139. Grace
139. GRACE
The most usual fundamental criticism of St. Thomas, and of Catholic theology in general, that you will hear from intelligent and philosophical Muslims and Evangelical and Fundamentalist Protestants is that this theology is just paganism or naturalism with an additional “layer” of supernatural grace; that St. Thomas gives too much credit to fallen human nature and to natural human reason in its ability to know God, and to human free will in its ability to choose good over evil, and to natural human virtue and natural human hopes of Heaven; that St. Thomas’ theology is just thinly baptized naturalism.
A fundamental principle of Catholic theology is that grace perfects nature rather than setting it aside; and that means that the Christian life is not a two-layer cake, the supernatural simply added on to the natural. It transforms the natural but by perfecting it, not by demeaning it. The convert’s whole natural life is transformed by supernatural grace; so that as he becomes holier he also becomes wiser and happier and even healthier.
But this is what happens to nature after grace, and St. Thomas’ critics will often agree with him there. But what about nature before grace? Doesn’t St. Thomas grant too much value and power there to unredeemed nature, pre-graced nature?
(1) Whether without grace man can know any truth?
(2) Whether man can wish or do any good without grace?
(3) Whether by his own natural powers and without grace man can love God above all things?
(4) Whether man without grace and by his own natural powers can fulfill the commandments of the law?
(5) Whether man can merit everlasting life without grace?
(6) Whether man by himself and without the external aid of grace can prepare himself for grace?
(7) Whether man can rise from sin without the help of grace?
(8) Whether man without grace can avoid sin?
(9) Whether one who has already obtained grace can, of himself and without any further help of grace, do good and avoid sin?
(10) Whether man possessed of grace needs the help of grace in order to persevere? (I-II, 109)
St. Thomas has a single, one-syllable answer to all of these questions: No.
That answer should guide our attitude in all our prayers and all our good works. This is a matter of realism, not just piety. The reality is that we are totally, not partially, dependent on Him for everything.
That is why humility is the precondition for all virtues and why gratitude is the precondition for all wisdom.
God loved nature and human nature into being. He saved it at an infinite and incomprehensible cost. He continues to love it, use it, and perfect it. Nature after grace is indeed raised to a far higher dignity, worth, joy, and power than it is in any non-religious philosophy or in any other religion. But nature before grace is nothing. It does not exist. Nature itself is a result of grace, for creation was an act of grace. How could the universe contribute anything at all to its own creation? How could we deserve to be created before we even existed? And how could we possibly take the very first step toward grace, the step of humility and repentance, unless God’s grace came first to prompt us? That is the clear teaching of Scripture, shocking and humbling as it is to our natural pride; and St. Thomas is totally scriptural. He never tries to edit and correct divine revelation. Everything positive in the “new” theologies of Luther and Calvin was essentially a rediscovery of elements of Thomistic theology.