Whether there is procession in God?

There is a procession of God. This is understood as proceeding FROM a source (God) TO a calculated end (goodness) by an Undiminished Primary Substance (also God), but not as we understand it in the material principle, as if a fourth of July parade were marching through the streets in an orderly fashion from start to finish. In another way, when we start a burner and place a pot over it with water, the heat from the fire transfers to the pot and boils the water. From there, we pour the water into a cup and it becomes something else (like a cup of tea). This is an orderly movement which originated from a source (the will of the one making tea) and we best can understand its procession by its effects (a cup of tea to drink). The fire does not become the tea, nor does the pot become the boiling water. Now, we can not apply these examples in the material principle to the procession of God fully with accuracy, because God is above all things, and it is improper to understand God truly by the procession of creatures, similitudes which fall short, or lower things in nature which cannot equal Him. Rather, it would be more appropriate to say that what comes forth and proceeds from God does not leave Him, but still remains in Him as belonging to Him. In this way, the First Principle is unchanging, as He is the First Mover who puts all things into motion, who Himself is unmoved. Where some have fallen into error, they believed the Son and the Holy Spirit came from the Father as a primary creature (like a high level angel or the highest level manager giving reports back to the owner of a business) rather than from the same substance equal to the Father, thus reducing God the Son and God the Holy Spirit to a creature of their own likeness as human (limited and bound to their own understanding) while shifting from the First Principle to another as if effects could nullify causes, which is impossible. Even more so, those who fell into error and who have strayed away from the fundamental belief which makes one a Christian (The Holy Trinity), remained in the false belief that the procession which takes place from the Source of Life (God who is One in Three and Three in One) became a mere effect, thus denying the Divinity of whom God revealed to us as True God/True Man (Son) and the Spirit Advocate (Holy Spirit). Finally, the Word of God uses names and descriptions to help us understand His procession and in this way the voice and letter of what we hear or read aligns with what is already present in our heart but was silent because God has given all humans, who are rational beings like the angels, the intellect to know Him and receive Him, even if they still choose to use their own freewill to reject Him which is another way of succumbing to hatred of self and others, for if someone cannot love the Source of Everything, this one cannot even love others around them as they should, nor can this one even love oneself! 

Whether any procession in God can be called generation?

Procession in God can be called generation. This has two layers: the first layer means the transition from non-existence to existence, non-being to being, and nothingness (not the state of death) to life. The second layer is coming forth by generation into existence from a conjoined living principle to which we know as being brought into the world by way of resembling someone or something else. For example, a husband and wife have a child and that child comes out of the womb with fingers and toes, hair, two eyeballs, a face, limbs, and skin which is similar to the newborn baby’s parents. Human springs forth from humans, while reptiles spring forth from reptiles, but the source of all of them is the First Living Principle which we know as God; conjoined by a similar likeness/image/trait/spirit, as the Lord said “let us make man in our image according to our likeness.” On the other hand, it would not be proper to call a parasitic worm in the stomach a begotten son or a pimple upon the skin surface an extension of one’s being. Nor would it even be proper to say that a toe, since it is part of your body, could be in comparison to a child which also springs forth from one’s body. Would the parent equate the same value to the child as the toe, the pimple, or the parasitic worm found in the stomach? Absolutely not, for these things mentioned which are part of the body are not worthy of sonship because they do not reflect the same nature of the one whom the generation came forth. Furthermore, while containing one layer, they ultimately lack both layers of what we know to be generation in the sense of life springing forth from a conjoined principle resembling the source. Now, as it is for God and the procession of the Word, which is The Son (who is The Word made flesh), we see that it is rightly called generation as The Word proceeding from The Father is rightly called Son (Lord Jesus Christ).

Whether any other procession exists in God besides that of the Word?

There are two processions in God: First, the procession of The Word which is rightfully called Son and Begotten (to which we know as The Christ or Messiah); Second, the procession of Love which is also known as the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, and The Helper as the Holy Apostle John proclaims from his gospel in John 14:16 where he quotes the direct words from Lord Jesus Christ Himself as an eye witness.   

Whether the procession of love in God is generation?

As the Church fathers have stated plainly so as to make clear to everyone; the Holy Spirit comes from the Father and the Son as proceeding forth into the world by a movement of Love and is not begotten as the Son is. Now, to expand upon this distinction, one must plainly understand the differentiation of intellect and will. By way of the intellect, generation occurs in that what springs forth by an intelligible action (birth, works, intelligent operations) resembles the likeness of the intellect from which the generation occurred and this is known as begotten. As for the movement of the will which springs forth from the intellect, this must be known as an impulse or willful movement towards an object for a set purpose while not becoming the same procession as we see in the Son as begotten, but rather a different procession known as Love which is the Spirit of Truth.  To elaborate further, to receive the Holy Spirit in fullness without diminishment, one must not only acknowledge the Father, but also acknowledge His Son because nobody who denies either the Father or the Son can receive The Holy Spirit which proceeds from both the Father and the Son. 

Whether there are more than two processions in God?

There are only two processions in God coming forth from the intellect and the will; the procession of the Son who is begotten (intellect), and the procession of Love (the Spirit of Truth) which is the Holy Spirit (will). Remembering that God is in the fullness of understanding of all things in existence or could exist by one simple act while also willing all things into existence that do exist by this same act. The Oneness of His actions in creation through His Word (Son) and Love (Holy Spirit) are sufficient and made whole. Therefore, there are only two processions in God and they are sufficient for what is needed.

I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.
​
Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 27-49 from newadvent.org with permission.
 
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

​Whether beatitude belongs to God?


Beatitude belongs to God in the highest degree. This is to attribute what is perfect, glorious, intelligent, possessing every excellent virtue and manner, the maximum of love and charity, and the climatic state of being. All of this rightly and justly belongs to the Living God who is all of these things.


Whether God is called blessed in respect of His intellect?


To be and to understand is one in the same with God, for He is simple. For all things move to attain happiness by way of its nature, so as to find rest in its calculated end, and it just so happens that beatitude is the perfect good of an intellectual nature. Furthermore, the intellect as we know it is the soul wrapped in a human body. But God is the First intellect, to which all intellects spring forth from. In this, He is the maximum of all things, and so it is rightly said that we should call Him blessed in respect to His intellect.
 
Whether God is the beatitude of each of the blessed?


Beatitude is said to be the supreme good in an absolute manner. Since life in the spirit is of an intellectual existence and being, it can be said that beatitude is of an intellectual attainment and state of glory. The calculated end for the intellectual being is rest and glory in Him, and it could be understood that everyone is blessed from the occurrence that someone knows and understands God, and in another way, the act of understanding this through the created is what beautifies creatures. However, in God, this is uncreated, and has always been there from the beginning. So, the Lord for the Lord’s sake, as who is the Reward of all rewards, fulfills what is sought in the created who seeks it, and in this way, God is the beatitude of the blessed.


Whether all other beatitude is included in the beatitude of God?


What is beautiful, attractive, and worthy of admiration and exaltation is found in God who pre-exists all things that are desirable to the highest degree. For what riches may attain, God has through complete self-sufficiency. For what is sought out after fame, God obtains this in that everything living admires and moves to Him (even when rejecting Him, unbelievers and those in denial know the idea of Him is something beyond them, and in this way they also admire Him). For what is power on earth in the material principle, is omnipresence and might in God to the highest degree throughout the universe in what exists, doesn’t exist, and could exist. For what is ownership, possession, property, and false “love” to creatures (equating what is love with sexual immorality and decadence); in God it is Fathership to ownership, the breaking of a yoke to what is owned and controlled, good stewardship in what someone is responsible and accountable for, and the wishing of the ultimate good for the sake of another out of love to what is sexual immorality. So, in all of these things humans and creatures seek on earth and in the material principle His presence, and are led back to the Divine Beatitude which is in God who are all these things to the highest degree at the height of His maximum.

​I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.
​
Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 1-26 from newadvent.org with permission.
 
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

​Whether there is power in God?


God is power to the highest degree. Power can be thought of in two ways: one, passively which is not in God (the governments, authority, influences, and rules of men); two, active power in God which is the maximum of all power set forth into existence. It is important to realize that God is simple, He alone is Actual Being (as opposed to creatures who are potential being), the maximum of all perfections, of His own Divine Essence which is His will, His knowledge, His wisdom, and His Intellect, the Unmoved who is The First Mover who puts all things into motion, the Primary Cause of all causes - for secondary contingent causes are allowed by His agency, and of course the First and Last Principle of all things. Furthermore, what is the principle of something is the cause of something, for something cannot be something without this leading it to its calculated end. Now, because of this, He truly is power that is of its own order to which nothing compares, and in this way there truly is power in God.
 
Whether the power of God is infinite?


