Section — Koch–Preuss
Section 2: The Natural Requisite of Moral Regeneration
Though "the justification of the sinner is brought about by God moving man to justice," 1 moral regeneration in the case of adults is not a compulsory, much less a magical process, but one that takes place in a manner corresponding to human nature, i. e., by the free cooperation of the will with grace.2
1 Conc. Trident., Sess. VI, can. 1-3. —Cfr. Saint Thomas, Summa Theol., 1a 2ae, qu. 113, art. 3: "The justification of the sinner is brought about by God moving man to justice. For He it is who justifies the ungodly (Rom. III, 24)."
2 St. Augustine, Serm., 169 (al. 152 4 ) 15 de Verbis Apost.), c. 11, n. 13: "The justice of God can exist without your will, but it cannot exist in you apart from your will. He who made you without you does not justify you without you. Therefore He made you without your knowing; He justifies you willing." (Migne, P. L., XXXVIII, 923).—The Angelic Doctor continues as follows in the passage quoted above (Summa Theol., 1a 2ae, qu. 113, art. 3): “God moves all things according to the mode of each, just as in natural things we see that heavy and light things are moved by Him differently because of the diverse nature of each. Hence He also moves man toward justice according to the condition of human nature. Now man according to his proper nature possesses free choice. Therefore in one who has the use of free choice, movement by God toward justice does not take place without a movement of free choice; rather, He so infuses the gift of justifying grace that at the same time He also moves free choice to accept the gift of grace in those capable of this movement.” — Contra Gent., 1. 3, c. 148, n. 2: "Divine assistance is understood to be applied to man for acting well in such a way that it works our works in us, as the first cause works the operations of secondary causes and the principal agent works the action of an instrument (Is. XXVI, 12). But the first cause causes the operation of a secondary cause according to the latter’s own mode. Therefore God also causes our works in us according to our mode, which is that we act voluntarily and not by compulsion. Consequently no one is compelled by divine assistance to act rightly."
Justification, therefore, presupposes a rational creature endowed with free-will and voluntarily subjecting itself to God.3 This movement of the will towards God takes place by faith,4 which turns the soul away from sin and directs it towards God.5
3 Conc. Trident., Sess. VI, can. 4: "If anyone says that man’s free choice, moved and aroused by God, cooperates in no way by assenting to God who arouses and calls, whereby it disposes and prepares itself to obtain the grace of justification, and that it cannot dissent if it wills, but like something inanimate does absolutely nothing and bears itself merely passively, let him be anathema," (Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 814).
4 St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 1a 2ae, qu. 113, art. 4: “A movement of free choice is required for the justification of the ungodly insofar as man’s mind is moved by God. God moves man’s soul by turning it toward Himself. Therefore for the justification of the ungodly a movement of the mind is required by which it is turned toward God. The first turning toward God takes place through faith. Therefore a movement of faith is required for the justification of the ungodly.”
5 St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 1a 2ae, qu. 113, art. 5: “The justification of the ungodly is a certain movement by which the human mind is moved by God from the state of sin to the state of justice. Therefore the human mind must relate to both extremes according to a movement of free choice, just as a body moved locally by a mover relates to the two termini of movement. It is manifest in the local movement of bodies that the moved body withdraws from the terminus from which it begins and approaches the terminus to which it moves. Hence the human mind, while it is justified, must through a movement of free choice withdraw from sin and approach justice. Withdrawal and approach in a movement of free choice are understood according to detestation and desire. Therefore in the justification of the ungodly there must be a twofold movement of free choice: one by which through desire it tends toward God’s justice, and another by which it detests sin.” —Ibid., art. 6: "Four things are enumerated which are required for the justification of the ungodly: the infusion of grace, the movement of free choice toward God through faith, the movement of free choice against sin, and the remission of guilt." —Ibid., art. 7: "The whole justification of the ungodly consists originally in the infusion of grace. For through it free choice is moved and guilt is forgiven." —Conc. Trid., Sess. VI, cap. 6: "Sinners begin to love that God as the source of all justice, and therefore they are moved against sins through a certain hatred and detestation." — Cap. 7: "Justification itself follows this disposition or preparation; it is not merely remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior man through the voluntary reception of grace and gifts, whereby man becomes just from being unjust, and a friend from being an enemy, so that he may be an heir according to the hope of eternal life." (Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 798, 799).
Because concupiscence remains in the soul even after this moral regeneration,6 man must fight all his life against the enemies of his eternal salvation and endeavor to secure it by obedience to the commandments, by prayer and abstinence, by works of faith, hope, and charity, —in a word, he must strive unremittingly to grow "in the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ." 7 Though the struggle may at times seem well nigh hopeless, God's grace makes victory still possible. "In all these things we overcome, because of Him that hath loved us," say the Tridentine Fathers,8 and add: "God forsakes not those who have been once justified by His grace, unless He be first forsaken by them." 9 The necessity of cooperating with grace is illustrated in the parable of the man who failed to watch for the thief,10 that of the faithful servant,11 that of the wise and the foolish virgins,12 that of the talents which the master gave to his servants, and others.13
6 Rom. VII, 23; Gal. V, 17; Jas. I, 14; cfr. Conc. Trident., Sess. V, can. 5.
7 Eph. IV, 13, 15; cfr. Matth. X, 34 sqq.; XVI, 24; XIX, 17; XXVI, 41; Rom. V, 1 sqq.; VII, 18 sqq.; 2 Pet. I, 10. —Conc. Trident., Sess. VI, cap. 10: "Thus, therefore, having been justified and made friends and members of God’s household, going from virtue to virtue, they are renewed, as the Apostle says, from day to day; that is, by mortifying the members of their flesh and presenting them as weapons of justice unto sanctification. Through observance of the commandments of God and the Church, in the justice received by the grace of Christ, with faith cooperating in good works, they grow and are justified still more." (Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 803).
8 Rom. VIII, 37; cfr. Matth. XI, 30; 1 John V, 3.—St. Augustine says in his treatise De Natura et Gratia, c. 43, n. 50: "For God does not command impossible things, but by commanding admonishes you both to do what you can and to ask for what you cannot do." (Migne, P. L., XLIV, 271).—The Council of Trent (Sess. VI, c. 11) quotes these words, and adds: "and He helps you so that you may be able." (Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 804).
9 "For God does not abandon those once justified by His grace unless He is first abandoned by them." (Ibid.)
10 Matth. XXIV, 43 sqq.
11 Matth. XXV, 1 sqq.
12 Matth. XXIV, 45 sqq.
13 Matth. XXV, 14 sqq.
READINGS. —St. Thomas, Summa Theologlca, 1a 2ae, qu. 113. —Pohle-Preuss, Grace, Actual and Habitual, 2nd ed., St. Louis, 97> pp. 274 sqq. —Codex Juris Canonici, can. 731-1144. (In this work we have duly noted the changes made necessary by the new Code. A succinct statement of them will be found in A. Viladevall, Mutationes in Theologiam Moralem a Novo Codice Juris Canonici Inductae, Buenos Aires 1917, and in Alb. Schmitt, S.J., Supplementum to Noldin's Summa Theol. Mor., ed. 2a, New York, 1918).