St Thomas Aquinas on Affectivity: A Way Forward for Seminary Formation Bernard Lagan Gordon BTh, STB, STL Submitted in requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Philosophy and Theology Sydney Campus December 2019 1 DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP To the best of the candidate’s knowledge, this thesis contains no material previously published by another person, except where due acknowledgement has been made. This thesis is the candidate’s own work and contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any institution. BERNARD L GORDON Monday, 13 January 2020 2 ABSTRACT St Thomas Aquinas on Affectivity: A Way Forward for Seminary Formation, is a theological argument that St Thomas’ teaching can be applied to the affective formation of men preparing to be Catholic priests. St Thomas’ teaching provides a very helpful understanding of affective maturity and its integral importance for a truly Christian and priestly life in the service of others.
It flows from a theological anthropology that recognizes proper affective growth as an integral part of human life and interpersonal relationships. Affective maturity is an essential attribute for the seminarian to acquire because he is preparing to be a priest who has to fulfill his responsibilities to others in a loving, mature and virtuous way. The thesis is divided into three major sections. The first section lays the theological and anthropological foundation for the thesis.
Since Pope St John Paul II called for the promotion of affective maturity in seminary formation, the influence of St Thomas’ teaching on St John Paul II’s understanding of affectivity is analyzed. Then, it is argued that St Thomas’ teaching on affectivity in Christ gives a firm foundation for affective formation in the life and example of Christ. Finally, through a discussion of St Thomas’ teaching on the passions such as love, hope and anger, a set of principles is set before the seminarian to reflect upon and articulate his affective experiences so that he may be understood and guided by his formators. The second section argues that St Thomas’ teaching on the Cardinal and Theological virtues can be applied as principles of affective formation.
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit and the Fruits of the Holy Spirit are presented respectively as principles of affective development and a pattern by which affective maturity is recognized and assessed. The third section analyzes how St Thomas’ teaching on the capital vices, such as pride and vainglory, can help the seminarian to respond to his affective inordinateness. It also examines how St Thomas’ teaching on infused virtue can be applied as a principle of affective growth to order his desires and affections to the good. As a test case, chastity is examined as a virtue that enables him to properly form his sexuality in relation to others and responsibly love and care for others as a pastor.
A significant finding of this thesis is that affective formation needs to be given a proper theological and Christological foundation. Only in this way can the seminarian become a man and a priest who reflects the life of Christ the Good Shepherd to those entrusted to his pastoral care. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS With deep gratitude I acknowledge everyone, especially the administrative and teaching staffs of the University of Notre Dame, Australia, Sydney Campus, for the privilege to research the thesis St Thomas Aquinas on Affectivity: A Way Forward for Seminary Formation. I have been blessed with two great supervisors for the writing of this thesis.
My heartfelt thanks to Professor Renée Köhler-Ryan, Dean of the School of Philosophy & Theology, University of Notre Dame, Australia, Sydney Campus, who has been a truly intelligent encourager. I wish to especially thank Fr Paul Murray, Professor of Theology at the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome, Italy, a true man of prayer, learning and spiritual guidance. The impetus for this research began in the heart of Fr Tony Percy, the Rector of the Good Shepherd Seminary in Sydney, Australia, for some years during my time there as First Year Director. He saw the need to help seminarians mature emotionally so they could be true shepherds of God’s people and how a study of St Thomas’ teaching could contribute to their affective formation.
I also thank Fr Danny Meagher, Rector of Good Shepherd Seminary in the later part of my time as First Year Director for his encouragement and the Archdiocese of Sydney for the chance to do some sabbatical work in Rome on the thesis. I give my very affectionate gratitude to the formation staff and the seminarians at Good Shepherd seminary who were part of the First Year Programme for the eight years I taught St Thomas’ teaching on affectivity as part of the Spiritual Year programme. Many of the young men who participated in the Spiritual Year have since been ordained as Deacons and Priests – your dedication and your desire to serve God and his people remains an inspiration for me to this day. The life of the mind and the heart is precious to us but without those who provide the material resources necessary we cannot achieve the good works set before us.
Therefore, I gratefully acknowledge the funding of the Australian Government under the RTP scheme, which has made this research possible. Finally, and with great affection, to my Mum and Dad, my brothers and my sister, my many dear friends, some present, some now distant, and others who have gone before us in hope to the Promised Land of God, what is life without you and how can I ever offer you sufficient thanks? 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 11 1. The Main Parts of the Argument 12 2. The Main Sources of Literature 15 SECTION 1: THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF AFFECTIVITY 20 CHAPTER 1: ST THOMAS AND ST JOHN PAUL II ON AFFECTIVITY 21 1.
The Church’s Teaching on Affective Formation 21 2. St Thomas and Pope St John Paul II on Affectivity 27 a. Karol Wojtyła on Affectivity 30 i. Wojtyła’s Teaching in Love and Responsibility 31 ii.
Connections with the Teaching of St Thomas on Affectivity 36 iii. The Virtues and Sexuality 38 b. St Thomas on the Subjectivity of the Person 43 3. The Manuals and St Thomas on Affectivity 45 Conclusion 50 CHAPTER 2: THE THEOLOGICAL BASIS FOR AFFECTIVE FORMATION 51 1.
Affectivity in God 52 2. Christ’s Humanity is our Way to God 60 3. Christ’s Human Affectivity 66 4. Christ and Friendship 73 5.
Christ and Pastoral Charity 81 Conclusion 83 5 CHAPTER 3: THE SENSES AND AFFECTIVE FORMATION 84 1. What is Passion? 86 2. What Causes the Passions? 91 a. The Causes of the Passions 91 b.
