Article II: On Moral Virtues

St. Thomas, I-II, q. 63, a. 3 and 4; De Virt., q. 1, a. 10.

626. Thesis. Besides theological virtues, supernatural moral virtues must be admitted, as Saints Augustine, Gregory, and Thomas teach, against Scotus and the Nominalists, and as the almost common opinion of theologians now admits. For:

In the natural order man would be habitually well disposed not only to the ultimate end, but also concerning the means to the end through acquired moral virtues. Therefore, also in the supernatural order, for which God certainly provides no less, it is not sufficient that man be habitually well disposed to the supernatural ultimate end, but he must also be habitually well disposed concerning supernatural means to be ordered to the ultimate end, which is done through infused moral virtues (q. 65, a. 3). - Otherwise a) proportion would be lacking between the soul elevated to divine being and its moral life, between the supernatural end and the moral virtues, between theological virtues concerning the end and moral virtues concerning the means: for they would not be of the same order, but theological virtues would have to operate divine effects through instruments not proportioned and defective. Whence b) supernatural moral acts would not be elicited connaturally by us, but the faculties would be moved to them as if violently (q. 63, a. 3).

Innocent III and the Council of Vienne suppose this (n. 624, 3), as does Leo XIII, ep. to Cardinal Gibbons (n. 581); and Scripture intimates it (Wis. VIII, 7): "She teaches sobriety and prudence (Eternal Wisdom), justice and virtue, than which nothing is more useful to men in life" (cf. II Pet. I, 5-7).

627. Infused moral virtues are operative principles by which we are ordered to choosing human acts rightly as means to the supernatural ultimate end, and therefore they are not concerned immediately with God the supernatural end, but with our acts and our whole life to be ordered, on which account they are called moral.

Whence 1. they also pertain to the divine life participated in us, insofar as they mediately pursue the supernatural end itself: for under the influence of the theological virtues they order in some way all works to God as end and to His glory, just as God orders all things to Himself.

2. Therefore they are many, just as human acts are many and diverse; generally theologians say that as many supernatural moral virtues are infused as natural virtues can be acquired.¹ Nevertheless all can be reduced to the four cardinal virtues, in the same way as was said concerning acquired virtues.

¹ Some, such as Pesch and Noldin, say that only the four cardinal virtues are infused.

628. Supernatural moral virtues are distinguished from natural ones, as was said above q. 1, n. 620, and indeed not only:

a) according to essence, as habits less properly so called are distinguished from properly so called habits;

b) and according to the efficient cause, which is God alone, not our acts;

c) and according to the end and nature, namely, so that man may have himself well toward the heavenly city and eternal life, but not only toward human things; but also:

d) according to the formal object: in natural virtues there is good according to the rule of human reason; in supernatural virtues there is good according to the rule of divine law, or of human reason elevated by faith. Thus, for example, natural prudence dictates that which is good according to reason; supernatural prudence, that which is good according to the supernatural law of faith; justice chooses the mean by a higher title, conserves peace and society, so that there may be peace and society as it were deific and heavenly; by natural abstinence man uses food moderately on account of human reason, for example, lest he harm health; by supernatural abstinence, on account of the reason of faith, for example, that he may chastise the body and reduce it to servitude and be himself more freely vacant for divine things; supernatural patience is to be exercised not from the reason of human wisdom, but so that one may be conformed to Christ, etc. Hence infused prudence does not always dictate the same mean as acquired prudence, and therefore infused moral virtues do not have the same act as acquired virtues (q. 63, art. 4). Whence they differ in species.

629. Corollary. - From these things one can understand how political, purgative, and purified-soul virtues are distinguished, as St. Thomas teaches, q. 61, a. 5:

"A. Because man according to his nature is a political animal,

1. virtues,... according as they exist in man according to the condition of his nature, are called political, namely, insofar as man according to these virtues has himself rightly in conducting human affairs...

B. But because it pertains to man also to draw himself toward divine things as much as he can... and this is commended to us in Scripture in many ways, as in that text Matt. V, 48: Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect, it is necessary to posit certain virtues midway between political virtues, which are human virtues, and exemplar virtues, which are divine virtues (in God Himself); ... namely, in such a way that:

2. certain virtues are virtues... of those tending toward divine likeness, and these are called purgative virtues: namely, in such a way that prudence despises all worldly things by contemplation of divine things and directs every thought of the soul to divine things alone; but temperance leaves behind, insofar as nature allows, those things which the use of the body requires; and it belongs to fortitude that the soul not be terrified on account of departure from the body and access to higher things; but it belongs to justice that the whole soul consent to the life of a proposal of this kind.

3. But certain virtues are virtues of those already attaining divine likeness, which are called virtues of a soul already purified, namely, in such a way that prudence looks upon divine things alone, temperance knows not earthly desires, fortitude ignores passions, justice is associated with the divine mind in a perpetual covenant, namely, by imitating it; and these virtues indeed we say belong to the blessed and to some who are most perfect in this life."

Whence virtues are distinguished as political, purgative, and of a soul already purified.