Whether, After Penance, Man Rises Again to Equal Virtue?
Objection 1: It would seem that, after Penance, man rises again to
equal virtue. For the Apostle says (Rom. 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.
Obj. 2: Further, Ambrose says [*Cf. Hypognosticon iii, an anonymous
work falsely ascribed to St. Augustine] 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.
Obj. 3: Further, on Gen. 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 (Rom. 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 (Q. 86, A. 6, ad 3; Q. 89, A. 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 Second Part (I-II, Q.
113, AA. 5, 7), which movement includes an act of penance, as stated
above (Q. 86, A. 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 Second Part
(I-II, Q. 52, AA. 1, 2; Q. 66, A. 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 Obj. 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 Obj. 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 Obj. 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."
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