us to bear with penal evils, not to love them. On the other hand, to break out into hatred of G.o.d when He inflicts those punishments, is to hate G.o.d's very justice, and that is a most grievous sin. Hence Gregory says (Moral. xxv, 11): ”Even as sometimes it is more grievous to love sin than to do it, so is it more wicked to hate justice than not to have done it.”
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THIRD ARTICLE [II-II, Q. 34, Art. 3]
Whether hatred of one's neighbor is always a sin?
Objection 1: It would seem that hatred of one's neighbor is not always a sin. For no sin is commanded or counselled by G.o.d, according to Prov. 8:8: ”All My words are just, there is nothing wicked nor perverse in them.” Now, it is written (Luke 14:26): ”If any man come to Me, and hate not his father and mother ... he cannot be My disciple.” Therefore hatred of one's neighbor is not always a sin.
Obj. 2: Further, nothing wherein we imitate G.o.d can be a sin. But it is in imitation of G.o.d that we hate certain people: for it is written (Rom. 1:30): ”Detractors, hateful to G.o.d.” Therefore it is possible to hate certain people without committing a sin.
Obj. 3: Further, nothing that is natural is a sin, for sin is a ”wandering away from what is according to nature,” according to Damascene (De Fide Orth. ii, 4, 30; iv, 20). Now it is natural to a thing to hate whatever is contrary to it, and to aim at its undoing.
Therefore it seems that it is not a sin to hate one's I enemy.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (1 John 2:9): ”He that ... hateth his brother, is in darkness.” Now spiritual darkness is sin.
Therefore there cannot be hatred of one's neighbor without sin.
_I answer that,_ Hatred is opposed to love, as stated above (I-II, Q.
29, A. 2); so that hatred of a thing is evil according as the love of that thing is good. Now love is due to our neighbor in respect of what he holds from G.o.d, i.e. in respect of nature and grace, but not in respect of what he has of himself and from the devil, i.e. in respect of sin and lack of justice.
Consequently it is lawful to hate the sin in one's brother, and whatever pertains to the defect of Divine justice, but we cannot hate our brother's nature and grace without sin. Now it is part of our love for our brother that we hate the fault and the lack of good in him, since desire for another's good is equivalent to hatred of his evil. Consequently the hatred of one's brother, if we consider it simply, is always sinful.
Reply Obj. 1: By the commandment of G.o.d (Ex. 20:12) we must honor our parents--as united to us in nature and kins.h.i.+p. But we must hate them in so far as they prove an obstacle to our attaining the perfection of Divine justice.