Active power exists in something as much as it can be measured. For example, a flame thrower being used to clear out enemy machine-gun emplacements on a beachhead will be received in the measure according to its likeness, in that scorching hot flame shall reach upwards of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit at a distance of twenty to thirty feet charring everything in its path until its fuel is expended. In this, the flamethrower being put into service in wartime has a finite use and purpose and its power is demonstrated for a time as it is employed correctly. Now in God, who is infinite, there can not be a measure in comparison to anything we understand, nor is there anything (both items, natural bodies, creatures of spirit and flesh) that can receive or comprehend His infinity. For His measures are the stars, the laws of the universe, and all causes and happenings start to finish. These things can not be manipulated by creatures or anything we truly can measure in our own perception of understanding. Therefore, in this way, God’s power is truly infinite.


Whether God is omnipotent?


God is said to be omnipotent in that nothing shall escape His sight or Essence of knowing, which is one aspect of omnipotence. For when a tick enters a deer, He knows it. When a fly is squished up against a wall, He knows it. When the evil man fosters schemes in his heart to oppress his neighbor so as to extract sorted gain for himself, He knows it. Furthermore, it is said that God can do all things absolutely according to His will and that His purposes shall never fail, for the building up and ordering of the universe. Also in these ways, God is known to be omnipotent as we can understand it. Finally, the true infinite form of His omnipotence is not perceivable by creatures in any measurable sense, so another proper word to describe the omnipotent perpetual state of God is infinity, to which He has power alone absolutely, which is immeasurable and inconceivable by anything which is set forth into existence from Him by way of His Agency.
 
Whether God can make the past not to have been?


A contradiction is impossible in the Divine Essence of God. To think something can be undone which has been done implies a contradiction, because what has been or not been in the past, so as to do or undo it, does not fall under the Divine Power. In the same way, someone who has been forgiven of past sins is forgiven and must move forward. That person has still sinned, and just because they are forgiven, does not mean they have not sinned in the past, for such a thing which had occurred in reality cannot be removed, nor is it the prerogative of God to undo what has already been done. This should not be confused with His mercy, which is greater than His wrath, because He is happy to forgive and pardon those who are truly contrite of their offenses towards Him so they may receive eternal life in Him, but in no way does it mean the thing which occurred never occurred, for this would be a contradiction and a lie. In more serious terms, a subjective reality based on untruth, and it so happens that God is objective, reality itself, and the truth to the highest degree, and there is no lack of being in Him, for He is the maximum of all perfections as we know them.


Whether God can do what He does not?


God does what He does in accordance with His absolute power. His power does not come forth from His will, but from His very nature, and in this God does what He wills to do because He can do whatever He wills so as to achieve the Divine Goodness which exceeds beyond the measure of creation. Even if He does not do something, this does mean he was incapable of doing it, but rather by way of His will, His actuality, His Divine Essence, His wisdom, His Divine Power and His Providence - which are all one in the same simply, He chose to simply not do what He could have done or put off what might be done in order for secondary causes to be utilized to which He allows within His Primary Causes of things for the just ordering and building up of the universe and beautification of His holy ones and creation. Surely, He could have done what He did not do, but by way of His wisdom which is carried out by His will, He chose to do what He has done. Therefore, God can do what He does not.
   
Whether God can do better than what He does?


In what is good or could be better, it could be understood in two ways: one, the essence of something is in accordance with its likeness (a tree must be a tree, and if it were cut down and changed into lumber for the building up of a house, it would no longer be a tree), for if this were altered, then the thing would seize to be the thing for which it was meant to be, and would become something else, and this is impossible (in that something wasn’t made as it was supposed to be in its natural state that it is in); two, attaining betterment for something that is already in the state it is in, so as to achieve greater goodness and beatitude, for God can make better what He has already created. Indeed, God can do better than what He does in this sense, in that He shall instill virtue and wisdom into the unbeliever by way of the Holy Spirit and Providence so this one shall be in a better state than before, ready for any good work for building up of the Kingdom of God, and preparing the soul for glory in His presence from a state that was otherwise detestable or dying by way of its free will choices to sin and do what is improper.

​I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.
​
Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 1-26 from newadvent.org with permission.
 
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

​Whether the book of life is the same as predestination?


The Book of Life and Predestination are one in the same, but in different aspects. For anyone who is being called up for service, a record of such is kept with their names listed, so as to identify who is set apart for what type of service or use. Furthermore, God determined those for eternal life by His will, which comes forth from His Ideas and Intellect which are simple. So, for a book to have names ascribed to it for its set purpose is a sign in Him for those who are brought to eternal life. In a different sense, the book of life can be attributed to the Divine Energy which works in the heart and mind of the one being saved, in that His laws and precepts are written on their hearts and in their minds by way of Supernatural Grace, as the Lord promised His people would when those who were subjected to the Law of Moses did not carry out the Law of Moses because of their continuous efforts of falling short and making themselves displeasing in the sight of the Lord their God. It is also a common practice of the Church every year to have its Catechumens (those entering the Church/candidates for baptism) sign the book of life (also called the book of the elect) during Lent before their baptisms at Easter Vigil, as a sign to those of the Church and to God of their intentions to belong to Him.


Whether the book of life regards only the life of glory of the predestined?
 
The end state of something should be what was intended from the beginning. For example, if you hire a roofer to fix your roof, then your roof should be fixed when he is complete with his work. So it is for those who attain glory through God’s Predestination, for He will always achieve the end for which He began. To place in a more concrete way, the end of glory “shall exceed human nature,” as Saint Thomas Aquinas puts it boldly. Furthermore, the life of Grace is the aspect of an end which directs it, but is not the end within itself. For those who go so far as to draw closer to God but choose to turn back slightly (not fully) by their own freewill, may have some participation in eternal life in a relative manner, but not fully - as the Holy Apostle Paul mentioned to the Corinthians the multiple levels of heaven. Keep in mind, this in no way implies those that are destined for hell by their deeds and free will choices are to share in the glory of the just and righteous.


Whether anyone may be blotted out of the book of life?


Some opinions of men, as in the universalist sects, believe nobody will be blotted out of the book of life because a “loving god” is not capable of condemning a soul to eternal punishment. This notion is false because the good men think they do or observe in others at the present time, come to the realization of their fallen state at the point when they are blotted out of the book of life by way of mortal sin. For what is inscribed or removed on a roll of names in the book of life is not a matter of the opinion of men, but is a reality of God who is also a God of Justice and who gives each and everyone justly according to what their deeds deserve. Furthermore, the book of life is the inscription of those who are destined for eternal life in two ways: one, through Divine Predestination which has a certain trajectory that will not fail; two, from grace, for whoever has grace has been fitted in the garments of eternal life (in a relative manner). However, by mortal sin and the free will choice to do wrong and fall short by way of unchecked sin (deficiency), the one fitted in the Holy white garments of eternal life by grace can choose to remove those garments, and when they do so, they fall from grace. So, in this, it just so has it that those predestined for eternal life by God’s will are inscribed in the book of life simply, and those who are written down in the book of life by grace are said to inherit eternal life relatively, in as much as they remain in grace by way of the free will and refrain from mortal sin so as to not stumble and be blotted out of the book of life. 

 ​I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.
​
Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 1-26 from newadvent.org with permission.
 
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Whether men are predestined by God?
 
Everything is subjected to the Divine Providence of the Living God. Therefore, it is proper for people to be predestined by God. Now, this is separate from the calvinist view of “double predestination” which was a product of the protestant reformation in that a sign of worldly success through material possessions confirmed in their own minds that they were saved and were going to heaven, or other views of predestination which negates the free will of man and pushes the false narrative that God has already predetermined our reward and punishment, thus there is nothing we can do better or worse so as to please Him or do good to those around us. As mentioned earlier, God allows for Primary and Secondary causes by way of the freewill so as to lead back to His end which is rest in Him. Rather, the predestination that Saint Thomas Aquinas mentions has two parts which finds its rest and end in God; one, eternal life in a state where our intellect (soul) is raised up to see Him and have the knowledge of Him in glory. The second end, reaching beyond the proportion and faculties of nature by the power of its own nature. If by the power of the creature’s own nature cannot reach for what it was meant for by its own ability, skill, knowledge, or understanding, then it must be guided to it through assistance, just as a rock on a sling is pulled back and aimed at a target. Surely, the rock (the person meant for eternal life) makes a good projectile and can damage its target (eternal life in the presence of God in glory), but that is not enough and it can not do it on its own. It needs something more; in this case, a slingshot (Providence) and someone to aim it and release it (God’s will for that soul to be saved - predestination). So it is for predestination in that God’s intellect and will, He directs men by His Providence, the just ordering of things, to glory in eternal life even if they are lacking the ability to currently do so at the moment because of sin, ignorance, disobedience, confusion, and the like. Thus there is the illuminating light from the Spirit of Grace which raises up the intellect to the knowledge of the Truth, and to which guides its projectile on to target where it should so as to experience eternal life in the realm of the living. This concept also applies to angels, as God predestined them to know Him and have no end. So it is for people, whom He gives His grace to so they are preserved.      


Whether predestination places anything in the predestined?


