SSF213 – Grace Freely Given: A Thomistic Understanding of the Life of Grace

“What do you have that you have not received?” (1 Cor. 4:7). St. Paul’s exhortation expresses the fundamental truth that life in Christ is a gift, received through God’s initiative. The theology of grace is of central importance to understanding the mystery of our redemption, the Christian moral life, and the spiritual journey toward the vision of God. For this very reason, it has been the subject of vigorous theological debate since the early centuries of the Church. Is salvation merited? What does it mean to cooperate with grace? How does grace change us interiorly? What is the relationship between grace and nature? Are we predestined to heaven or hell? In the Summa Theologiae, St. Thomas Aquinas offers a comprehensive treatment of the theology of grace; one which  responds to all of these questions and offers a path beyond the typical difficulties encountered in reasoning about the revealed mystery of our salvation. Using Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Summa Theologiae, and the work of the 20th century theologian Charles Cardinal Journet, this course will help students gain familiarity with the Church’s teaching on grace. In the process, they will consider questions of grace and free will, predestination, the Catholic view of merit, and the continuing transformation of the soul through the divine gifts. Through encountering St. Thomas’s teaching on grace, students will develop the ability to understand and articulate the unity of Catholic teaching and will grow in their understanding of the glories of divine grace which are present within the soul of every Christian.