Morals of the Church
Library › Wouters, Manual of Moral Theology › Volume I › Book I. On the General Principles of the Christian Life › Treatise III. On Those Things which Dispose Toward Human Acts, or on Habits › Dissertation I. On Virtues › Part II. On Virtues in Particular › Section II. On Supernatural Moral Virtues › Chapter II. On Supernatural Moral Virtues in Particular › Article II. On Justice › § III. On the Potential Parts of Justice

point — Wouters, Manual of Moral Theology

Point VIII. On Liberality

410.

I. Notion of Liberality. Liberality is a moral virtue inclining man to give money and things estimable by money according to the prescription of reason illumined by faith.

Liberality

411.

II. Object of Liberality. 1. The remote material object is money and things estimable by money, while the proximate object is constituted by the affections of the soul toward the remote object.

  1. The remote formal object is the special reason of debt of giving riches. Thus liberality is distinguished from mercy, which has the need of the neighbor as motive, and from beneficence, which acts from love, while liberality proceeds from moderation of affection toward riches. The proximate formal object is the special moral goodness shining forth in rendering this debt (St. Thomas, II-II, q. 117, a. 1).

Liberality

412.

III. Opposed Vices. To liberality are opposed: by defect, avarice, by which someone omits to give riches according to the debt of moral goodness; by excess, prodigality, by which someone gives riches more than the prescription of reason illumined by faith permits, or to one to whom it does not permit.

CovetousnessLiberality