To predestine someone or something is to have the idea of what should occur in the mind of the one who is making the decision. For example, a man purchases lumber for the purpose of building a shed. He predestines the purchased lumbar to be cut and measured by calculated dimensions and forms to be assembled into something which shall store his desired goods. In this case, the becoming of a shed for storage made of wood is the calculated end of the purchased lumbar which the builder predestines use of. In this action, nothing is in the lumber as if the decision to turn it into a shed was its own, for that resides in the builder’s mind (Predestination) and will which guides the pieces of wood in an orderly fashion to be assembled into a functional shed (Providence). Now, for the Divine Mind of God, the execution of His Providence is what we know as government, as was stated earlier, and this is a function carried out passively (as in a secondary causality allowed by God). For it was stated that God correctly orders things to their end and rest in Him, often directly (from Him actively), and by way of others through their choices and actions (from Him passively). This is what we call Providence. Now, from Providence we get Predestination, which is a type of ordering of some person’s eternal salvation. This does not belong to the person being saved, but only to God. For those who lack the ability to be saved will be given what they need to be saved as they may receive directly the Grace of God’s gifts, or  receive passively from Him through others when someone hears a heart wrenching speech, intercessory prayers by devout Holy People, experience in the penal system, trials in warfare, or a series of unfortunate events that may bring the heart back to God so as to endure, survive, or go on living through the trauma experienced which may become unbearable to the soul which does not have assistance in attaining salvation through Him. Hence, God makes good come from evil, even though He doesn’t cause the evil that occurred through the actions of the free will in creatures; while even in this He carries out the decision of Predestination for others through His Providence.
  
Whether God reprobates any man?


God does reprobate some, but not on account of necessity as if this person were to be damned from birth, but on condition in that they do what they ought not to do in full knowledge of wrongdoing while also still refusing to repent or change their ways, so as to fall away from an end that would have resulted in their glory and beatitude. Furthermore, as Predestination falls under Providence which brings creation into glory, while also allowing for defect in them, so it is for reprobation which also belongs to Predestination in that they do not achieve that glory because of the condition they chose by their freewill. So it is for the Predestined to be glorified, it is also for the reprobate to be permitted to fall into sin and receive the punishment of damnation on account of those sins. Thus we all shall account for our deeds and motives, and the martyrs died to bring salvation to those in darkness; because if salvation exists, so must damnation exist all the more, and if nobody were accountable for their actions, then there would be no reward or punishment, nor would there be free will, or a crown of glory or a whip of chastisement.


Whether the predestined are chosen by God?


The Predestined are subjected to God’s election and love. In this way, it can be said that they are “chosen” by God in that He wills a good for them in a different way than someone else. So, in this way, they are Predestined for this good that was meant for them. Providence is also known as prudence because in another way it can be described as a plan existing in someone’s intellect for the correct ordering of something for the purpose of a calculated end. Furthermore, how can something be directed to an end, if an end was never established for that something from the beginning? For in the will, a plan is devised and its end is carried out, some necessarily (active action of God) and others conditionally (passive action of God) as was stated earlier, so it is what we call Providence; and from this, those presupposed for eternal salvation are Predestined because there is a formulated end for them by way of prudence (the plan and ordering of the will). Now, in the order of reason, Predestination must be before election, and election before love while all of this is belonging to Providence (the correct ordering of things). Now, as for love, it can be said God “loves'' the Predestined because He wills a specific good for them higher or lower than others who may also receive their own type of good from Him according to His love; for when we love someone (not as God loves someone), it is because we recognized a good in them, thus we are incited to love that good which already exists and as a result we end up loving someone. But for God, His love is the kind that causes goodness in others, for our own love does not cause good in others and in this way “election” precedes love in us. As for election to God, as He wills a good for others and takes active steps to further carry out that end state of goodness, He also reprobates others who fail the condition (free will choice to neglect what was meant for them) leading to Glory and Beatitude, thus permitting them to fall further into sin and ultimate damnation.  Additionally, it is important to realize that election and love is ordered differently in God as compared to people in reverse order. So, for God, love is before election, and election comes before Predestination (all still continuing to fall under Providence) because by way of God’s great love, He is the cause of goodness in all, and those whom He loves He also elects (calls), and for those who He loves through election is also the same ones whom He Predestined according to His Divine Providence. See for yourself, when you yourself “love” something, is your belief or feeling the cause of the goodness in the thing you identified worthy of your love? No, it already existed there, and you are now coming to the realization of its presence and you cannot help but to love that quality or attribute you see to which attracts your senses (both physically and spiritually). Know this, it is really God who put that there, for His love causes goodness in others, and although the act you may think which is love being directed towards another, what you are actually doing is loving God in a lesser state or form of worship, for you see His work and presence, but you do not acknowledge it as such. Nonetheless, you love what you see and seek to be in its presence!


Whether the foreknowledge of merits is the cause of predestination?


Some in the past believed that the good deeds we may have committed in a former life are now being made manifest to us in this life on the basis of past merits. Also, there are some who have believed that the different states based on the merits of work in a past life has given us a diversity of different states of grace that are received in the present, as if Predestination were dependent upon the freewill of man to act accordingly and be rewarded in kind. Furthermore, others have said that the effects following Predestination are the reason why it occurred. This is all false, because an act (doing something) which comes forth from the free will (thinking about it) cannot happen before the free will devises the decision to carry out an act, and in this way, it cannot be said that anything began in us of our own accord which led to the effect of Predestination, or that the free will now becomes a separate flow from what is Predestination and the will of God who manifests Grace as an effect flowing from Predestination. Rather, it is one flow which is from God, whose Primary Causes allow for secondary causes, and not that they are separate or their own sources of effects, but that they are the same in that they all flow from Him as the source. So, when grace is inferred upon the individual by way of Predestination, and ultimately leading to eternal salvation and glory, the freewill is neither diminished or increased, nor is the grace being poured out from the source of the free will in the one whom is being saved, but in that all of the effects of grace, salvation, and good works are literally the effects of Predestination as God wills it. Just as the Holy Apostle Paul once said to the Romans and the Corinthians in summary: We are not sufficient to think anything of ourselves as if it came from ourselves and in a great house, there are many vessels, some for honorary use and others for dishonor. Just as God made things in their likeness; some for water, some for the air, and others by fire, so it is for the glory or shame of others according to His will. For who can question God on why a bird may have feathers or why a reptile may have scales, unless one wishes to fall into error or reprobation.  
 
Whether predestination is certain?


The effect of Predestination will occur as it is supposed to; either by necessity (Primary Causes of God) or contingency (Secondary Causes of God) as the Lord allows according to the Divine Will. So as Predestination is of Providence, so is the order of Providence incapable of being wrong or making mistakes because of Intelligent Design which comes forth from God’s wisdom, which calls for the just and effective ordering of things as they are meant to be. Furthermore, this could be understood in two ways; one, God predestines someone to be glorified because of a decision He decided to act upon for the salvation of a soul, so the effect of this decision will occur. Second, by the merits which come forth from God’s Grace, which puts it in our hearts to have the idea of the good, to seek the good, and to carry out the good for others out of unselfishness and love for God alone. Some of this is what we choose to do, and belongs to us in a way according to what the free will allows for and accounts for, but in another way, acknowledging the power of the Living God who allows for such a spirit to persist in doing His will so as to attain glory as a gift which belongs to God alone who is the source of all righteousness found in someone who carries out good works that are visible to others. However, this can be lost by way of the free will choice to freely engage in mortal sin to which an accounting must be rendered. In this way, some who were meant for glory have fallen from glory, and that same glory which was meant for them has passed on to another so as to glorify those who value it, keep it, honor it, seek it, and who can bring themselves to preserve it.


Whether the number of the predestined is certain?


The numbers of those who are predestined for salvation are certain to God in that He alone knows what His effects in the universe shall require by way of number for the just ordering of things. For example, the number of species which are driven by their senses, such as birds and fish maintain the numbers they need to sustain their populations so as to sustain other dependent life forms interacting in nature by preserving them through His Divine Providence. But for the rational creature, and especially the mortal intellect which is the soul wrapped in bone, blood, and vessels, God preordained a number for the ultimate good of the universe, incorruptible and destined for eternal joy and glory, because of His special love and great interest in them by way of Predestination, even at the opposition of the rebellious angels who believed spirit was enough rather than spirit wrapped in flesh. As for the existence of the reprobate, those who are allowed to fall are also pre-ordained in a way that serves the good of the elect, for what is bad or evil is used for good by God so as to glorify, rebuke, correct, and guide those onto the correct path towards salvation and beautification.


Whether predestination can be furthered by the prayer of the saints?


