Part — Wouters, Manual of Moral Theology
Dissertation II. On the Final End of Man
In treating this question, a distinction must be made between the end for whom and the end which, or, in other words, between the subject into which some good is ordered and the good itself which is ordered into that subject.
I. The final end for whom of man - as also of every creature - is God, or the divine goodness. This is clear: 1. from Sacred Scripture: "For whom are all things, and through whom are all things"; "The Lord has made all things for himself, the wicked also for the evil day."1
It is proved 2. by reason. He who is the first cause and therefore the absolute Lord of all things is necessarily the end to which all things are subordinated. But God is the first cause and therefore the absolute Lord of all things.
1 Heb. 2:10; Prov. 16:4.
II. The final end which of man is the external glory of God, both objective and formal.1 This is clear 1. from Sacred Scripture: "And everyone who calls upon my name, I have created him for my glory, I have formed him and made him."2 It is clear 2. from reason; for from the fact that God is the final end for whom of man, it follows that man is ordered to the good of God. But the good of God to which man is ordered can be nothing other than the external glory of God, and that both objective and formal. For that good cannot be some intrinsic good, since God is infinite and therefore his intrinsic good cannot be perfected. Nor can it be some extrinsic good which is useful to God, since God is infinitely blessed. It remains, therefore, that that good is the external glory of God, or consists in the fact that man glorifies the divine goodness.
Now the end of man is the external glory of God, and that both objective and formal. For every creature ought to glorify God in the manner in which it can accomplish this. Now man can glorify him not only objectively - that is, by displaying a likeness of his goodness - but also formally, that is, by knowing, loving, and extolling him (St. Thomas, Contra Gentiles, book 3, chapter 20). Hence the Vatican Council says: "God, by his goodness and almighty power, not for increasing his beatitude, nor for acquiring it, but for manifesting his perfection through the goods which he imparts to creatures, by a most free counsel... created the creature from nothing." And: "If anyone denies that the world was made for the glory of God, let him be anathema."3
1 Glory is taken in two ways: improperly, for the excellence itself by force of which someone deserves to be known, praised, loved; properly, for knowledge, praise, and love of excellence, and taken in this sense it is usually defined as: clear knowledge with praise. The glory of God is distinguished as twofold, internal and external, according as it is in God or is offered to him by creatures.
Internal glory again is twofold, objective and formal. Objective glory is the divine excellence itself; formal glory is God's own infinite knowledge, love, and joy concerning his infinite excellence.
External glory also is twofold, objective and formal. Objective glory consists in this, that divine excellence or perfection shines forth in creatures. Formal glory is situated in this, that divine perfection is known, loved, and extolled by creatures. Now irrational creatures glorify God only objectively; rational creatures, however, are also bound to formal glorification. Besides, objective glory is ordered to formal glory and is completed by it; in other words, irrational creatures are ordered to manifesting the divine perfections to man and to arousing him so that he may formally glorify God. Hence irrational things are said to be ordered into God through man as mediator; man, however, is ordered immediately into God.
2 Isa. 43:7.
3 Constitution Dei Filius, chapter 1 and canon 5.
III. Besides the absolutely final end, which man has in common with every creature and which consists in the external glory of God, there is also another final end proper to man. "In the parts of the universe," says St. Thomas, "each creature is for the sake of its own proper act and perfection" (I, q. 65, a. 2). Now the final end proper to man is beatitude. For that is rightly called the proper end of man toward which he himself tends by a natural appetite, and therefore by one implanted by the author of nature. But man tends by a natural appetite toward beatitude.
Corollary. Beatitude, although rightly called the final end proper to man, is nevertheless subordinated to the glory of God, which is the absolutely final end. For from the fact that God is the final end for whom of man, it follows that all things which pertain to man or regard him, and therefore also the beatitude itself of man, are ordered to the good of God, that is, to his external glory. Besides, the beatitude of man and the external glory of God are so connected with each other that they are constituted by the same acts. Lessius explains this in these words: "The highest glory of God is our highest good, and our highest good cannot be anything except his highest glory. The reason is that his highest external glory is that he be perfectly known, loved, and tasted by us. Hence it consists in three vital acts; and in the same acts our highest good formally consists.... For our highest good and formal beatitude is to see, love, taste God, or, what can be said in one word as the same thing, to enjoy God. And so in the highest glory of God our highest good is formally and intrinsically included, so that it cannot be conceived without it; and by this very fact, that God intends and seeks that glory, he intends and seeks our highest good and advantage."1
1 Lessius, De perfectionibus divinis, book 14, chapter 3.
IV. In order that beatitude, which we have proved to be the end proper to man, may be more fully clarified, several things must be set forth concerning beatitude.
