Question One: On Devotion

S. Th. II-II, q. 82.

656. Devotion is said from devoting, whence it signifies the act by which someone vows himself to another (toewijding). To vow, however, is to promise or hand over spontaneously, and therefore he who spontaneously hands himself over to the service of someone, for example, of a prince, is said to be devoted to him. Thus he who, from an affection of divine worship and honor, hands himself over wholly to God, is rightly said to be devoted to God, that is, addicted to divine service. Therefore in the proper sense devotion is "the will of promptly handing oneself over to those things which pertain to the service of God" (a. 1), or "the act of the will of a man offering himself to God for serving Him" (ad 1).

In a derived sense, devotion also indicates the state of one who is habitually addicted to divine worship (vroomheid). But since the act of devotion manifests itself through a prompt and fervent mode of acting, therefore devotion, by extension, indicates not only the act, but the mode of the act, namely, the promptitude of will and fervor by which all tepidity concerning divine worship is excluded (godvruchtigheid), and the effect of spiritual sweetness is sometimes produced. This effect is called accidental devotion by moderns (godsvrucht).

657. Devotion is an act of religion. It belongs to the same virtue to do something and to have a prompt will of doing it, because the object of each act is the same. But to do those things which pertain to divine worship is an act of religion. Therefore also to have the will of doing these things, which is to be devout.¹ Indeed, it is the principal and primary act from which all others arise (a. 2).

¹ Christ gave the example of perfect devotion, who, in the very moment of the Incarnation, entering the world, from charity toward the Father, posited the principal act of religion and of perfect obedience (Heb. X, 5 sq.).

658. The cause of devotion on the part of God is grace; on our part it is contemplation or meditation. For every act of the will proceeds from a consideration of the intellect. Now a twofold consideration induces us to serving God: 1. directly, the consideration of divine goodness and of His benefits, because it arouses love, which is the proximate cause of devotion: for from the fact that we love another, we are made prompt to serve him; 2. indirectly, by removing that which impedes devotion, the consideration of our infirmity and defects, which excludes presumption, by which someone is impeded from subjecting himself to God, while he trusts too much in himself. Therefore these considerations are causes disposing us to devotion (a. 3).

2. Hence theological science per se does not harm devotion, as St. Thomas has it, ad 3.

659. Devotion causes per se and principally spiritual joy of the mind; secondarily and by accident, sadness according to God. For devotion arises principally from consideration of divine goodness: from it per se there is born delight concerning that goodness itself, and by accident sadness because we do not yet possess it. But secondarily devotion arises from consideration of one's own defects, which per se causes sadness, and by accident joy on account of the hope of divine help (a. 4).

660. Observation. Devotion toward the saints: 1. if it happens on account of their own proper excellence, is an act of dulia, not of religion; 2. if it is not terminated at them on account of their excellence, but is ordered to God, so that the saints are worshiped solely on account of the relation which they have to God, insofar as in the ministers of God we venerate God, it will be an act of religion; but the Church does not do or approve this, in order to avoid error, namely, lest supreme worship be exhibited to the saints on account of themselves (III, q. 25, a. 3, ad 3); 3. if someone wishes to worship the saints in themselves on account of their excellence, so that he may thus worship God, it will be an act of dulia commanded by religion (q. 82, a. 2, ad 3).