This could be understood in two ways; one, the effect of divine ordination in that God elects someone for the purpose of salvation so that what He intends to accomplish is done. In no way is this the effect of a secondary cause, which would be the prayers or prompting of the created. Rather, it is God’s primary cause (direct action) being carried out, and this belongs to Him alone. Second, by way of contingency (secondary causes), Predestination which comes from Providence is helped along by way of good works from an intermediary or another, by way of prayer, speech, evangelization, conversation, acts of love, bravery, caring, and many more actions someone could carry out by prompting of the Holy Spirit. These things are allowed in the order of the Primary Cause within the Universal Form (the out of bounds limits which contain secondary causes). Keep in mind, actions such as prayers and good deeds of the created are not the source of Predestination, only God is, rather they are helped along by its effects. Finally, it is important to note that the Predestined must strive to do good works and seek God in prayer so the order of Predestination in others may be fulfilled in its entirety. This is accomplished through alms giving, acts of spiritual charity, feats of bravery, acts of love, and the blood and testimony of the martyrs and Saints, which are effects made perfect in those who are Predestined for the edification of the elect.

​I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.
​
Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 1-26 from newadvent.org with permission.
 
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

​​Whether providence can suitably be attributed to God?


Providence, which is the divine care and protection of God, is most suitable to God and attributed to Him because of the Divine Goodness of God which was stated earlier. For God made all things good - even creatures like the devil who have chosen to become evil (deficient) by their own free will to do wrong (accidents not attributed to God). Furthermore, the care of providence has two important distinctions; one, “the reason of order,” which is justly called providence, is eternal and divinely inspired by the will of God which springs forth from His intellect, design, Primary Cause, Universal Cause, Primary Form, and infinitude of ideas of what things should be, ought to be, could be, is, will be, and ever shall be.  Second, is the execution of order which is a government that establishes an order by way of a law that is handed down to it. These are your secondary causes within the secondary forms that provide contingent effects by their execution (somebody steals something, so a judge orders restitution be paid out to the victim by the perpetrator) subordinate to the Primary Cause within the Universal Cause and form which is from God and attributed to God. Hence, Providence is attributed to God. See for yourself, although unbelievers like to point out the sufferings and horrors within the world, where mankind is partially separated from God’s presence, while denying the actions and responsibility of the free will of people who willingly choose to do what is wrong so as to harm others, they freely attribute the actions and causes of God, which is always good, to what is evil and improper. For some of their false claims is that since God may allow something, then He alone is the direct cause of this, which is a false notion. Fact is, the Lord does not interfere with the free will of His creatures, because if He did, then nobody would be worthy of punishment or reward. Within this, it also so happens that He alone ordains that everyone shall be judged in accordance with their deeds, and when this comes to pass, either a reward or punishment shall be carried out because of the Lord’s Justice. Even in this, unbelievers who deny these facts, still falsely associate suffering, hatred, evil, and the horrors of this life to God alone - even though they enjoy their freedoms and make choices everyday so as to draw closer to Him or further away, they still refuse accountability for their ways and the ways of creatures who are given the gift of freewill, so in their darkness and hatred for their Creator, they attribute all of this evil to Him, so as to distract from their own responsibilities and shortcomings. While this happens, in their blatant ignorance, they still forget that the evil and horrors they did not experience, is rightly attributed to God because of His Divine Providence, who protects them from things they do not even perceive. Take the evil spirits for example; although they are stronger and smarter than humans, the Lord puts them in check, and permits them to only exercise themselves in areas of action that He warned us not to engage in such as witchcraft, divination, idol worship, sinful conduct, magic arts, necromancy, demon worship and the like. There are consequences for their actions, and if the evil spirits could manifest themselves at will at any given time, more than likely they would not waste a second to slit all of our throats and commit unspeakable horrors against us, because that which is spiritual and condemned hates all flesh that shall be saved through faith in Him, so in their damnation and despair, they war with the human soul which is made in the likeness and image of God. While in their spiritual combat, they strive to separate the human soul from its inheritance through temptations, lies, vanity, evil influence, confusion, ignorance, hatred, unreasonable anxiety, sexual lusts, lawlessness, perversions, genital mutilation, transgenderism, war, abominations, unspeakable crimes, blasphemies, and the like. Even in this, the Lord takes what is evil and makes good come from it by way of His Divine Will which comes forth from His wisdom that is sourced from His intellect which we attribute to His Providence.


Whether everything is subject to the providence of God?


Providence is the order of things towards their calculated end. Furthermore, all things that exist are subjected to the Divine Providence of the Living God because He is the first agent which all agencies in existence spring forth from. Not only do things that participate in existence carry out their agency by way of His agency through His guidance, protection, laws of nature, wisdom, ideas, and Universal Cause; but while also participating in existence they also demonstrate the principles of goodness the Lord has bestowed upon them according to their likeness in as much as they partake in existence through His Divine Guidance which we also attribute to His Providence. When the creature strays from the correct path of God’s goodness by way of deficiency (sin), providence may be reduced by way of the Lord’s wisdom. Additionally, He may remove the spiritual care and protection He has bestowed on somebody so as to correct them by way of suffering. In this way, even in disobedience, living things are subjected to His Providence. Not to punish His creation cruelly as a wicked master to his slaves would, but to reprove and correct all for the order and spreading of His goodness which He strives to spread through Primary (Him) Causes and secondary (us) causes as a father would towards a child he loves through the medium of discipline.  


Whether God has immediate providence over everything?


There are two parts of God’s Divine Providence; one, the order of things and happenings to their calculated end. Two, the execution of this order by way of government such as the law of man which is carried out through the secondary causes of the freewill, but not independent of God’s Primary Cause. So, in this, think of God’s Providence as a football field with “out of bounds” markers and two neutral zones which is the beginning (one side of the field where a team can score a touchdown) and the calculated end (the other side of the field where another team can also score a touchdown). The teams can move about freely within the boundaries of the field, according to the “rules” (second part of Providence which speaks of execution by government) of the game by way of their freewill to choose to throw the ball, run the ball, or punt the ball back to the opposing team. Furthermore, God has immediate Providence over everything in the first aspect because He alone assigns effects to His creatures and in nature while also giving them the power to produce those effects and carry them out according to their likeness by way of His just ordering of things (the first part of His Divine Providence). For a bird shall have wings and fly, and a bear shall hibernate for the winter and survive off fat reserves. In no way can humans do these things by their natural faculties. In the second respect, as Providence pertains to execution of government, by way of God’s will which springs forth from His wisdom, He assigns intermediaries to carry out execution of justice, order, goodness and the like so as to spread His Divine Goodness by way of secondary causes (free will choice of creation) along with their contingent effects. In this way, He builds us up for what we are about to receive, which is Divine Beatitude and rest in Him. For those entrusted with power are given their power not by their own hand, but from above, for the Lord gives them this power according to His will and Divine Providence. Some may say, “well this person is wicked and evil, and he should not be in charge of anyone because of his recklessness.” Maybe true; however, realize that being subjected to wicked leaders and lawlessness, while also experiencing the horrors of warfare and injustice is the consequence of unchecked sin and vice (as a whole, not always individuals alone), and by way of God’s wisdom through His Divine Providence, He knows how to guide humanity back onto the right course as to lead back to Him, which is good. For who can appreciate what they have unless they experience losing it all? For who knows how something should taste sweet, unless they never tasted what is bitter? How can you identify what is warm and hot, unless one gets burned? How can someone love the right way, unless they experience loss of those they love? In the same way, God’s Divine Providence immediately and through intermediaries is His way for our good which shall lead back to Him, even if we do not understand it clearly at the moment. Now, in no way does this mean that the wicked and evil things that are carried out by people with authority are good in any way, or should be mimicked so that a good may result. Rather, it is better not to know the ways of evil and wickedness or imitate it in any manner because the human inclination towards evil by way of the will is subjected to such a descent. On the other hand, God, who cannot be thrusted into evil, nor can He be perverted by such temptations, knows evil and wickedness fully and completely; however, it is impossible that His will may turn to evil. Not so for the created.    


Whether providence imposes any necessity on things foreseen?


Providence is to order things to their end. Now, it just so happens that the Divine Providence of God imposes what is necessary on some things and not so much on other contingency causes. For the ultimate goal is the goodness in general and perfection of the universe so as for all things to find their calculated end and rest in Him. Some are taken to this end by necessity or how God sees fit directly, and others by the secondary free will choices of creatures to which God allows to occur through them according to His wisdom which comes forth from His will by way of design which we also happen to call Divine Providence (the correct ordering of things through God). As we see with nature, what works in unison with its elements and creatures, held together by Providence, what God allows as primary or secondary shall not reduce the other, but simply allow for so as to lead back to His intention for them. To clarify this point, migration patterns shall be a source of food for far distant animal populations as seasons rotate in different regions, and the destruction of an island due to volcanic eruption shall benefit its proportional land mass over time. Through this, the ordering of things occurs either directly or through secondary events. This is also true in people by way of choice in accordance with His wisdom, for a natural event may lead a fallen away believer back to Him (necessity/directly), or another person may do this as well by their free will choice to evangelize (contingent/secondary).

​I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.
​
Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 1-26 from newadvent.org with permission.
 
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Whether there is justice in God?