1. In what does beatitude consist? Beatitude, which by its concept implies the presence of every good and the absence of every evil, is taken objectively or materially, and subjectively or formally. Objective beatitude is the "perfect good which totally quiets the appetite" (St. Thomas, I-II, q. 2, a. 5). Subjective beatitude is the very attainment or possession of the fully beatifying good. Therefore:
a) Objective beatitude, or the perfect good which totally quiets the human appetite, is not a created thing but God. For that good totally quiets the human appetite which perfectly quiets the intellect and the will. But no creature can perfectly quiet the aforesaid faculties; God, however, does quiet them.
The major is proved. The sensitive and vegetative parts of man are subordinated to the rational part, so that they are not for their own sake, but so that they may render rational life possible. Hence they have one final end together with the rational part. Given this, they attain their end by the very fact that the rational part is perfectly quieted.
The minor is proved. Since intellect and will are capable of every truth and good, and have an innate desire for them, that good alone can perfectly quiet the said faculties which contains in itself every truth and good. But no creature contains every truth and good; God, however, contains them (St. Thomas, I-II, q. 2, a. 8).
b) Subjective or formal beatitude, by the consent of all, consists in some operation, and indeed in an operation of the rational part. It consists in some operation: "for beatitude is the ultimate perfection of man; but each thing is perfect insofar as it is in act" (St. Thomas, I-II, q. 3, a. 2). It consists in an operation of the rational part, not of the sensitive part; "for the beatitude of man consists essentially in his conjunction to the uncreated good, which is the final end, as was shown above, to which man cannot be conjoined through an operation of the senses" (St. Thomas, I-II, q. 3, a. 3), as is plain. But it is disputed in which act of the rational part beatitude consists. According to some, it is situated in an act of the will alone, whether of love, as the Scotists teach, or of joy, as others judge. According to others, it consists in an act of intellect and will. According to others, it consists in an act of the intellect alone, namely in the perfect knowledge of God. This is the opinion of St. Thomas (I-II, q. 3, a. 4), and it seems true. For beatitude formally consists in the act by which we formally attain the highest good. But that act is not love, nor joy, but the perfect knowledge or vision of God. It is not love, by which we are inclined toward the object but do not attain it; nor joy, which concerns a possessed good and therefore supposes its acquisition; but perfect knowledge or vision, since by it the knower unites to himself, and therefore attains, the known object.
2. How is beatitude divided? Beatitude is divided into natural and supernatural. Natural beatitude "is proportioned to created nature, namely that which a created thing can attain according to the power of its nature" (St. Thomas, I, q. 23, a. 1). Supernatural beatitude is that which "exceeds the proportion and capacity of created nature" (St. Thomas, same place).
Now natural beatitude consists in "a knowledge of God that is indeed perfect, relatively to the capacity of nature, but mediate and only abstractive, insofar as he is the Author of nature. Namely, this contemplation of divine things, although as to clarity far more perfect than every knowledge of this mortal life, in the state of pure nature would not have reached the vision of God, but would have been knowledge of God from creatures, and chiefly through infused science. From that knowledge would have flowed perfect natural love of the infinite Good and endless joy. And so in the state of natural beatitude man, wholly immune from every physical and moral evil, would have been naturally perfectly blessed by the perpetual possession of the infinite Good."1
Supernatural beatitude consists in the immediate or intuitive vision of the highest Good, or of the divine Essence (n. 8).
Note. The state of supernatural beatitude is the complex of all those things which render man blessed in every respect in the supernatural order. To this, besides those things which are required for the essence, belong beatific love, joy, perpetuity, impeccability, the resurrection and glorification of the body, etc.
1 Potters, Compendium Ethicae Generalis, number 43.
3. What beatitude is the end of man?
Supernatural beatitude is truly the end of man. This is clear both from Sacred Scripture1 and from the doctrine of the Church.2 From these things, however, it does not follow that natural beatitude has been taken away. "Now there is the same nature, and consequently the same capacity; hence, since grace does not destroy nature, but perfects it, it does not deprive it of this natural perfection. And so it is certain that in supernatural beatitude man will have every perfection connatural to himself, in the way in which St. Thomas proves that a man seeing God is not deprived of the natural knowledge of God; rather, he is perfected in it to the highest degree; and the same is proportionally true of love."3
1 Cf. 1 Cor. 13:12; 1 John 3:2.
2 Benedict XII, Constitution Benedictus Deus; Council of Florence, in the Decree of Union, Denzinger-Bannwart, numbers 530, 693.
3 Suarez, De ultimo fine, disputation 4, section 3, number 4.
4. The destination of this life is the imperfect glorification of God, and secondarily imperfect beatitude. Since the final end, that is, the external glorification of God and beatitude, cannot be perfectly obtained in the present life, it remains that this life must be the way and preparation for attaining the perfect or consummated glorification of God and beatitude in the other life. Now earthly life cannot be the way, preparation, or disposition toward the glorification of God and our consummated beatitude unless we begin the said glorification and beatitude in this life. Therefore the destination of this life is the begun or imperfect glorification of God, and secondarily imperfect beatitude, consisting in the knowledge and love of God, and in the joy and peace that will arise from them.