Part 2 of Trabbic's Series

CWR: Thomism and Political Liberalism, Part 2

The Natural Law

So, the natures of things determine what’s good and bad for them, what they should pursue and avoid and, again, that is true for us too. Our nature, in this sense, is the “law” that we should live by. When Thomas talks about the “law of nature” (lex naturalis) or “natural law” this is partly what he has in mind. In part our nature is this law, but our reason, insofar as it grasps what is naturally good for us, and directs us to pursue it, belongs to natural law too.

Thomas’s account of natural law, however, does not stop there. For Thomas, our nature and our reason are created by God. Hence, he teaches that the natural law ultimately comes from God. By following the natural law – which is nothing more than living in conformity with our nature – we are following God’s will. When we act against it, we are acting against God. Thomas calls the “plan” for creation as it exists in God’s “mind” the “eternal law.” This plan not only includes our nature and purpose but the nature and purpose of everything else too. To say that the natural law comes from God is the same as saying that it is derived from the eternal law. What Thomas calls the “divine law” (lex divina) is likewise derived from the eternal law. I will come back to that in a moment.

And then something on happiness...

The “knowing” of God that we are talking about in both the natural and supernatural cases is an act of contemplatio or “contemplation.” For Thomists, Jordan Aumann explains, contemplation is “a type of knowledge accompanied by delight and a certain degree of reason’s wonder before the object contemplated.”⁴ Contemplation can be pretty pedestrian, as when I appreciate the dark gold color of the scotch in my glass, or more exalted, as when I marvel at the starry sky. But the beauty of creation can and should be a ladder we ascend to the divine.

Our lives as human persons and as Christians should have divine contemplation at their center. This is what we are ultimately ordered to by nature and by grace. That doesn’t mean that we should all pack up and move to a monastery. Most basically in means a way of life faithful Catholics already live: one of regular prayer and participation in the Church’s liturgy marked in general by an appreciative and celebratory attitude toward reality, including the reality of other people.⁵ As Thomas uses the term, vita contemplativa or “contemplative life” does not necessarily refer to the life of cloistered religious. As Aumann points out, it is something that we all practice – laypeople, religious, and priests – inasmuch as we engage in contemplative acts.⁶

Introducing "St. Thomas for Today"

CWR: Why St. Thomas? by Joseph G. Trabbic

Introducing a new CWR column, titled “St. Thomas for Today”, which will offer a Thomistic perspective on topics of current interest, review works by Thomists, interview contemporary Thomists, and offer portraits of great Thomists of the past.

CWR: Why the Church needs philosophy: On the 20th anniversary of Fides et ratio by Joseph G. Trabbic

The philosophical currents that troubled John Paul II two decades ago and moved him to write Fides et ratio haven’t disappeared. […]

Should This Be Called [Roman] Catholic Integralism?

In Defence of Catholic Integralism by Thomas Pink

Is it necessarily bound up with acceptance of the modern nation-state?

CWR: Is opposition to the death penalty Thomistic? by Joseph G. Trabbic

Given Pope Francis’s own high regard for St. Thomas (together with the historical papal approbation he has enjoyed) when it comes to doctrinal issues, we might ask how the opposition to the death penalty articulated by the Pope compares with the teaching of the Doctor Communis.

Does he even consider international law on refugees?

No.

Trumpism, Terrorism, and Thomism by Joseph G. Trabbic

On Thomistic principles, Trump’s ban on Syrian refugees whose lives are in danger is not morally justifiable. Bans on other travelers and immigrants, however, are not as problematic.

Related:
Banning Muslim Travel to the US? A Thomistic Perspective on Donald Trump’s Proposal by Joseph G. Trabbic

Is there a moral obligation for the US not to enact Donald Trump’s proposed ban on Muslim travel into the US?

Another Attempt to Reconcile DH

Vatican II Followed Ottaviani on Church and State by Joseph G. Trabbic

Thomistica.net: The evolution of Maritain's later political thought by Joseph G. Trabbic

A reference to his review of Jacques Maritain e i diritti umani: Fra totalitarismo, antisemitismo e decmocrazia (1936–1951). Italian book; maybe I'll ask someone to pick it up for me if he is happening to visit Rome.

Christopher J. Malloy, Objections to the Summa's Structure
Joseph G. Trabbic, Is the Summa Structurally Flawed?

One may read criticisms of the Summa that it is too rationalistic in its theology; I recall reading this objection from Orthodox apologists as well. The Summa presupposes the Creed; could there be a scientific exposition of the Trinity without a exposition of the unity of God?

Joseph G. Trabbic, How to Read an Article in Aquinas's Summa Theologiae

Joseph G. Trabbic interviews Raymond Dennehy on two recently republished books by Jacques Maritain: The Return of Thomistic Political Philosophy, Part I and Part II

Mark F. Johnson, On the future of Thomistica.net

The great news is that the site will remain sure-footed under the direction and support of the people at The Aquinas Center at Ave Maria University, will in fact have a larger base of fine and diverse contributors, and will assuredly expand its viewership to an ever-widening audience of those interested in the academic study of St. Thomas Aquinas. Roger Nutt will be overseeing the site, with help of Michael Dauphinais and Joseph Trabbic. The new contributors will include Fr. Matthew Lamb and Steven Long of Ave Maria and Christopher Malloy of the University of Dallas and Fr. Timothy Bellamah of the Dominican House of Studies.