Justice comes forth from a law which is given. But God is a law unto Himself, because there is no higher power which shall hand a law down to Him, for He alone is justice for what is just and right pre-exists in Him as the source of what we know as justice. Furthermore, God apportions to each their own what is justly due by way of His wisdom. For a bear shall have claws, a fish shall have gills, and a human shall have hair; their due. This is called distributive justice. Even more so, God, who is justice, guides mankind throughout the ages so as to show him what is right or wrong so they can become aware of sin and how to avoid it, as we see with the Law of Torah which was fulfilled in Lord Jesus Christ and how its precepts influence modern society with the concept of marriage, divorce, property ownership, deeds to homes and lands, bankruptcy, weights and measures and the like. So, by His guidance, He influences the metrics of justice in human affairs - in some societies greater and in other societies lesser depending on how close to the hearts of men He is by way of their freewill to choose the good or bad. The concept of giving and receiving for the purposes of exchange such as mutual benefit or trade and the like is known as commutative justice and this is not attributed to God, but man; for the Lord gives freely and expects nothing in return.  

Whether the justice of God is truth?


Where the mind (the intellect) and the knowledge of things (as they are actual) intersect at equilibrium, the mind identifies the truth as it can recognize it. As the mind is the measure of what is false or true based on the knowledge it understands, so is the work of the carpenter said to be true when his actions and work are suitable to his trade. In the same way, a punishment is said to be suitable for the crime when it comes forth from the law which administers justice. Furthermore, the justice of God comes forth from His wisdom, which is THE law of justice, which is true. Thus, the justice of God is truth.   
        
Whether mercy can be attributed to God?


Indeed, mercy is attributed to God. For the effect of mercy is to feel the misery and despair of another like oneself. In this, measures are taken to relieve the suffering of the person by way of forgiveness and remission, and in this way, the act of mercy becomes a gift to the other. Mercy does not take away from justice, rather, it is the fulfillment of justice, just as Lord Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the law, and as God alone is the fulfillment of all causes both primary and secondary - delivering all creatures to their calculated end as the First and Last Cause. So it is for mercy, as the Holy Apostle James says, “...mercy triumphs over judgment.” 


Whether in every work of God there is mercy and justice?


The works God carries out according to His wisdom, ideas, design, and will can be attributed to justice and mercy more forcefully in some, and less than others. For justice may be worked more into someone whose deeds merit such justice, while mercy may be given more to in a person because of the intentions or circumstances leading up to the deeds which were carried out, even though warranting justice in a specific degree, but also requiring a level of mercy appropriate to the correct ordering of things either by design, grace, primary/secondary cause, and by way the wisdom of The One who distributes such effects according to design. Furthermore, it can be said that the gentiles, who did not know His ways by blood or direct familial connection,  received the gifts and graces of God by way of His mercy, and for the Jews who received conversion and grace from God by way of His justice because of the promises to their righteous Fathers such as Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Patriarchs, and King David. So, in this way, justice and mercy isn’t completely attributed to what someone has done or shall do, but solely upon the decision of God, who may allow for a secondary cause (such as someone’s free will choice to choose a path to Him) or His direct action alone according to what He shall carry out by way of instrument or person or cause He prefers. In no way is God bound by any human rule, decision, or created will, in that simply we dilute His power down to a mechanical function where something is typed or punched in and a response is given. Additionally, justice and mercy is even seen distributed to the just in the world who suffer afflictions so as to cleanse their lesser faults, and in this way, as the Divine Physician prescribes the medicine of suffering, we are drawn closer back to God, and not the allurements of pleasure and idols of the world that make us forget God, who is forever. ​

​I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.
​
Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 1-26 from newadvent.org with permission.
 
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Whether love exists in God?


In God there is love to the highest degree, because love is the first movement of the will and every appetite for which a will pursues. It is natural for the creature to seek the good both in itself and another as its first act of the will in pursuit of the appetites (wanting). For what is alive loves to do the things it does, such as eating, sleeping, multiplying its genetic structure with a partner and the like. As was stated earlier, God is the First Mover who puts all things into motion, and whom by way of His will, intellect, ideas, and Essence (which are all one thing because He alone is simple), pre-exists all elements, feelings, perfections, attributes, qualities, happenings, causes, thoughts, acts of kindness, caring, goodness, LOVE, and the like. For as it was stated earlier, God is the maximum of all things, not in the same genus or order as anything which is created. For if the creature can “love,” as we understand love, so God can do this all the more. Furthermore, as Saint Catherine of Siena once heard God explain to her how one must understand His love from The Dialogue, in summary; “I am the One who is, you are the one who is not.” This simply means that God loved both you and me so much that He took what did not exist and put it into existence. How can a human or animal love something to which they never knew existed? It would be impossible for them. But for God, this is possible, for He is the maximum of love in the highest degree, for the qualities or attributes a human displays, as mentioned earlier, is a mere fraction of what God can do or perform in the highest degree. See for yourself, in the Moderni age in Babylon, the word love is being used as a banner for sin (death), sexual immorality, perversion, decadence, depravity, ownership, servitude, oppression and the like. Love leads to life, joy and happiness and ultimately manifests itself as the pursuit and goodness of another or neighbor; turning them into another self while straying away from selfishness and vanity. But sin and disobedience leads to death, selfishness, despair, and wretchedness; so for the ones who support these things, they are not acting in love, but they are acting in hate. For what is more hateful than leading someone to death by encouraging them to do what is improper so that they perish? Even those who do not do such actions, but are lukewarm in their faith, hold distorted views of love both in their households and in their common relationships, for the lukewarm citizen of Babylon, whose country is his church, and who has turned his house and many possessions into his altar where he worships, prays, and puts his false hope into - views love as something to which someone provides material possessions to family members for, whose worth/value is linked to their productivity, and the good or protection one displays for other family members and friends is rooted in ownership and pride, not for the purpose of genuine love, but for the fact that one “protects mine,” as many put it, or someone who only does good for another so as to be seen by others or bolster their own ego and self image. Additionally, the actions of parents who only view their children as an extension of their pride/reputation/good name, or spouses who view their partners as status symbols/trophies and not as husband or wife whom by God’s Divine union established them as one flesh for the purpose of children so as to fill the heavens with souls. In all of this, humans and creatures demonstrate a lower level of love or involvement in their interests which concern their self-worth as they know it while calling it love, when nothing to which they do is truly love in the purest sense as which is found in the Living God, who loves without ulterior motive or for-profit transaction in the purest most perfect form. 
   
Whether God loves all things?


God loves things that are in existence, because He alone made all things good. It is important to understand that the will of God is the cause of all things because He loves everything that exists. Not so for the creature, the man, or the angelic substance. Why? Simply put, the will of creatures is not the cause of the goodness in things, for when we show goodwill and loving kindness towards someone or something, it is not us that is moving it or becoming the cause of goodness, but it is us who are being moved by the object of love, which pre-exists in God before the word “love” was ever invented or established in any language or thought/feeling in the human will. In this way, God is the cause of love and the goodness of love to which created things experience and it so happens that He loves all things to which He brought forth into existence. For the faithless man deluded in his own works and allurement of self-pride, he believes he is truly good and a cause for goodness in others by his own will and act. Furthermore, he genuinely believes God does not make him good and that he alone, by his own hand, makes himself good and is a source of his own light. The devil also believed this, so we see his agency in others who are his disciples by way of pride, which was the first sin/offense committed towards God. 
  
Whether God loves all things equally?


God wills GOOD to His creatures in various degrees according to His wisdom and care. In another way, to bring goodness to something by way of the will is to love it. It is said that understanding the love of God can be described in two ways; One, God loves all things by the act of His will in a simple fashion which has nothing to do with the intensity of love for one or another because He put all things into existence from nothing EQUALLY - Two, it can be said people wish different things and greater goods for others, according to their unique likeness as they see fit. All the more for God, who wills a greater good for some and a lesser good for others according to the likeness to which He ordained them to be. The varying degrees of goodness someone wills for another is separate from that will, for although we wish a sports athlete to go to college on a tuition, which is a good, we also wish for a Soldier who enters the military to be successful in her career and come out alive and unharmed. In comparison, the will for the two do not change in that someone may wish them both good things, protection, and success, but in the same way, varying degrees of goodness is sought for the both of them, and in this sense it can be said that God may love another more so because of the goodness or greatness He bestows upon someone. Hence some stars shine brighter than others, and some Holy Ones are beautified less than others.   


Whether God always loves more the better things?


Indeed, God loves the better things more because He wills a greater good for something He alone chooses according to its likeness. The reason why someone is better than another is because God wills for them a greater good. This is evident through His only begotten Son, Christ Jesus, whose Name He alone has exalted above the lower regions, the creatures subject to the principle of matter and time in the material universe and here on earth, and the angelic substances who dwell in the heavens. In this way it can be said that God “loves” Christ more than all things in existence, because He willed the greatest good for Him, in as much as He is true God and true Man and that all things have been entrusted to Him as a Father puts His Son over His household and possessions in order to carry out responsibilities as One Authority equal to the Father. 