The Causes of the Passions and Affective Formation 95 Conclusion 97 CHAPTER 4: THE FORMATION OF LOVE, DESIRE AND JOY 98 1. The Passion of Love 99 a. The Analogical Nature of Love 99 b. Amor Concupiscentiae et Amor Amicitiae 102 c.
The Causes of Love 104 d. The Effects of Love 106 e. Implications for Affective Formation 108 2. The Strong Desire of Concupiscence 112 a.
A Craving for the Pleasurable Good 112 b. Implications for Affective Formation 115 3. Pleasure and Joy 118 a. The Perfective Nature of Pleasure 118 b.
The Pleasures of Sight and Touch 120 c. The Causes of Pleasure 121 d. The Effects of Pleasure 123 e. Implications for Affective Formation 125 Conclusion 131 CHAPTER 5: HATRED AND SORROW IN AFFECTIVE FORMATION 132 1.
Hatred is Opposed to Love 132 b. Hatred Properly Speaking 134 c. Hatred as a Vice 135 d. Implications for Affective Formation 137 2.
The Types, Causes and Effects of Sorrow 140 b. Remedies for Sorrow 142 c. Sorrow as an Appropriate Response to Evil 144 d. Implications for Affective Formation 145 i.
The Duty of Being a Consoler 146 ii. The Compassion of Pity 147 iii. The Benefits of St Thomas’ Teaching on Sorrow 150 Conclusion 152 CHAPTER 6: THE FORMATION OF AFFECTIVE RESILIENCE 153 1. Hope and Despair 154 2.
Fear and Daring 159 3. Anger 164 Conclusion 173 SECTION 2: THE VIRTUES AS FORMATIVE PRINCIPLES 174 CHAPTER 7: THE FORMATIVE ROLE OF THE VIRTUES 175 1. The Nature of Virtue 176 2. Prudence and Affectivity 181 3.
The Mean of Virtue 186 4. Passion and Moral Virtue 188 5. Virtue and the Growth of Freedom 193 7 6. Implications for Affective Formation 197 Conclusion 208 CHAPTER 8: THREE EXAMPLES OF HOW VIRTUE FORMS AFFECTIVITY 210 1.
Friendship and the Good of Virtue 210 a. Love of Self and Friendship 213 c. Implications for Affective Formation 216 2. Beauty and Affective Formation 218 a.
Beauty as a Dimension of Personal Communication 218 b. Implications for Affective Formation 224 3. Eutrapelia and Leisure 228 a. The Virtue of Eutrapelia 229 b.
The Intrinsic Worth of Leisure 232 c. Implications for Affective Formation 236 Conclusion 239 CHAPTER 9: THE PRINCIPLES OF GRACE AND AFFECTIVE FORMATION 241 1. The Theological Virtues and Affective Formation 241 a. The Theological Virtues Perfect Affectivity 244 b.
The Infused and the Acquired Virtues 248 c. The Mean of Virtue and Infused Virtue 251 d. Implications for Affective Formation 254 2. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit and Affective Maturity 256 a.
The Formative Role of the Gifts 257 b. The Gifts that Form the Mind 259 c. The Gifts that Form Affectivity 260 8 d. Implications for Affective Formation 262 3.
The Beatitudes Form Desire 266 a. Formation of Affectivity by the Beatitudes 266 b. The Beatitudes and the Motivations of the Heart 269 c. Implications for Affective Formation 273 4.
The Fruits of the Holy Spirit: a Pattern of Maturity 274 Conclusion 278 SECTION 3: THE RESPONSE TO DISORDERED AFFECTIONS 280 CHAPTER 10: THE CAPITAL VICES AND AFFECTIVE FORMATION 281 1. Affectivity and Sin 282 2. Inordinate Self-Love 285 3. Gluttony 310 Conclusion 313 CHAPTER 11: INFUSED VIRTUE AND THE FORMATION OF CHASTITY 315 1.
How Lust Damages Personal Relationships 317 2. Infused Virtue and Formation in Chastity 322 a. The Healing Role of Infused Virtue 322 b. Six Principles of Affective Formation in Chastity 326 9 i.
Infused virtue is not acquired by our own unaided natural faculties but is infused by God with the gift of grace 327 ii. Infused virtue is linked to the grace of conversion and the renewal of the character of the repentant person through a renewed understanding of himself 327 iii. Infused virtues concern the same matters as the acquired virtues but according to a rule that flows from the Christian’s participation in the Divine life 328 iv. St Thomas recognizes the relevance of the infused virtues to the person who struggles with the residual effects of acquired vices 329 v.
The seminarian needs to believe in God “as a disciple believes the master who is teaching him” 329 vi. The infused virtues become “intimately the excellences of the agent himself” 331 Conclusion 331 CONCLUSION 333 BIBLIOGRAPHY 341 10 INTRODUCTION My desire to present this research on the teaching of St Thomas Aquinas on human affectivity, and its relevance to the affective formation of seminarians, flows from my work as First Year Director at Good Shepherd Seminary in Sydney, Australia, from 2009 to 2016. One of the courses I taught the First Year seminarians, the men commencing their preparation to become Catholic priests, was about St Thomas’ understanding of human affectivity. This work was undertaken in the conviction that a man who is affectively mature will become a better shepherd for God’s people.
On a number of occasions St Thomas appeals to Psalm 83.3 as the theological source of his reflections on the importance of affectivity: “My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God: where by heart we are to understand the intellectual appetite, and by flesh the sensitive appetite”.1 St Thomas applies this to the fervor or “intensity of the inclination of the lover for the beloved”.