IV. OF THE POSSESSION OF THIS HAPPINESS
How can man come to possess God, his Supreme Good, and to enjoy Him?
Man can come to possess God, his Supreme Good,
and to enjoy Him, by an act of his intellect which is moved
to this by his will.
What must man do in order to attain his perfect happiness by this act of his intellect?
In order for man to attain to his perfect happiness
this act of his intellect, it is necessary that God should be
reached by him, as He is in Himself, and not merely in
the way He can be reached by the aid of creatures whatsoever
these creatures may be (III. 5-8).
What is this act called whereby God is reached by the intellect as He is in Himself?
This act is called the "vision of God" (III. 8).
Does then the perfect happiness of man consist in the vision of God?
Yes, it is in the vision of God that the perfect happiness
man consists (III. 8).
When man has attained to this vision of God in all its perfection, does it bring with it whatsoever is of perfection to man, in his soul, body, and in everything that concerns him?
Yes, when man has attained to this vision of God in
all its perfection of necessity it brings with it all that can
be of perfection to man in his soul, body, and in all that
concerns him; for since it is the good of man in its highest
source, from it come all things felicitous for his supreme
perfection (IV. 1-8).
This vision then means for man the possession of all good to the exclusion of all evil?
Yes, this means for man the possession of all good to
the exclusion of all evil (ibid.).
Next - The Catechism of the Summa - The Second Part: V. OF THE MEANS OF REALIZING THIS POSSESSION, OR OF THE GOOD ACTS
WHICH ARE DESERVING OF IT, AND OF EVIL ACTS WHICH BRING ABOUT ITS LOSS
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are subject to deletion if they are not germane. I have no problem with a bit of colourful language, but blasphemy or depraved profanity will not be allowed. Attacks on the Catholic Faith will not be tolerated. Comments will be deleted that are republican (Yanks! Note the lower case 'r'!), attacks on the legitimacy of Pope Francis as the Vicar of Christ (I know he's a material heretic and a Protector of Perverts, and I definitely want him gone yesterday! However, he is Pope, and I pray for him every day.), the legitimacy of the House of Windsor or of the claims of the Elder Line of the House of France, or attacks on the legitimacy of any of the currently ruling Houses of Europe.