​I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.
​
Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 1-26 from newadvent.org with permission.
 
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

​Whether there is will in God?
 
As there is intellect in the human who was made as an intelligible being, so there must follow a will from that same intellect. If this is the case for the created, then all the more shall it be for the Creator - the One alone who fashions the intellect so as to make a hospitable environment for the will. Because of this, God must have a will, because He also has a Divine Intellect which pre-exists all intellects that have come forth into being by His intellect and will which called his creation forth into existence. For what is natural and living exists by way of its form, so intelligence shall exist by way of its intelligible form. In the same way, there has to be a will in God because there is intellect in Him and it so has it that God’s intellect is also His will and existence.
 
Whether God wills things apart from Himself?
 
God wills Himself and other things apart from Himself. This is so for the following reasons: One, natural things experience their own inclination to their own proper good and when that proper good is achieved, the thing finds rest in it. When the natural thing is still seeking its own proper good and has not yet achieved it, then the natural thing must be inclined to move towards it until it is found so as to achieve rest in it. The most basic example is hunger, for the woman athlete must feed herself and nurture her body in order to perform at the level which is expected of her. Additionally, her body must heal after the competition through rest and proper nutrition, for this is the proper good of her body - to feed herself and rest so as to heal her body in order to do it all over again for as long as she wills it. Second, once the proper good is achieved, it is in the heart of the created to spread that proper goodness with others so those around them can share in its goodness. For example, the woman athlete competes in a sport and takes first place through her hard work and efforts. It is expected that those around her such as her family and friends will witness her accomplishment and find joy in it for its own sake. Thirdly, just as it is for natural things and the woman athlete who won the competition to enjoy their proper goodness so as to spread it to others, so it is for the Divine Will which is God, who wills it that the goodness of God be spread to others according to His likeness as well so the joy of His creation may be made complete through God in order to achieve beatitude, which is all of creation’s ultimate end and cause which finds its rest in God as the only start and finish to which God ordains and wills to be so other things partake in His glory. 
 
Whether whatever God wills He wills necessarily?
 
If a man is to protect his muscles, organs, veins, and nervous system, then it must be absolutely necessary that he has a protective layer of skin over his body. In the same way, a computer monitor must have a screen so the user can see what the computer is doing in order for the user to guide its actions. In these examples, what is necessary is absolute. In another way, what is necessary can be by supposition, in that the man can decide whether or not to cover his body with a jacket or a long sleeve shirt and for the computer user to decide which type of monitor he shall use in order to use his computer. For the computer to be put into use, using a monitor is necessary. For the man to protect his body, he must wear a protective layer of something. Furthermore, while keeping these examples in mind as it pertains to the will of God necessarily, it follows that since God wills His own absolute necessity, such as His goodness and His calculated efficient cause and purpose for all creation while providing His creatures with joy, happiness, food, and ability to multiply themselves through offspring, the laws of nature and the universe, gravity, orbital cycles, sense of smell to the nose, and sense of feeling to the touch, He does not necessarily will whatever He wills. Through necessity by supposition, God wills that things or causes are ordered to His own goodness as their end so as by way of another will (His creatures), the choice can be made to arrive at the calculated end as they see fit, so as long as it is ordered to Him as their end in truth. For example - which path shall you choose? The long hard bumpy road of despair and sin which can be navigated successfully through faith, penance, and endurance, or the long hard smoother road of denying oneself so as to do what He says as opposed to what others say? Regardless of which - trials and tribulations are on every path, so it seems for most. However, in this, His perfection stands that no other perfection can add up to the height of His maximum, and that through His wisdom and will, which is unchangeable, He allows for His will which is necessary while also allowing the wills of creatures to reach their final end which is in Him, and in turn this becomes His will which is necessary by supposition (creatures choosing which path to follow that is allowed by God in order to lead back to Him).
 
Whether the will of God is the cause of things?
 
The Divine Being of God is not limited to form, shape or any boundaries such as the created, and within Himself contains the fullness of perfection in being. Through this, the effects of His infinite perfection by way of His will and intellect guides the bullet from the rifle to the target, whereas the rifle becomes His will, and the target becomes its intended effect or calculated end, and the bullet which is fired from the rifle being the other wills of His creation as they are acting in potentiality (freedom to choose by their own will)  through the agency of ACTUALITY - which is God, who is true being and true existence, first in the order of intellect where everything created in idea and material matter pre-exist in Him by way of his ideas of them, not attributed to or of a lesser order than anything in existence. In this way, God’s intellect and will is what causes something to be, do, or know and not the necessity of His nature. Although God does not always act by necessity through His will in others, by supposition we see His effects and intended trajectory (such as the flight path of a bullet heading towards its target). In this way, either directly or indirectly, the will of God, and not the nature of God (because God is intellect and will), is the cause of things.
 
Whether any cause can be assigned to the divine will?
 
Causes and happenings can be secondary to the Primary Cause, which is the Divine Will that is God’s, whose ordered causes set forth in motion throughout the universe spreads forth in a reasonable fashion, and therefore allows for secondary causes to be on the account of another. The problem where one shall go wrong or stray from truth in error, is to believe their secondary causes and effects to God’s Divine Will is above His Primary Cause, or not related or attributed to it in any way through effects that come forth from God by way of His Divine Will which allows for the secondary cause to occur. For example, the man believes he can become a mother and breastfeed his adopted or surrogate child. The Primary Cause through the Divine Will ordained that man shall carry seed for the woman, so as to impregnate her and bring forth life. The man shall not bear young and produce milk for them as a mother would. However, by secondary cause, and the error of the man who denies the Divine Will’s primary cause, which is His genetic makeup and what the man is by nature, as willed by the Life Giving Spirit which is God, the man denies the truth and earnestly believes he can produce milk as a mother could. When it does not occur, because of its impossibility both to logical reasoning and the laws of nature, the man who wants to be a mother and produce milk is thrusted into despair. In his confusion, he attributed his secondary cause, which was rooted in ignorance, to the Primary Cause, which is chiefly sourced in God, who says that man is man and shall carry seed, and that woman is woman and shall bear young and provide milk for her babies. As we see, the will comes forth from the intellect in the man, who believes in something false, but wills it anyway that he should engage in such an action that cannot occur. In the same way, the Divine Intellect belongs to God, which pre-exists and is above all created intellects, and it just so happens that His will which is PRIMARY springs forth from that same intellect, while also allowing the effects of His Primary Intellect to be seen and witnessed and experienced in secondary causes that are not directly attributed to Him, while others receive no effects whatsoever, as we see with the man who tries to produce breast milk as a mother would and cannot perform the task. However; on the other hand, the Primary Effects from God’s Divine Will is seen in the secondary cause which came forth from the woman, who decided to have children and produce milk for her young. The effects of God’s will in the secondary cause by way of the woman’s will is that she produces milk which was ordained by God’s Will alone, which is Primary and not secondary.   
 
Whether the will of God is always fulfilled?
 
The will of God must always be fulfilled; either now, in the future, or in the end, when all causes and creatures, by way of sin, who strayed away from the Divine Will, are called back into order by the Universal Cause which pre-exists all other causes (human secondary actions initiated by the freewill) by way of JUSTICE through punishment. For what must be reordered to the Universal Form in the end is what we know as justice, thus making right what is wrong, and equal what is imbalanced. 
 
Whether the will of God is changeable?
 
The will of God is an immovable rock, and it does not change. Rather, it is God’s will that certain things should change, in that what is created in a certain likeness shall later become a better or different likeness as He originally intended through His will. When the Lord uses words as we understand them to say that He “regrets” or “repents” of something, it must be taken metaphorically because it is a similitude that addresses change in a way we as humans can better understand Him according to our own likeness and understanding. This should not come as a surprise when somebody really ponders this reality about God, for man creates things all the time in his environment for the intentions of tearing it down or changing it. For example; temporary bridges for military use, ammunition, disposable diapers and the like. Furthermore on a grander scale, change throughout faith history can be witnessed from the original grace/covenants/promises through the Patriarchs to the Law of Moses and ultimately the new covenant through the Blood of Christ. In another way, just because the artist makes an ice sculpture for other people to witness and admire, only to have it melt in the heat later on, does not mean that the artist never intended by way of her will to create a piece of art. Rather, the will of the artist was immovable and unchangeable from the moment her intellect conjured the contemplative idea of what the ice sculpture shall appear to be, and by way of her will, transferred the idea to her hands, thus transitioning her idea to the material principle (which is her ice sculpture) viewable by everyone around her. For the artist, her work has twelve hours of existence for all to enjoy. On the other hand, for the viewer, this might only be ten minutes of existence as they perceive it, when they only take a glance at the work of art and move about their business. In this way, since time is relative in this sense, it would appear the will of the artist for her ice sculpture to exist lasted much longer than the viewer who simply glanced at the piece of work and simply forgot about the idea shortly after. So it may appear because something lasts for a long period of time, that it should not change, or that God never willed it. However, if God willed that it should change, then it will change, thus rendering His will in the end from which was intended from the beginning. Thus the will of God is unchangeable. However, this does not mean that God’s will shall not allow for inferior intermediate causes which produce effects by way of the freewill. For example, the Universal Cause for salvation ordains that His Son shall be glorified, and that we shall go through Him to the Father. How a believer does this through their choices has many effects, and exists in many forms interior to the superior form of God’s will, such as BAPTISM, the SACRAMENTS of the Church as a means of grace, and our DEEDS, for which everyone shall render an account to their Creator.  
 
