A Thomistic Perspective on Worship

8/18/2019 A Thomistic Perspective on Worship

1/21

A Thomistic Perspecon Worship

Francisco J. Romero Carrasquillo

Associate Professor of Philosophy, Universidad Pa(Mexico)

Headmaster, St. ohn !osco Hi"h School (Sale


2/21

The %at&ral 'a• #ne of the est *non teachin"s in St.

Thomas A+&inas is that of %at&ral 'a.• t is the philosophical doctrine thatcertain moral principles are inherent inh&man nat&re, and are &niversallyco"ni-ale thro&"h h&man reason(apart from ivine $evelation).

•

This philosophical doctrine ori"inatedamon" the Stoics (esp. /icero, 0st cent.!/, and Seneca, 0st cent. A), &t itas h&"ely developed y St. Thomas.

• t is not only A+&inas1 teachin"2 it isalso the teachin" of Script&re and the/h&rch.


3/21

/icero on the %at&ral 'a

34or there is a tr&e la2 rireason. t is in conformity nat&re, is di5&sed amon"and is imm&tale and eteorders s&mmon to d&ty6 it

prohiitions t&rn aay fro. . . . To replace it ith a cla is a sacrile"e6 fail&re teven one of its provisionsforidden6 no one can ar

entirely7 (/icero, De re pu88, 99).


4/21

St. Pa&l on the %at&ral 'a

34or hosoever have sinned itho&t the la, shallperish itho&t the la6 and hosoever havesinned in the la, shall e :&d"ed y the la. 4ornot the hearers of the la are :&st efore ;od, &tthe doers of the la shall e :&sti0?, o&ay>$heims Translation).


5/21

St. Thomas on the'a• St. Thomas de


6/21

'eo C on the %a'a3The nat&ral la is ritten

en"raved in the so&l of eaevery man, eca&se it is hreason ordainin" him to dand foriddin" him to sin.this command of h&man r

o&ld not have the force ere not the voice and intof a hi"her reason to hicspirit and o&r freedom m&s&mitted7 ('eo C, Liber praestantissimum, ?D.).


7/21

%at&ral 'a2 Applications

•

This doctrine on the%at&ral 'a is oftenapplied y /atholics to the


8/21

Eatican on $eason1s /apacity tFno ;od

The co&ncil de


9/21

A+&inas on the %at&ral Fnoled"eWorship

The *noled"e of ;od1s existence is co&pled ith a

*noled"e of o&r d&ty to orship Him23G%at&ral reason tells man that he is s&:ect to ahi"her ein", on acco&nt of the defects hich heperceives in himself, and in hich he needs helpand direction from someone aove him2 andhatever this s&perior ein" may e, it is *non to

all &nder the name I;od1. %o :&st as in nat&ralthin"s the loer are nat&rally s&:ect to the hi"her,so too it is a dictate of nat&ral reason in accordanceith man1s nat&ral inclination that he sho&ld renders&mission and honor, accordin" to his mode, tothat hich is aove man7 (Summa Theologiae >.J?.0c).


10/21

$eli"ion is a Matter of &stice to;od

@ven pa"an philosophers li*e Plato and

/icero ere aare that there as a d&tyto orship out of justice to God2

• 3The part of :&stice hich has to do ithservice of the "ods constit&tes pietyand holiness7 (Plato, Euthyphro 08e).

• 3$eli"ion is that part of the virt&e of :&stice that o5ers care and reverence toa certain s&perior nat&re, hich theycall divine7 (/icero, De rhetoricainventione 8.?8).

St. Thomas inherits this doctrine and

/hristiani-es it.


11/21

The P&rpose of Worship2 ;od1s Hon;lory

• 3t pertains to reli"ion to render d&e honor to someone,that is, to ;od7 (ST >.J0.8c).

• “ To reli"ion pertains doin" certain thin"s for the sa*e ofdivine reverence7 (ST >.J0.8 ad 0).

