Prima Secundae
Lecture 25: Beatitude, the Soul, and the Resurrection Body

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Supposed statements that are known to themselves, right? And so this is often universal, right? Now, you can say that matter has been through what? Form, right? Like form could have been what? To itself, right? And that's why, apart from these things that are composed in matter and form, which are all around us, right? There's another world of things that are just forms. There's another world of things that just matter. It couldn't be, right? Because then what as being through another would be existing by itself, right? By itself. So because the body has being finally through the form, right? The soul might have some being through itself, right? Without the body, right? And that's the case of the human soul. How do you know that it has being through itself? You see, which the body is sharing it? Well, it's because it has an operation. It does something not in the body. Namely, understanding, huh? The universal. Understanding the continuous in an uncontinuous, what? Way, right? So this is what Thomas is touching upon here, right? He said, Anima humani, but to the human soul remains the being of the composite after the body of the destruction of the body. And this is because they're the same thing is the being of the form and of the matter, right? And this is the being of the composite. But the body is sharing in the being of the soul, but not, what? Completely. Sharing in perfectly, right? But the soul subsists in its own, what? Being, huh? Whence it remains that after the separation of the body, it has perfect being, right? Whence is he able to have a perfect operation, although it does not have the perfect nature of the, what? Species, huh? What about beatitude being the perfection of man, right, huh? To the third, therefore, it should be said that beatitude is of man according to his, what? Understanding. And therefore, the understanding remaining, there can be in him beatitude. Just as, what? The teeth of the Ethiop, huh? That's a crazy example. People are able to be white, even after their, what? Oh, expulsion, huh? By which the Ethiop is said to be white, huh? It's come down to our level, huh? Right down to the civil rights movement, boy, there. Guy put up that sign there in Manhattan there. He was, the organization, the head of it is a black man. And he, you know, I think, you know, a cleric or something, but he was, you know, upset about the fact that, you know, that they concentrated upon the black population from their, you know, the bulk of their business, right? And Sanger, you know, the founder there, was definitely racist, right? And wanted to get rid of those inferior races. Cut down. Okay. Even Aristotle, he talks about those two happinesses there in the tenth book, they have this life, right? He speaks of the happiness of the looking life, right? Which consists in the knowledge of wisdom as being a divine happiness, right? And the other happiness is a kind of human happiness, right? The head of clinical foresight, huh? Like Churchill said, he'd been happy in his life, right? No, he wasn't. He speaks of the head of government, right? The head of, you read about how Churchill, you know, when he finally got power there, you know, when the Second World War there, you know, went to bed, you know, I'm going to put him your ax, you know. You think that would be the first night he wouldn't get any sleep, right? Oh, he's like, no, no. He's arrived, you know. He went back, you know, to the naval first, you know, as the head of the naval before he became prime minister, right? Of course, when he became head of the Navy Center, Mr. York, all the fleets, you know, Winston is back. Now, the fourth objection, huh? About some impediment here. A little text here of Augustine, huh? Does someone have a nice translation of that text of Augustine? In the fourth objection? In the fourth objection. Yeah, in the twelfth supergenesis. You know, the soul has a natural desire to move the body, the result of which is that it is held back, so to speak, from tending with all might to the heavenward journey, and it has to be the main biases. Yeah. As if it can't fully devote itself to seeing God, because it's still kind of, well, it's a desire to, you know, the minister of the body, right? To the fourth, it should be said that in two ways, something is impeded from another. In one way, by way of contrariety, as coldness impedes the action of what? Heat. And such an impediment of operation is repugnant, huh? To happiness. Another way, by way of a certain defect, huh? Because the thing impeded does not have whatever is required, for in every way it's perfection, right? And such an impediment of operation is not repugnant to happiness, huh? But to, in every way, it's perfection, huh? So Thomas is admitting, you know, he had customs, the two greatest minds, huh? That not in every way is our, the attitude, what? Perfect, right? Even though it's essentially there in seeing God, right, huh? But you want to get your body back, right? And such a separation from the body is said to retard the soul, lest with its whole intention, right, huh? It tend to the vision of what? The divine essence, right, huh? For the soul desires thus to enjoy God, that also it's what? Enjoyment is derived to the body by a kind of what? Overflow, as is possible, huh? And thus, as long as it enjoys God without the body, its appetite thus rests in that which it has, but that nevertheless, it wishes, right? Yeah. It wishes the body to, in a way that the body can share in that reality, right, huh? Makes sense, huh? It would be like, if you went to