Whether the will of God imposes necessity on the things willed?
 
The universe must be built up and contain things for its ordering. This is not an accident, nor a series of random chance events, occurrences, or happenings as the atheist believes and at the same time preaches to others around him. No, God’s intellect and ideas are perfect. Furthermore, He alone is capable of carrying them out by way of His Divine Will, which shall never fail. It just so happens that the way God orders the universe and causes to happen by way of His Universal Form, which is the Primary Cause according to His will, allows for secondary causes (by will of creatures) which have contingent effects. God wills that some things are carried out by His necessary will and Primary Cause and also through secondary causes with attached effects that shall ultimately lead back to His Primary Cause in a different way. Simply put, if the Lord wills it to be this way, then it shall be that way, all for the good ordering of the universe which shall contain its end or rest in Him.
 
Whether God wills evils?
 
God neither wills evil to occur or not occur, rather, he permits it for a greater good according to His will. For example, there is justice because of punishment. For those who do wrong, an imbalance occurs. The wrong which may have been done was more than likely executed for a purpose the person thought was a greater good, even though an evil occurred (such as the crime for which the punishment is due). God, even though permitting it, did not cause the evil of the crime to occur, rather, He makes good come of it by way of justice and punishment in order to balance what is imbalanced. In the same way, secondary causes as a result of the person’s actions shall manifest around those who are exposed to the specific crime or conviction of it, and ultimately come out of it with something new (either understanding or material event) that wasn’t realized before the evil occurred. In another way, it can be said that the crime which was committed was evil, but according to the one who committed the crime, he did it for what he deemed as a greater good (money, stolen goods etc.). In this way, the evil that is brought on is by accident (the one who committed the crime used freewill to make a decision) as it pertains to the freewill and cause of evil, not in the sense that the criminal is innocent of something he did which clearly occurred. Furthermore, as it was said earlier, God made all things good, and it is not natural for things to become evil or do evil, rather, it is by way of accident that evil occurs in the pursuit of something. Now, in all of this, God sees the decision making of mankind (accidents), by way of their free will in pursuit of the good by way of their appetites, and as a result, He also witnesses evil being done, which is the absence of good - thus he makes good come out of evil that is incurred by the freewill and in this way he neither wills or wills what evil may occur, but rather He takes what is evil by way of accident (freewill of creatures) and turn it into a cause for good according to His design by way of His will which shall never fail. 
 
Whether God has free-will?
 
God necessarily wills His own Goodness, for He alone made all things good. As stated earlier, evil comes from the good by way of accident (choices) in the freewill. When creation engages in causes and decisions which are improper to the Universal Cause (which is God’s intentions for them), deficiency (sin) occurs. It is important to remember that even though God allows a secondary cause within His Primary Cause (His Goodness in general), it is permitted for the purpose of the secondary cause to experience effects which shall ultimately lead back to an end within Him where the created finds its rest. In other words, God has a free will to go about such things in a way He deems proper according to His design which allows for a Universal Cause and secondary causes which originates in the freewill of the created. Finally, on no occasion does God will evil or sin, for such occurrences and decisions are the opposite of His Being, which is life itself, as opposed to sin, which is death - for all who hate Him love death. Rather, He makes good come from evil, and abundance comes from what is absent (put another way; sin is the lacking or absence of fullness in something as it were meant to be). 
 
Whether the will of expression is to be distinguished in God?
 
Expressions of God in scripture and on the tongue are either conveyed by way of metaphor or in the literal sense in accordance to the emotional state or feeling of the one who is demonstrating the message or describing the event. For example, humans have an expression of anger when something unjust is occurring, so in that anger, punishment is described by way of words so as to better express the severity of context in what is being said. As for God and man, there is will and passion, and when a human trait or emotion is used to describe God carrying out or willing an action, the words used are more of a reflection of our own passion and is never fully expressed in God properly to its fullness. Furthermore, it must be distinguished that there is God’s will in the proper sense, and His will by metaphor. Saint Thomas Aquinas differentiates this concept by calling the proper sense of God’s will “the will of good pleasure” and God’s will metaphorically taken as “the will of expression.”
 
Whether five expressions of will are rightly assigned to the divine will?
 
The five expressions of the will are prohibition, precept, counsel, operation, and permission. Through these expressions, we demonstrate to those around us our intentions and will. Furthermore, this can be demonstrated either DIRECTLY, INDIRECTLY, or ACCIDENTALLY. When someone approaches another and gives that person an order, the will of that person is being demonstrated directly. When someone fails to prevent an action from occurring willingly, or allows private space for an event to happen, there is omission (by way of allowing an action). Additionally, permission by way of granting someone else the right to do something on your property is the expression of will by accident, in that the owner of the property removes an obstacle in place for you so as to carry out your own will, and in this case - allowing a venue for an event that may convey or support positions the owner of the property does not support or condone, but gladly allows so as to receive a profit for the rented space. Saint Thomas Aquinas calls this removal of an obstacle to the freewill an “accidental mover” and should not be confused with the concept of “The First Mover (God),” who puts all things into motion from His initial movement which was stated earlier. Going forward, a person shall declare his will by means of an agent or a hired hand so as to perform a function in accordance with the originator’s will and this is by precept. Prohibition is in opposition to precept in that someone may hire a woman to do the work, but give her instructions on what not to do in accordance with that work, and in this way, prohibition and precept work hand and in hand together so as to setup boundaries and blueprints for the intentions of another by way of their will to have something performed or carried out. Finally, persuasion is found in counsel in that a group of advisors renders calculated/educated opinions to the decision maker so as to persuade Him to follow through upon their suggestions for a stated purpose. Now, taking all of this into account, the will of the man is made known. As for the Divine Will, these points can be delegated and denominated in accordance with the Universal Form which is God’s will, which allows for secondary contingent causes (free will decisions of creatures) which shall lead back to Him so that the creature finds rest in their calculated end through God, who is the First and Last Cause. From here, we enter OPERATION, which can be referred to as the Goodness of God either in the present or future by way of the expressions of the will in creatures, and to which Saint Thomas Aquinas also describes as “the will of Good Pleasure” as stated earlier in which the Divine Will transfers itself through the freewill of creatures by way of their denominated wills (counsel, precept, permission, and prohibition) manifesting themselves into an operation so as to carry out the goodness of God’s will in accordance to His design. It is important to remember that rational creatures have freewill (which is the intellect or soul), and that they shall account for their ways and decisions because of their special election by God; this includes humans and angels. Keeping this in mind, it so happens that God has granted them special expressions (as stated earlier) of the Divine Will (which are denominated unto them) which shall be assigned to their actions and deeds. Other lower creatures/material objects who act by sense (such as the animals who move for hunger) or objects such as branches and rocks demonstrate movement solely by way of the moving things around them are subjected to the Divine Operation which also allows things (permission) or disallows (prohibition) by way of function; for example a tree swaying by the wind is permitted to rock back and forth, but it isn’t permitted to remove itself into the air and float. In conclusion, it is important to point out that the evil of sin is not in unison with the Divine Will and because of this the only expression to which it is assigned is PROHIBITION, in that someone should not do what is improper or opposed to the will of God such as murder, robbery, lying, genital mutilation, consulting the dead, cursing others by way of mouth and divination, oppression and the like. 

I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.
​
Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 1-26 from newadvent.org with permission.
 
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

​Whether to live belongs to all natural things?


