§ 1. On Lust in General

681. 1. Notions. In a broad or even metaphorical sense, lust signifies every excess or abundance. Thus, for example, we speak of luxury or excess in food, clothing, buildings, and gardens; thus lambs and kids frisking, trees putting forth more abundant branches, and fields excessively fertile are said to luxuriate.

But in the strict and proper sense lust is customarily defined: an inordinate appetite for venereal pleasure. What venereal pleasure is¹³¹⁸ was already said above. For it is that carnal pleasure which arises from an agreeable commotion and alteration of the members serving generation and reaches its highest degree in carnal intercourse or in pollution. It is called venereal pleasure because the ancient Gentiles imagined Venus to be the goddess of this pleasure. It must be recalled that this venereal pleasure is altogether distinguished from sensitive or organic pleasure, and a fortiori from spiritual pleasure.¹³¹⁹ - Venereal pleasure can be licit if the right order of reason is preserved. But it has been established by the Creator that this pleasure is never had licitly and according to right reason except in the use of legitimate marriage.

2. Distinctions. a) Lust is distinguished into consummated and non-consummated. The former produces complete venereal pleasure, which, namely, satisfies nature, since it brings pleasure to its ultimate terminus; or, in other words, it is the same pleasure which is also wont to occur in the act of generation. The latter causes incomplete venereal pleasure, which, namely, arises from thoughts, speech, looks, touches, etc., and is joined with some commotion of the genital parts, but does not proceed to the emission of human seed in the male or of another fluid serving generation in the female. But when there is altogether no commotion of the genital parts, venereal pleasure is not wont to be present either.

b) Consummated lust is subdivided into that according to nature and that contrary to nature. Consummated lust which is according to nature comprises six sins, concerning which there will be discussion below in § 4. It is that from which generation is of itself possible. - Consummated lust contrary to nature renders generation impossible and includes three sins, which will be treated below in § 5.

c) Non-consummated lust is subdivided into internal sins, for example, lustful joy or desire, which will be treated below in § 2; and external sins, for example, lustful touches, which will be discussed below in § 3.

Note. Although boys and girls before puberty, eunuchs, those who have undergone vasectomy, etc., cannot emit true seed, they are nevertheless capable of complete venereal pleasure.

3. Moral malice. In order to judge rightly concerning the malice of lust, it is necessary to distinguish between lust directly and indirectly willed.

¹³¹⁸ In German: geschlechtliche Lust; in French: délectation sexuelle [sexual pleasure].

¹³¹⁹ Cf. above, n. 643.

682. Principle 1. Venereal pleasure directly willed outside legitimate marriage is a mortal sin from its whole genus, so that it admits no smallness of matter.

Thus holds the most common opinion against Caramuel¹³²⁰ and a few other older authors, who admit smallness of matter even in lust directly willed. Venereal pleasure directly willed is present not only when it is directly intended, but also when someone perceives himself to be shamefully aroused and takes complacency in this.

The principle stated is proved by the following reasons:

1. Venereal pleasure is ordered to the act of generation, which the Creator for most just causes gravely prohibited outside legitimate marriage.¹³²¹ Therefore, fittingly, the Creator gravely prohibited not only the highest venereal pleasure which is found in the act of generation, but also every other such pleasure directly willed. For, as experience testifies, man is exceedingly prone to venereal pleasure, which, once arisen, is wont to be so vehement a passion that reason is quickly clouded and the will is violently carried away. Hence, just as a man placed at the edge of a precipice ought not to take even a few steps downward without evident danger of death, so neither can he procure a small venereal pleasure without proximate danger of proceeding further even to the completed act of lust. Therefore, just as a man is bound under grave obligation to avoid not only grave sin itself but also its proximate danger, so he ought under grave obligation to avoid not only a perfect act of inordinate lust but also any light act whatsoever directly willed. The words of St. Paul seem to be understood of this directly willed venereal pleasure:¹³²² "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, lust ... since they who do such things shall not obtain the kingdom of God."

2. From proposition 40 condemned by Alexander VII: "The opinion which says that a kiss had for the sake of the carnal and sensible pleasure which arises from the kiss, with the danger of further consent and pollution excluded, is only venial, is probable."¹³²³ Theologians indeed dispute in what sense this proposition was condemned; nevertheless, this seems certain: its falsity consists in this, that it supposes that a kiss had for the sake of carnal, that is, venereal, pleasure does not by that very fact induce danger of consent to graver acts.

It cannot be objected against the stated principle that smallness of matter is granted in the inordinate lust or venereal pleasure of spouses directly willed, as theologians commonly teach, and therefore also in any other lust whatsoever. For the disparity is that between spouses there is no danger of consent to a completed act gravely sinful. For since the highest pleasure in the act of generation itself is licit for spouses, other venereal pleasures also are not so gravely prohibited to them, provided, however, that they are not directly opposed to the end of marriage.

