The will of man then is the central point of all those acts that constitute his life as a rational being, and have direct bearing upon the reward of his life which is the winning or the losing of the happiness of heaven?
Yes, the will of man is the central point of all those
acts that constitute his life as a rational being, and have
direct bearing upon the reward of his life which is the
gain or the loss of the happiness of heaven; and this
implies that the act of a human being is of no account
except in so far as it proceeds from the will; whether
it be the will itself that produces the act, or whether the
will move some other faculty of the soul or even member
of the body to produce the act (VIII.-XXI.).
Of all the interior acts of the will which is the most important and the one which is the root of responsibility in man?
It is the act of choosing or "choice" (XIII. 1-6).
Why has the act of choosing or "choice" this importance?
It is because this act effects that the will fixes with full
knowledge and after deliberation upon some determined
good, which it accepts and makes its own in preference
to any other (XIII. 1).
Is choice properly speaking the act of the free will?
Yes (XIII. 6).
It is then by the choice that he makes with regard to all things that man derives his true moral character and his real value in view of the gain or the loss of his eternal happiness?
Yes, it is by the choice that he makes in regard to all
things that man derives his true moral character and his
real value in view of the gain or the loss of his eternal
happiness.
How is choice divided as regards man's true character and moral worth in view of the gain or loss of his eternal happiness?
It is divided into "good choice" and "bad choice"
(XVIII.-XXI.).
What is a "good choice"?
It is one that bears upon a good object, in view of some
good end, and as regards which all the accompanying.
circumstances are good (XVIII.-XIX.).
Next - The Catechism of the Summa - The Second Part: VI. OF WHAT IS IMPLIED IN A HUMAN ACT FOR IT TO BE A GOOD MERITORIOUS ACT,
OR A BAD DEMERITORIOUS ACT; AND OF MERIT AND DEMERIT IN GENERAL (E)
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