The act (free will decision) of an imperfect being (humans, animals, angels, spirits etc.) in potentiality (accidents or actions not attributed to God) is called movement. What determines whether something is alive is the act of movement within itself. In other words, if a living thing moves - it must act within itself to move and not by something else. For example, running water moves because something other than the water moves it in nature - this does not mean the water is alive literally, but alive by the quality or state of something similar to being alive when the motion of a current which moves through the water simulates life to the viewer’s perception. In the same way, it is God who gives all life the source or starting point for movement - their very breath, cause, purpose, and calculated end by way of His agency. Furthermore, there also exists living things that are alive in varying degrees. For instance; plants, which are alive to a lesser degree as compared to higher beings, are restricted to areas and environments which they themselves can move around in order to adapt with assistance from natural causes (such as wind, temperatures, and seismic events). Animals are more alive in a higher way as compared to the plant, for within themselves they initiate motion by their free choices (not to be compared to the concept of the First Mover which puts all other things into motion). However, they are not what we consider rational beings, for they do not possess the same intellect as humans or angels which are alive and living in a more higher way because of election by God. As for humans - the composite of spirit (the intellect which shall surpass the life of the body) wrapped in flesh, bone, cartilage, and hair - known as the body, which is subject to time (beginning and end), death and decay, was made in the image and likeness of God, and throughout the ages God has taken mankind by the hand to guide, protect, to counsel, and to also discipline, as we see through His Church, scripture, the sacraments, the prophets, those who were called to service for the sake of another, and the sacrifice of The Lamb who spilled His blood for the redemption of the world. This is sufficient evidence to indicate election, in that the composite being known as human is closer to God in ways different from the angels, and higher than the plants or animals, in that men and women shall cohabitate, and the father shall be like His true Father in heaven as a minister to His family, and that the mother shall be like our true Mother in Heaven who bore God Himself within Her own flesh so as to bring salvation to everyone. Additionally, man is known to be closer to God than the animal - who roams the environment for food and engages in lower intellectual activities as compared to the human - so in this way, it could be said that the human is more alive to a higher degree than the animal. Now, what we bear witness to in the Moderni age, is BEAST like MAN, and MAN like BEAST - when we see dogs being dressed up as people for the emotional nourishment and encouragement of their human owners, receiving inheritances in legal wills, and being more well provided for than other humans who are suffering and in need. To go even further, by way of sexuality, activity, dignity, and time or effort - we see humans entering into inappropriate relationships with animals, whether sexual or emotional, and replacing the love that should be for others (people who were made in the image of God) with that of the animal. By way of activity, we see movements springing up to advocate for the abolishment of meat and production of food on a grand scale, even at a detriment to others who face food shortages and hunger. By way of dignity, we see more attention and respect given to the pet than the child, and more attention and care given to the dog than the niece or nephew. Through time and effort, we see the pursuit of pet to owner relationships by way of trips, walks, errands, and lifestyles based around the pet, so far as people begin to label themselves as “dog mom” or “dog dad” as if their pet were like real human children, and the passing up of charity such as hospital or prison visits, providing for the needs of others who are in bad situations, or giving general kindness to everyday people they encounter for the sake of their pet. Even the ancient pagan philosophers warned of the moral ramifications in treating animals better than people around them. These are clues to the spiritual state of humanity which turns from the providence and protection of God to pursue inflated vanities and hopeless pursuits of self and reinforced by temptations of the devil and evil spiritual influence. In conclusion, the elements and weather events are not alive within themselves, and moving water is not alive in that it shall move by way of a current, because none of them initiate movement within themselves like things that are alive to a higher degree in comparison such as plants, animals, people, angels, and spirits who use their impulses, desires, needs, rationality, and intellect to guide their decisions.
   
Whether life is an operation?


As was mentioned before, the intellect of the rational creature recognizes the essence of something as its proper object by way of sense, thus gaining proper knowledge of what something is. From there, the free will is used by way of that knowledge achieved by sense (identifying the essence of something) to achieve accidents (actions carried out by creatures not attributed to God). When the senses identify the essence of an object, such as a chair being a true chair, and a knife being a blade for cutting, we apply a proper name to it to properly identify it. Even in this, we can take those same names and apply them to meanings of other things which are not exactly the same thing by essence. For example, the body of a man is a man. But if I told you the “body” of a rifle company were moving into our sector, then you as a Soldier would understand to take up defensive positions so as to brace yourself for a large assault. You would also understand that I was not talking about a single man as in the prior example. In the same way, it can be said of life and things that are living - as names are given to it by way of external appearances and movements attributed to outside factors (such as a current moving water and someone calling that water “living”) and self-movements attributed to the true conscious self of living in a state of freewill and decision making (the woman comes to the realization of her interests and passions and decides to change her life in order to pursue them). Furthermore, to truly be alive is what exists in nature to things that are truly living, such as plants, the animals, humans, angels, and spirits. Among these, some are considered more or less alive in varying degrees by way of movement and intellect. Thus we say a cactus is more alive than a fallen tree branch, and that a firefighter or rescue team shall rescue a baby boy from a burning building before a cat, and that God loved the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, but despised the children of the disobedient angels (The Watchers) who cohabitated with women.


Whether life is properly attributed to God?


Life is in God to the highest degree compared to everything else that is perceived as “living” to another creature or being - even the creature or being itself. For the creature or being, although able to make free will choices by way of the intellect and movements innate within itself through self-prompting, still must attribute its existence and very life to the initial agency of God, who solely by Himself is pure act (the One who is in Himself by thought, intellect, knowledge, ideas and actions - an Essential Being without potentiality which are created things). For He is the perfection of all things, and not of the same order or genus of the creature or created, thus where what is “living” is found to be perfect more than all other things which is known to be “living” in a higher degree by way of what something can do freely without the initiation, prompting, influence, movement, or command of another factor outside of itself, God is alive more so than everything else in the highest degree in the most perfect way, because God is truly in Himself, void of any admixture, potential influence, outside factor or control - hence the beginning statement “Life is in God to the highest degree…” used to accurately describe how life is most properly attributed to God. The order of movement and what is moved shows us that the end (efficient cause) for what is living is directed by the form of the creature itself and a higher agency beyond its experience (God guiding people and causes to their calculated end). God acts through the form of His creatures inherent to their likeness; for example, the movement of a plant is growth and eventually decay. Additionally, the virtue God instills upon His creatures is from His agency (the Principal Agent) and not from the creature, and in this way God is with us always and guides our actions. For example, the good works of an Apostle healing the legs of a crippled man - for the man who is the Apostle cannot do something like this by his own power, but only by the power of God working and flowing through Him. The man who is the Apostle made his body a proper dwelling place for the Holy Spirit by way of virtue, thus rendering God to rest His spirit upon the Apostle and use him for the good works God chooses to engage in. To be alive and living is proper in God, and is the maximum to all things that are perceived/considered to be living  - from life of the lowest degree such as prokaryotic cells that move according to their inherent nature to fulfill their life cycles to a higher degree of animals who use their sense by way of their form to execute their movements in order to achieve self-preserving/sustaining actions such as hunting and sleeping, and carry out their end by their inherent nature which is natural to them, even though they lack rational intelligence in comparison to humans and purely spiritual beings. Beyond this, there is to be found the rational intellect (the soul or spirit) existing in humans who are made in the likeness and image of the Living God, but are wrapped in flesh and organs, which we call a composite being (mixture of spirit and material matter). To go even further, there are purely spiritual beings such as the angels who were created before mankind and who were made eternal with a higher intellect of knowing things, such as the existence of God who dwells in the spirit. Angels also use their rational thoughts innate in them to guide their actions in order to serve God and to love Him, as well as carrying out His will in obedience. By these facts alone, it is apparent that the rational creature who uses his intellect to guide his movements and actions are said to be living in a higher way than things that are living to a lesser degree, including the fact that as the act of living is carried out in them, their movements and decisions are less dependent upon the movement and guidance of external agents which guides them to their calculated end. Finally, the intellect moves itself to various things, but not all things, which some is guided by nature, innate first principles given to it which the creature cannot deny - for if it were to deny its first principles of its being and existence, then the creature wouldn’t be able to live as it was meant to be (thus invoking self-hatred and destruction of itself). If one who is living uses the act of their understanding in accordance with its own very nature, this one is said to be living to the highest degree. This is best found in God, and as was mentioned earlier, is the maximum of all perfections, especially life and what it means to be alive. Therefore, life is most perfectly attributed to God and is proper to Him in the highest degree.


Whether all things are life in God?


It can be said that the living things God created are in Him in multiple ways. One, their bodies, intellect, thoughts, and spirit are held together by His divine power and authority - for He wills it that His creatures take a form (the body) and to carry out what is inherit to that form’s nature as He ordained it when He set forth the natural order of things from His ideas into material matter for His creation to interact with. For when the form of the body acts in accordance with its nature set out before it by God, in unison with the spirit (intellect) given to the man so as to know God and engage in rational decision making and actions (void of the deficiency and contagion that is sin) so as to be pleasing in the sight of the Creator; in this example, human beings carry out what is both natural and what God intended for them - so as to enter into relationship and knowledge of Him by way of which comes natural to them according to their likeness (walking with God in the flesh before the spirit returns home to where it belongs). Second, becoming the proper idea of what God made of His children, and bringing it to the fullness of what it should be in accordance with the life giving idea of them which originated from the One who formed them, and carrying out that idea so as to achieve the calculated end for which it exists. In this, it is said that what is proper in idea to God and what the creature becomes by way of that idea is one in God and not separate from the Divine Essence. This perfection or beatitude is truly life itself in God, and not simply a measure of movement so as to go from one state of being to another so as to go on a journey, for to be in God truly is to live in the highest degree. 

I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.
​
Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 1-26 from newadvent.org with permission.
 
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.