Note. The older theologians distinguished excellently in venereal pleasure between placentia and complacentia. Placentia is the physical venereal pleasure itself, which can arise from many physiological and psychical causes and of itself has no morality; but complacentia is illicit consent to pleasure of this kind; if this consent is perfect, it is gravely sinful, but when it is semi-deliberate, it is only a venial sin. Hence it is rightly said: "Sensation does no harm where there is no consent."¹³²⁴

¹³²⁰ Theol. fund. n. 1708. The author, however, speaks rather theoretically; for he himself asserts: "In lust, on account of the annexed danger, smallness of matter is not granted in practice." Amadaeus Guimenius (Matthaeus de Moya), De peccatis, prop. XI, wrote about this matter quite tastelessly and calumniously.

¹³²¹ Cf. below, where the malice of fornication is treated.

¹³²² Gal. 5:19 ff.

¹³²³ Denzinger, n. 1140.

¹³²⁴ Among the works of St. Bernard, De conscientia aedificanda, c. 8 (Migne, Patr. lat. 184, 515).

683. Principle 2. Venereal pleasure only indirectly willed is not a mortal sin from its whole genus, but admits smallness of matter.

Thus theologians most commonly teach, at least as to the sense, although some diversity exists among them as to the words.¹³²⁵ Venereal pleasure indirectly willed is that which is in no way desired in itself, but which is joined with an action which someone posits; for example, a young man reads a book foreseeing that carnal pleasure will follow from this reading.

Proof. As is clear from the first principle, directly willed venereal pleasure therefore admits no smallness of matter because the proximate danger of consent to a completed act is always present. But such danger often does not exist when an action honest or indifferent in itself is posited, from which venereal pleasure is indeed foreseen but is not intended; and therefore sometimes no sin, and sometimes only a light sin, is present, according as a sufficient or not sufficiently weighty cause exists for positing the action from which it is foreseen that venereal pleasure will follow. But when not only venereal pleasure is foreseen, but also consent to that pleasure, then it is not lawful to posit the action; otherwise a mortal sin is committed.

Practical rules. In order to judge in practice concerning the sinfulness of venereal pleasure indirectly willed, the rules given concerning the indirect voluntary are to be applied. It is therefore required: a) that the action posited be honest in itself, or at least indifferent. Actions which are outside the genus of lust and produce carnal movements only accidentally, such as eating abundantly, riding horseback, using a hot bath, sitting or lying in a certain position, are actions honest or indifferent in themselves. But actions which of themselves indeed offend pudicity, such as looks, embraces, kisses, touches, etc., are not themselves intrinsically evil, even if they are exercised outside legitimate marriage; for otherwise they could never be performed licitly, for example, by a physician, by parents, etc., which assuredly no one would say. The Angelic Doctor writes to the point:¹³²⁶ "Something is said to be a mortal sin in two ways: in one way, according to its species; and in this way a kiss, embrace, or touch according to its nature does not denote a mortal sin; for these things can be done without lust, either on account of the custom of the country, or on account of some necessity or reasonable cause. In another way something is said to be a mortal sin from its cause [from its motive].... Therefore, when kisses and embraces and things of this kind are done for the sake of pleasure of this kind, it follows that they are mortal sins. And thus alone are they called lustful." - Hence in the genus of lust, only pollution (perfect or begun) or intercourse had outside legitimate marriage seems to be an action intrinsically evil. For this action voluntarily posited can never be licit. - It is then required b) that venereal pleasure not be intended; otherwise it is always a mortal sin, as is clear from the first principle. - Finally, it is required c) that a proportionately grave cause be present for positing the action; which cause ought indeed to be the graver, the more the action influences venereal pleasure (especially in view of the circumstances of the person). For in this matter of venereal pleasure much depends upon the circumstances of persons, and what for one man constitutes a grave sin on account of grave danger of consent to venereal pleasure is no sin for another, because no danger of consent is present. Hence in practice it is exceedingly difficult, not to say impossible, always to determine with certainty whether in some venereal pleasure indirectly willed there was a mortal sin or not. But the confessor ought to turn penitents away even from the danger of any lust whatsoever, and ought not so easily to believe those who claim that in matters sufficiently lewd they felt no shameful carnal movement or pleasure.

¹³²⁵ Cf. Billuart, De luxuria diss. 5, a. 2.

¹³²⁶ S. theol. 2, 2, q. 154, a. 4.

684. Scholion. On the effects of lust. Lust is a capital sin,¹³²⁷ because very many other sins arise from it. After St. Gregory, St. Thomas assigns eight vices which are wont to be born as daughters from lust, namely: blindness of mind, precipitation, inconsideration, inconstancy, inordinate love of self, hatred of God, attachment to the present world, and horror of the future.¹³²⁸ From blindness of mind, which arises from lust, the worst evils are wont to spring forth. For the lustful man, given over to carnal pleasures, is wont to do the most foolish things. Hence Solomon, the wisest man, fell into idolatry because of love of women; King David had to sustain the severest punishments because of the adultery committed. How many calamities are wont to be produced from lust for bodily health, for the peace of the family, for honor, for reputation, for goods of fortune, etc.! Therefore natural reason itself dictates that lust is diligently to be avoided.

¹³²⁷ Cf. above, I, n. 420.

¹³²⁸ Cf. S. theol. 2, 2, q. 153, a. 5.