§ 1. On hatred of God

Notions. Hatred in general is an act by which we turn away from some evil. But that evil can be a thing or a person. Now we are speaking about hatred of another person. But someone can be ill-disposed toward another person either because that person is evil or abominable, or because some evil is wished to him. In the first case there is the so-called hatred of abomination, which consists in an aversion of soul by which we flee from and repel some person as harmful to us or ours (i.e. to persons joined to us, e.g. blood-relations or friends). But in the other case there is hatred of enmity or malevolence, which precisely intends evil so that it may harm another. Thus, e.g., a wife can have hatred of abomination against the drunkenness of her husband, whom nevertheless she herself loves; likewise against those who lead her husband into drunkenness. But if she wishes evil to these seducers, she has hatred of enmity.

Hatred of abomination is opposed to the love of concupiscence; because, just as by the love of concupiscence we will good to ourselves, so by hatred of abomination we turn away evil from ourselves. Such hatred is licit if it does not exceed due measure and touches rather the defects than the person himself, as is clear from the example just given of the wife who hates the drunkenness of her husband. Hence the pious Psalmist also says: "I have hated the iniquitous."⁸²

Hatred of enmity is opposed to the love of benevolence and friendship; for just as by the love of benevolence we will good to another, so that it may be well with him, so by hatred of enmity we will evil to another, so that it may be ill with him. But just as love of concupiscence often leads to love of benevolence, so conversely hatred of abomination is accustomed to beget hatred of enmity; for from the fact that we turn away from someone as very troublesome to us, we are easily induced to will evil to him and to regard this evil as our good. Hatred of enmity is sometimes almost diabolical. For just as the devil wishes evil to God and men precisely in order to harm, although he knows that he can obtain no advantage for himself from it, so certain perverse men, stirred by hatred, wish and procure destruction for enemies with their own evident danger and without hope of any other advantage.

Hatred of abomination toward God is to turn away from some perfection of His, e.g. justice, omnipotence, as harmful to us. Thus perhaps an obstinate lustful sinner hates punishing divine justice. Hatred of enmity is to wish evil to God.

Malice. Every hatred of God is a mortal sin from its whole genus; indeed if it is hatred of enmity, it is, from its genus, the gravest of all sins.

The reason is: a) because it is a direct turning away from God, the highest good; b) because it is directly opposed to the most excellent virtue, namely, charity. Yet on account of special circumstances sometimes some other sin can be graver than hatred of God, e.g. the betrayal of Judas Iscariot done on account of avarice seems to be a greater sin than the hatred of God of some Freemason. - It has been said advisedly that every hatred of God is a mortal sin, because hatred of God, if it is a fully deliberate act, does not admit smallness of matter, since it always includes a grave offense against God and a grave disordering against right reason.

Hatred of God is so opposed to right reason that the Angelic Doctor⁸³ proposes a special question to himself: "Whether someone can have hatred toward God." But he answers that God, seen according to His essence, which is supremely lovable, cannot be held in hatred; but that according to the effects of justice, which are repugnant to a disordered created will, sinners and the damned can hate God, who justly and severely punishes crimes, and who commands the moral order and requires the highest reverence to be shown to Himself.

Note. 1. Not every hatred of punishments inflicted or to be inflicted by God is hatred of God; for many hate punishments, who nevertheless bear them patiently on account of reverence for divine justice. Indeed murmuring against divine providence is not always hatred of God, unless nevertheless blasphemy against God is added.

2. Although charity toward God, toward self, and toward neighbor is the same virtue, nevertheless hatred of God, hatred of self, and hatred of neighbor are not the same sin; for diverse sins can be opposed to one virtue. Hence the sin of hatred of God is distinguished in species from the sin of hatred of self and of neighbor. Indeed not all hatreds of neighbor are of the same species; thus to have hatred toward one's father is a different sin from hating some foreign person.

⁸² Ps. 118, 113.

⁸³ S. theol. 2, 2, q. 34, a. 1.