• “ The "ood to hich reli"ion is ordered is to exhiit d&ehonor to ;od7 (ST >.J0.Bc).

• 3%o d&e orship is paid to ;od, in so far as certain actsherey ;od is orshiped, s&ch as the o5erin" ofsacri.J0.?

ad 8).

• “$eli"ion= does those thin"s that are directly andimmediately ordered to divine honor7 (ST >.J0.Kc).

• “ivine orship is ordered= primarily to exhiitin"reverence to ;od7 (ST >.8.8c).

• “ The end of divine orship is that man may "ive "lory to

;od7 (ST >.9.8c).


12/21

%at&ral 'a and the %eed for $it&aSacri


13/21

Sacri


14/21

%at&ral 'a and its etermination Positive 'a

• 3Gt m&st e noted that somethinderived from the nat&ral la in t

a concl&sion from premises, secodetermination of certain "eneralitay is li*e Ghen demonstrated cdran from premises2 hile the sli*e Ghen the craftsman needs t"eneral form of a ho&se to some Some thin"s are therefore derived"eneral principles of the nat&ral la

concl&sions6 e.". that 3one m&st nderived as a concl&sion from the 3one sho&ld do harm to no man72 derived therefrom y ay of detethe la of nat&re has it that the ee p&nished6 &t that he e p&nisthat ay, is a determination of th(Summa Theologiae >.?.8c).

The %at&ral 'a dictates that esho&ld avoid harmin" others on the

road, &t not the partic&lar side of theroad on hich e drive.


15/21

What the %at&ral 'a Prescries $e"Worship

• 3t elon"s to the dictate of nat&ral reason that mansho&ld do somethin" thro&"h reverence for ;od. !&tthat he sho&ld do this or that determinate thin" doesnot elon" to the dictate of nat&ral reason, &t isestalished y ivine or h&man la7 (SummaTheologiae >.J0.8 ad 9).

• 3G/ertain thin"s elon" in "eneral to the nat&ral la,hile their determination elon"s to the positive la6th&s the nat&ral la re+&ires that evildoers sho&ld ep&nished6 &t that this or that p&nishment sho&ld einLicted on them is a matter determined y ;od or yman. #n li*e manner the o5erin" of sacri


16/21

What the %at&ral 'a Prescries $e"a

• 3The ceremonial precepts o Testament are determinatio

precepts of the nat&ral la moral precepts6 therefore, inhat they had from the natere oserved efore the 'aany precept. 4or the fact thais o5ered to ;od in reco"nitcreation and dominion is na

He sho&ld e o5ered "oats a ceremonial precept.... Anddone partic&larly eca&se threason for renderin" orshisi"nify that hatever a manreceived from ;od and that on Him for his entire perfect

Commentary on Hebres /

Ancient mosaic depictin" Ael andMelchi-edec o5erin" their sacri


17/21

What the %at&ral 'a Prescries$e"ardin" Worship

• 3GThe oli"ation Gto o5er sacri


18/21

The Sacraments2 %at&ral 'a Speci


19/21

/hristian Worship M&st Perfect the %a'a

• /atholic Prin• ;race does

nat&re &t pit and perfenon destruitsed supponi

• #&r /hristia

pres&pposes(and nat&raperfects it.


20/21


21/21

The Ar"&ment (S&mmary)• %at&ral la2 not :&st for ioethics, sex&al ethics, etc., &t applies to mos

o&r ehavior, incl&din" reli"ion.

• ;od1s existence can e *non nat&rally ith certainty ($omans, Eatican• The *noled"e of ;od1s existence is co&pled ith a *noled"e of o&r d&

orship Him.

• Hence, reli"ion is a matter of nat&ral la.

• $eli"ion, even efore /hristianity, as *non as a d&ty of :&stice toard

• The end or p&rpose of orship2 the honor and "lory of ;od.

• What nat&ral la prescries and hat it doesn1t prescrie.• oes2 Sacri

A Thomistic Perspective on Worship

Documents

Transcript of A Thomistic Perspective on Worship