A Tract on Grace and Reason

There are things that man can do without grace, but there are things that man must have grace to do. Without grace, man can know truth (Q.109, Art. 1, SC). However, when some truths surpass man’s natural knowledge, then God bestows grace for man to know those specific truths. Also, some things still can be instructed, by God in grace, that are known in natural reason (Q.109, Art. 1, Cor). Man can wish or do any good only with God’s grace (cf. Q.109, Art. 2, SC). Before the Fall, man needed grace added to natural reason for the soul purpose to do and wish supernatural good, but after the Fall, man needed grace to carry out works of merit in supernatural virtue and additionally to be healed (Q.109, Art. 2, Cor).

In Genesis, we see that man is given natural endowments, therefore he loved God to an extent; further it proves that he loved God above himself, lest he sin without doing so as proven at the moment of the Fall, when the Woman gave into temptation and the Man stayed silent without protecting her (Q.109, Art. 3, SC). We were made to love God, so then we would seek union with God through the very emptying of ourselves, both to empty ourselves of sin and to make room for even more grace upon grace. If we look upon the Divine Commandments, how could we fill them, except by the grace of God? Because of our fallen nature, we need the aid of sanctifying and actual grace (cf. Q.109, Art. 4, SC & Cor).

Let us look at the effects of grace within ourselves. We have essential need of actual grace to guide the way to sanctifying grace, as we need sanctifying grace to give us the very life of God Himself within us (cf. Q.110, Art. 1). First, it is to heal the soul. Second, it is to desire good. Third, it is to carry into effect the good proposed. Fourth, to persevere in good. Finally, to reach glory (Q.111, Art. 3, Cor). These are in this order for the following reasons. In order to be receptive to sanctifying grace, we must be healed; thus, actual grace leads us to this point. Then, we desire a certain good in our soul and are in need to carry the good into effect; sanctifying grace is needed here. Finally, in order to reach the Beatific Vision, we must persevere in this good, lest we are lost. This is where the art of grace via perpetual prayer is needing to be perfected and refined; actual grace aids us to pray, and sanctifying graces fuels us to pray.