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Whether Goodness Differs Really from Being?
Goodness and being are the same, for a thing that exists in its fullness is goodness. The only difference between goodness and being in idea is that goodness possesses an aspect of desirability, which in turn is striving for perfection, something all things seek to obtain within themselves both small and great. To be is simply not enough, for one must seek perfection or attempt to obtain it, in accordance with its being. In our daily lives, we seek a false sense of goodness in inanimate objects, vanity, false pretenses, injustice, sin, and violence. We heap abuse on others for the pursuit of our own goodness, which can never be achieved in its fullness without God as the sole objective, for goodness within ourselves or the goodness sought in other things will always fall short when we reject Him, who is prior to being. Whether Goodness is Prior in Idea to Being? Being is what something is in actuality. It is proper for the intellect of intelligible beings to realize they exist in actuality since their own conscience is aware of its own existence. This comes first before goodness, for the goodness one may want to seek is a desirable attainment of perfection in idea. Thus, being in idea is prior to goodness. The secular world declares all beings exist by way of accidental formation and that there is no absolute goodness or truth, for all is relative to one another, void of evil and good. They say this very thing as they actively attack the good and support the evil in their daily lives and throughout the world. Logical reasoning did not bring them to this conclusion, nor did supernatural grace. What brought them to this conclusion is the influence of evil; the one who says, “down is up, and up is down.” The wicked one. Who did he tell this to? To 19th century pseudo-cult philosophers trying to make a living for themselves by proclaiming the gospel of death to would be listeners. Philosophers like Jung, Bentham, Nietzsche, Marx, and Darwin. The Moderni Man of this age worships their secular morality overlords at the altar of false relativism. Just because one does not believe in good or evil does not mean they are no longer subject to its power. What we know as goodness is the ongoing perfection of union with God, who is the First and Final Cause. What we know as evil is the deficiency of the good (which is God) or a half shape which never could come to full circle. Whether Every Being is Good? Any being that is not God is a creature from God. Since God is the ultimate good and The One from whom all beings come forth from, it can be said that every being is good because they were all made good by God who is the ultimate and first good. Even people, events, or actions we deem as evil or not good have an element of goodness whether it was prior in time before the act or a consequence of evil that leads to a greater good after the act or event is committed (which is the work of the Lord who makes even the good come out of evil). For the deficiency of goodness can be described as a basketball missing the basket when shot. It falls short, and doesn’t quite add up, and is what we call “evil.” However, it is important to remember that God made all things good in His likeness according to His will as they should be and the perfect outcome for anything is fulfilling its purpose as God intended. The waters were made good, but sometimes a hurricane forms over them, in the same way, ice is good as well - but exposed too long you can freeze to death, fire is good for it keeps us warm and dry - but get too close to it and it shall burn your flesh. For the fallen angels were made good without pain or suffering in the full knowledge of God, but in their goodness, they chose to not quite meet the mark, and become evil - thus condemning themselves. In the same way, man and woman were made good in the likeness and image of God the Father, but by their own free will and choices (accidents) they chose disobedience and sin which ultimately led to death. It is God who made us good, but not all of us wish to remain that way. For the starting point is good, and if one remains in it, that person shall remain as God intended - which is good. But if that person strays from the goodness the Lord ordained and ruled, that person has much to fear, because the deficiency of their actions and disorder shall lead them on paths of destruction that will bring evil into their lives, even though they were made good and perfect in the eyes of God, and they shall never achieve a higher state of perfection other than what the Lord has ordained for them as creatures. For only “God is good alone,” and by His hand further good sprang forth, which is us and all living things as we know them. Now in Babylonia, man says “I cannot accept how the Lord made me. I know what I will do, I will become a woman!” A demon told them this. For it were the demons who originally rebelled and chose to become what was not meant for them. So naturally they too, would pursue, dwell, influence, whisper, and flock to the sins of men, and encourage it further so as to draw them further from their inheritance - which is God alone. The man of this age - the one who turns from God to pursue secular humanism, atheism, satanism, and occult practices, false idols, and the lower pleasures and desires of the flesh make themselves deficient as the fallen angels did and if they do not change, like the angels, the Lord shall enter into judgment with them as well. This is not a better “becoming” or evolution, as some who heard the gospel of death proclaim, no - it is an act of devolving and descending to lesser heights and lower regions, for the one who draws further away from God becomes uglier, more confused, hateful, more prone to sin, and thus plunges oneself further into the abyss that is the darkness where the unclean spirits dwell and every kind of torment awaits them so as to destroy them. Whether Goodness Has the Aspect of a Final Cause? All things made by God desire goodness according to their form and state of being. Just as a honeybee’s goodness is the labor it puts into the honeycomb, for the good of the colony, so it is for the man to replicate himself through his seed and produce viable offspring for his family lineage. The goodness of the vine produces solid healthy pumpkins, which are ripped from the vine and later discarded, while the apple tree recesses for the winter for another future harvest during the following warmer season. What is first in its cause is also last in its cause, thus goodness also precludes the idea of an efficient and formal cause. This principle remains true from least to greatest – from individual creature to the very plan God has laid out for mankind since the creation, the fall in the garden, the law, the prophets, the coming of the Messiah (when the Lord walked the earth in the flesh), and the end of the age where all created things are called back to the Creator to account for their ways so as to experience complete beatitude or eternal condemnation. Whether the Essence of Goodness Consists in Mode, Species, and Order? Something is as good as it is supposed to be, so far as it is perfect. Perfection is desirable and is what all things ascertain to. For example, the goodness of the human heart is to pump blood throughout the body to keep itself alive. The perfection of the heart is to pump blood to vital organs efficiently and effectively. Its measure, or mode, shows that the form it takes to pump blood suits the purpose of pumping blood to the heart in an efficient manner, thus sustaining blood flow and ultimately life. Species come from form, considering that everything which does something has a form, and whether that something is added to or taken away determines its species. For example, the hearts of mammals differ from the hearts of reptiles and amphibians, and this belongs to species. As for its ultimate end or final cause, according to its species – this is the order. The order of the human heart is to keep the person alive and functional for the duration of his or her span of life. In other words – self-preservation. In further questions, there will be a deeper understanding of differentiating between parts that make up a composite body that has been fashioned with a soul which is the intellect. All things considered, Mode, Species, and Order are the essence of goodness, for as it was addressed previously that God made all things “good.” Whether Goodness is Rightly Divided into the Virtuous, the Useful, and the Pleasant? Goodness is divided into the virtuous, the useful, and the pleasant based upon the principle of desirability as it pertains to living things moving from beginning to end in their form, being, and appetite. The goodness of virtue can be found in the appetite to which it moves for its own sake. In other words, moral excellence for its own sake, not for any ulterior motive. As for usefulness, the movement of the appetite towards a thing desired which completes or puts to rest the desire of the appetite or the thing that was sought but has now been fulfilled. In other words, solving problems, completing a task which holds a desirable end state, or meeting a need both for oneself and others. As for the thing which fulfills or brings the appetite to a conclusion in the form of rest in the thing desired, can be called the pleasant. For example, the man is bored and leans towards appreciating artwork and cultural traditions. He uses his allotted time in boredom to attend an art gallery showing, resulting in the satisfaction of his appetite towards creative expression, thus putting the desire or need to rest for the time being through the activity conducted.
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.
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mr. scott lowry, op
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