95. Divine Sweetness, Justice, and Mercy in Scripture

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Metaphor of Divine Sweetness (Dulcis) #

Thomas explains sweetness as fundamentally a metaphor applied to God based on three characteristics of bodily sweetness:

• It refreshes the taste (refreshes the soul spiritually)
• It quiets/calms the taste (quiets disturbance)
• It delights and pleases (delights the spirit)

This metaphor applies to multiple divine realities:

• Divine mercy (the primary application in Psalm 24)
• Divine goodness/substantial goodness of God
• Divine beauty
• Divine love

Justice vs. Mercy in Divine Attributes #

• Justice (rectus): Said properly of God using the word “just” directly, because God has a will and justice is a virtue of the will. Specifically distributive justice, not commutative justice.
• Mercy (misericordia): Said metaphorically of God because the word originally names an emotion (sadness at another’s misfortune), which God does not possess. Though eventually used to name the divine will to relieve misery, it remains rooted in metaphor.

The Order of Mercy and Justice in Scripture vs. the Summa #

Scripture (Psalm 24) mentions mercy before justice, but the Summa Theologiae treats justice first. This reflects two different orderings:

• Scripture’s order: Follows the order of reality itself—mercy is more fundamental than justice
• Summa’s order: Follows the order of our knowledge—justice is more known to us because we understand God has a will

The Foundation of Justice in Mercy #

Mercy is more fundamental than justice:

• Nothing can be owed to a creature except on account of something already existing in it
• Ultimately, all existence depends on God’s merciful creative act
• Therefore, the work of divine justice always presupposes and is founded upon the work of mercy
• Example: A hand is owed to man because of his rational soul, but the rational soul is owed only through divine goodness (mercy)

Metaphor as Indicator of Mystery #

The use of metaphorical language in Scripture signals that what is being named is less known to us and more beyond our comprehension. The fact that mercy is expressed metaphorically while justice is expressed more properly indicates that divine mercy is more mysterious and transcendent to us than divine justice.

Hope, Fear, and Spiritual Balance #

• Divine mercy is the proper object of hope
• Divine justice is the proper object of fear
• Both are necessary: without hope in mercy, one despairs; without fear of justice, one becomes presumptuous
• The spiritual life requires maintaining balance between these two attitudes
• A confessor must help penitents cultivate this balance appropriately to their particular spiritual condition

Key Arguments #

Why Mercy is More Fundamental #

1. Nothing can be owed to a creature except what already exists in it or what God foresaw
2. When something is owed, it presupposes something prior already in being
3. This chain cannot regress infinitely
4. Therefore, it must arrive at something depending solely on divine goodness (mercy)
5. Conclusion: Every work of divine justice presupposes and depends on mercy

Why Sweetness is an Apt Metaphor #

1. Bodily sweetness has three characteristics: it refreshes, quiets, and delights
2. These characteristics have spiritual analogues
3. Divine mercy (and divine goodness, beauty, love) produces these same effects on the soul
4. Therefore, sweetness is an appropriate metaphor for these divine attributes
5. Contrast: Being hated produces opposite effects—pain, restlessness, exhaustion

On Proper vs. Metaphorical Speech About God #

1. Justice can be named properly because it is a virtue of the will, and God has a will
2. Mercy originally names an emotion God does not possess
3. Though mercy is eventually used to name the divine will to relieve misery, it remains rooted in emotional language
4. Therefore, mercy is said metaphorically while justice is said more properly
5. Implication: What is expressed metaphorically is less known and more mysterious to us

Important Definitions #

Dulcis (Sweet) #

• Proper meaning: Said of bodily things that refresh, quiet, and delight the taste
• Metaphorical meaning: Applied to spiritual realities and divine attributes that refresh, quiet, and delight the soul
• In relation to God: Refers to divine mercy, goodness, beauty, and love—each insofar as it produces the triple effect of refreshing, quieting, and delighting

