Whether There Can Be Any Excess in the Worship of God?
Objection 1: It would seem that there cannot be excess in the worship
of God. It is written (Ecclus. 43:32): "Glorify the Lord as much as
ever you can, for He will yet far exceed." Now the divine worship is
directed to the glorification of God. Therefore there can be no
excess in it.
Obj. 2: Further, outward worship is a profession of inward worship,
"whereby God is worshiped with faith, hope, and charity," as
Augustine says (Enchiridion iii). Now there can be no excess in
faith, hope, and charity. Neither, therefore, can there be in the
worship of God.
Obj. 3: Further, to worship God consists in offering to Him what we
have received from Him. But we have received all our goods from God.
Therefore if we do all that we possibly can for God's honor, there
will be no excess in the divine worship.
_On the contrary,_ Augustine says (De Doctr. Christ. ii, 18) "that
the good and true Christian rejects also superstitious fancies from
Holy Writ." But Holy Writ teaches us to worship God. Therefore there
can be superstition by reason of excess even in the worship of God.
_I answer that,_ A thing is said to be in excess in two ways. First,
with regard to absolute quantity, and in this way there cannot be
excess in the worship of God, because whatever man does is less than
he owes God. Secondly, a thing is in excess with regard to quantity
of proportion, through not being proportionate to its end. Now the
end of divine worship is that man may give glory to God, and submit
to Him in mind and body. Consequently, whatever a man may do
conducing to God's glory, and subjecting his mind to God, and his
body, too, by a moderate curbing of the concupiscences, is not
excessive in the divine worship, provided it be in accordance with
the commandments of God and of the Church, and in keeping with the
customs of those among whom he lives.
On the other hand if that which is done be, in itself, not conducive
to God's glory, nor raise man's mind to God, nor curb inordinate
concupiscence, or again if it be not in accordance with the
commandments of God and of the Church, or if it be contrary to the
general custom--which, according to Augustine [*Ad Casulan. Ep.
xxxvi], "has the force of law"--all this must be reckoned excessive
and superstitious, because consisting, as it does, of mere externals,
it has no connection with the internal worship of God. Hence
Augustine (De Vera Relig. iii) quotes the words of Luke 17:21, "The
kingdom of God is within you," against the "superstitious," those, to
wit, who pay more attention to externals.
Reply Obj. 1: The glorification of God implies that what is done is
done for God's glory: and this excludes the excess denoted by
superstition.
Reply Obj. 2: Faith, hope and charity subject the mind to God, so
that there can be nothing excessive in them. It is different with
external acts, which sometimes have no connection with these virtues.
Reply Obj. 3: This argument considers excess by way of absolute
quantity.
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