"It is impossible for any created good to constitute man's happiness. For happiness is the perfect good, which lulls the appetite altogether; else it would not be the last end, if something yet remained to be desired. Now the object of the will, i.e. of man's appetite, is the universal good; just as the object of the intellect is the universal true. Hence it is evident that naught can lull man's will, save the universal good. This is to be found, not in any creature, but in God alone; because every creature has goodness by participation. Wherefore God alone can satisfy the will of man, according to the words of Ps. 102:5: "Who satisfieth thy desire with good things." Therefore God alone constitutes man's happiness." — St. Thomas Aquinas
"Consequently love of a suitable good perfects and betters the lover; but love of a good which is unsuitable to the lover, wounds and worsens him. Wherefore man is perfected and bettered chiefly by the love of God: but is wounded and worsened by the love of sin, according to Osee 9:10: "They became abominable, as those things which they loved."" — St. Thomas Aquinas
"Cling therefore to Christ if you wish to be secure: for you will not be able to go astray, because he himself is the way. Hence those who cling to him do not walk in a pathless place, but by the right way." — St. Thomas Aquinas
"There is always a remedy provided through Christ's Passion, for defending themselves against the wicked snares of the demons, even in Antichrist's time." — St. Thomas Aquinas
And this is the law of divine love "But it is evident that not all can devote themselves to the study of science; and therefore a short law was given by Christ, so that it could be known by all, and no one could be excused from observing it on account of ignorance. And this is the law of divine love. The Apostle says (Rom. 9:28): “The Lord will make a shortened word upon the earth.” But it should be known that this law must be the rule of all human acts. For just as we see in things made by art that each work is then said to be good and right when it is measured by the rule, so also any human work is right and virtuous when it agrees with the rule of divine love; but when it disagrees with this rule, it is neither good nor right nor perfect. In order that human acts may be made good, therefore, they must agree with the rule of divine love." — St. Thomas Aquinas
"Therefore Christ Himself, as man, was not only priest, but also a perfect victim, being at the same time victim for sin, victim for a peace-offering, and a holocaust." — St. Thomas Aquinas
Penance requires contrition, confession and satisfaction "Whereas, in Penance, the offense is atoned according to the will of the sinner, and the judgment of God against Whom the sin was committed, because in the latter case we seek not only the restoration of the equality of justice, as in vindictive justice, but also and still more the reconciliation of friendship, which is accomplished by the offender making atonement according to the will of the person offended. Accordingly the first requisite on the part of the penitent is the will to atone, and this is done by contrition; the second is that he submit to the judgment of the priest standing in God's place, and this is done in confession; and the third is that he atone according to the decision of God's minister, and this is done in satisfaction: and so contrition, confession, and satisfaction are assigned as parts of Penance." — St. Thomas Aquinas
Mortal sin cannot be forgiven without true Penance "Mortal sin cannot be forgiven without true Penance, to which it belongs to renounce sin, by reason of its being against God, which is common to all mortal sins." — St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Thomas Aquinas asks whether human happiness can consist in wealth. In everyday terms, he is examining whether having money and possessions can be what truly fulfills us and makes us happy, or whether happiness must be found in something deeper and more lasting than material goods.
Natural wealth is always pursued for the sake of something else (e.g., health, comfort, survival). It is a means to fulfill human nature, not the end of human life.
Vice is directly contrary to virtue "Vice is directly contrary to virtue, even as sin to virtuous act: and so vice excludes virtue, just as sin excludes acts of virtue." — St. Thomas Aquinas
"The souls of the wicked after death have their will immutably fixed on evil." "Whereas the just, whilst in the flesh, look to God as the end of all their deeds and desires, the wicked look to an unlawful end which turns them away from God. Now the separated souls of the just will adhere unchangeably to God as the end to which they looked in this life. Therefore the souls of the wicked will adhere unchangeably to the end which they have chosen for themselves. Hence, as the will of the just will be unchangeable to evil, so the will of the wicked will be unchangeable to the good." — St. Thomas Aquinas
When magnanimity is added to justice... "When magnanimity is added to justice it increases the latter's goodness; and yet without justice it would not even be a virtue." — St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 58, a. 12, ad 2
Purity "Free from all uncleanness, perfect and altogether without spot." — Denis (Pseudo-Dionysius), On the Divine Names, Chapter 12 "In these words three degrees of cleanness are described which are requisite for sanctity. And the first is the freedom from all uncleanness. Now freedom is the opposite of slavery. But the slave of uncleanness is he who is completely conquered by uncleanness and subject to it. The first grade of purity then is that one should be delivered from the slavery of impurity. Now the second degree is that the purity should be perfect, for the perfect is that to which nothing is lacking. It happens at times that one is not subject to uncleanness, but there is wanting to him something of purity, in so far as he is troubled by passions of uncleanness; and when these are taken away there is perfect purity. The third degree of purity is that one should be altogether without spot. For that is said to be spotted which is not stained by anything intrinsic, but by something …More
Of the reward of man according to his works, or of misery. "It must be considered, however, that if there is a determined way of arriving at some end, those who proceed by a contrary way, or who turn aside from the right way, cannot attain that end. For a sick person is not cured if he uses the contrary things which the physician forbids, except perhaps by accident. Now there is a determined way of arriving at happiness, namely through virtue. For nothing attains its own end except by performing well what is proper to it: neither would a plant produce fruit if the mode of its natural operation were not preserved in it; nor would a runner reach the prize, or a soldier the palm, unless each operated according to his proper office. But for a man to operate rightly his proper operation is for him to operate according to virtue: for the virtue of each thing is that which makes its possessor good and renders his work good, as is said in Book II of the Ethics. Therefore, since the ultimate end …More
The foolishness of man ... "The foolishness of man. For nothing is more foolish than to live in idleness in the present life, where a man ought to work for himself so that he may live in eternity. He found them idle in the market place. (Matt. 20:3) This market place is the present life. The market placee, or forum, is called the place in which lawsuits are conducted and in which buying and selling take place; and it signifies the present life, which is full of disputes, of buying and selling, and in which even the benefits of grace, progress, and heavenly glory are sold in exchange for good works. And those men were idle because they had already lost part of their life. And they are called idle not only those who do evil, but also those who do not do good. And just as the idle do not attain their end, neither do these. The end of man is eternal life. Therefore, he who works in the way he ought will obtain it, provided he is not idle." — St. Thomas Aquinas, Serm. in Dom. Septuages. St.…More
Pray! "God bestows many things on us out of His liberality, even without our asking for them: but that He wishes to bestow certain things on us at our asking, is for the sake of our good, namely, that we may acquire confidence in having recourse to God, and that we may recognize in Him the Author of our goods." — St. Thomas Aquinas, ST II-II, q. 83, a. 2, ad 3
Meditation It behooved Christ to rise again, for five reasons: 1, for the commendation of Divine Justice 2, for our instruction in the faith 3, for the raising of our hope 4, to set in order the lives of the faithful 5, in order to complete the work of our salvation — St. Thomas Aquinas
Meditation From the descent of Christ to hell we may learn, for our instruction, four things: 1. Firm hope in God. 2. We ought to conceive fear and to rid ourselves of presumption. 3. We ought to be full of care. 4. The fact is for us an example of love. — St. Thomas Aquinas
The Death of Christ That Christ should die was expedient. 1. To make our redemption complete. 2. To increase our faith, our hope and our charity. 3. Because our salvation is wrought in the manner of a sacrament, we dying to this world in a likeness to His death. — St. Thomas Aquinas