Rectus (Right/Just) #

• Refers to divine justice, specifically distributive justice
• Said properly of God, not metaphorically
• Indicates the ordering of things according to their due proportion

Misericordia (Mercy) #

• Originally names the emotion of sadness at another’s misfortune
• Applied to God metaphorically to name the divine will to relieve misery
• More fundamental than justice because existence itself depends on God’s merciful creative act

Veritas (Truth) #

• In this lecture’s context: Can refer to divine justice (when God renders what He promised)
• Distinguished from mercy (which exceeds promises) and from justice strictly understood (which renders only what is merited)
• Represents God’s faithfulness to His word

Examples & Illustrations #

Sweetness in Romantic Language #

When calling someone “sweetheart” or “honey”:

• Pleasant: It is pleasant to be loved by someone
• Refreshing: Being loved by someone refreshes you
• Quieting/Restful: You find rest with someone who loves you
• Contrast: Being hated is painful, wearying, and unrestful

Note: “Sweetheart” involves a synecdoche (naming a person by a part—the heart), but the heart is sweet because it loves you.

Beauty as Sweet #

Shakespeare’s phrase “your sweet form” uses sweetness as a metaphor for beauty:

• Beautiful scenes are described as “restful” (refreshing to the eye)
• Beauty pleases (delights)
• Being in the presence of beauty produces rest and calm

Balanced Spiritual Direction #

A confessor must calibrate hope and fear:

• A woman who has had an abortion might despair about her condition—the confessor must strengthen her hope in God’s mercy
• Someone who presumes God will overlook all sin needs to be reminded of God’s justice and the consequent need for penance

Political Example #

A politician must “run scared” (maintain fear of losing the election) while also having hope of winning. Without hope, he will not campaign effectively; without fear, he becomes overconfident and loses.

Questions Addressed #

Why does Scripture mention mercy before justice? #

Answer: Although justice is more known to us (we understand God has a will, and justice is a virtue of the will), mercy is actually more fundamental. Scripture follows the order of reality itself rather than the order of our knowledge. Mercy must exist first for justice to have anything to distribute or to whom to distribute it.

How can mercy be called “sweet” when justice might seem more severe? #

Answer: The metaphor of sweetness applies to mercy because mercy removes misery and makes us restful, pleasing, and refreshed. While divine justice might appear harsh from our limited perspective, in reality it is always tempered and presupposed by mercy. Even the blessed in heaven, with perfect understanding, can delight in God’s justice.

Why is mercy expressed metaphorically while justice is expressed more properly? #

Answer: The word “mercy” originally names an emotion (sadness at another’s misfortune) that God does not possess. Although it is extended to name the divine will to relieve misery, it retains its metaphorical character. “Justice,” by contrast, names a virtue of the will, which God truly possesses, so it can be used properly. The metaphorical language indicates that divine mercy is more mysterious and less knowable to us than divine justice.

What spiritual balance is necessary for salvation? #

Answer: One must maintain both hope in God’s mercy and fear of God’s justice. Without hope, one despairs and loses motivation for virtue. Without fear, one becomes presumptuous and negligent in avoiding sin. The confessor must help penitents cultivate whichever attitude their condition requires.

Notable Quotes #

“God is dulcis et rectus” (God is sweet and right) - Psalm 24, as explained by Thomas Aquinas

“Sweetness is said properly, or non-figuratively, in bodily things. But it’s said metaphorically in spiritual things.” - Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Psalm 24

“In God, not except in the good” - Thomas Aquinas, on why divine sweetness is always ordered to the good, unlike human sweetness which can be ordered to evil

“Thou hast made us for thyself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in thee” - Augustine, illustrating how divine goodness quiets and refreshes the soul

“If you hoped in God’s mercy but didn’t have fear of his justice, you would become presumptuous. But if you feared God’s justice and had no hope of his mercy, you would despair.” - Thomas Aquinas

“It is necessary that there be fear by which he flees sin and hope by which he accedes to virtue” - Thomas Aquinas, on the balance required in the spiritual life