see your first grandchild, but your wife wasn't there yet, you'd go on in and be there, so you could share. But you're perfectly happy to see your grandchild. I think it's examples like that. You're happy with it, but you'd want someone to share. When the grandchild is dead, then you could enjoy it, right? That would be an impediment, right, to enjoy the grandchild. Fifth objection, right? That beatitude is a sufficient good that puts to rest the desire, right? In other words, it completely rests the desire, given that the body is not there right now. To the fifth, it should be said that the desire of the soul separated, wholly rests on the side of what? The desirable, right, huh? Because it has that which suffices for its what? Desire in the God. But it does not totally rest on the side of the one what? Desire. Because that good, it does not possess in every way in which it is able to what? Wish. And therefore, the body resumed, the beatitude increases, not intensity day, right, but extensive day, right? That's a distinction that Thomas will make up a lot to, he's talking about, say, there's more joy in heaven over one sinner, right? That's kind of what? The joy extends to more things than before, but it's not more intense. The joy extends to more things. The joy extends to more things. The joy extends to more things. The joy extends to more things. It's kind of interesting, huh? You know, I mean, is the beatitude of the angel, strictly speaking, increased by my turning from my evil ways, right? Is my guardian angel more happy now, right? He has a certain joy, right? But it's more that his joy now extends even to me, right? But it's not more intense. This last text here, which is again from Augustine, I guess, from the same place, that the soul without the body is not equal to the angels, right? I said, hey, I thought we're more equal to the angels. Remember, my little cousin there died there, little girl, cute little girl, but just a little thing, she died, you know, and very sad, but the priest told my aunt there that, oh yeah, he's an angel now, she's an angel now, you know. But according to what Augustine is saying here, we're not equal to the angels yet, right? Until you do. Okay, to that which is said there, that the spirits of the, what, dead, right, do not thus see God as the angels do, right, should not be understood according to the inequality of, what, quantity, huh? Because even, what, now, huh, are assumed, taken up, to the higher orders of the angels, huh? They more clearly see God than the lower angels in this case, right? So maybe the apostles, right, and suddenly Mary. But it's understood according to the inequality of proportion. Because the angels, even the lowest, have every perfection of beatitude which they are going to have, but not yet the separated souls of the saints, huh? That's quite a, quite interesting article, huh? So Thomas is saying essentially or substantially the separated souls that see God face to face have their beatitude, right, then? It's inserted in what? Yeah, for the body to be joined and to share in the beatitude of the soul, right? Dice. Dice. What's it going to do in India there where they burn the, the, the, the, the, the woman? The man dies first? Hopefully they were ahead and gathered. Otherwise, it's very... Gardening's a lot easier, isn't it? I think, you know, sometimes a person wants a nice house or something like this, right, huh? You know, you can still read Thomas in a little shack or something, you know? And to talk for, you know, said he first read Henry IV in a log cabin, you know? But still, you know, it would be nice here to read Shakespeare at Versailles someplace, you know? That might be too much of a distraction. I think it's a little more modern thing. Yeah. I don't know, yeah. I mean, you know, I visit some of these mansions and basically have really nice libraries, right? And say, oh, I'd like to sit in there and read my books, you know? With the fire going. Even, even you go down to John Adams' house in Boston there, you know, and there's a, um, a round, you know, room at that, you know, the library room. Ooh, that sounds kind of nice, you know? Yeah, yeah. I don't hear it been to Biltmore Estate, you know? Yeah. You know, oh, boy. And they've got a nice library there, right? Yeah. Of course, it was set up so you could, there's a second, you know, reading with the books up there, you know, and so on. You could come from the bedroom, right? You know, without going down to the living room, right? You know, to come with you in a, you know, a robe or something. You can come and get a book, you know, to accompany you to bed, you know, but that's a nice-looking library. Should be a monastery, don't you think? You should donate that to the monastery. How about the wall there? There was a place you used to go in the old university there. The factories were still left in the old town, you know, and it was kind of nice in there. Factory of English was there, and there was some nice old volumes of Shakespeare. I'd go up there, and end of the evening there, you know, before they closed, I'd go to a few scenes or something, you know, look over the city, you know. So, I'll take a little break now here. Wither for beatitude has required some outside goods, right? Exterior goods, huh? To the seventh, one goes forward thus. Oh, excuse me. Okay, I can't old age here. Wither for beatitude has required some perfection of the body, huh? Still stuck with the body here, okay. But I can see Chesterton would be good for this, huh? I think it's common sense here, Thomas. To the sixth, then, one proceeds thus. It seems that the perfection of the body is not required for the perfect beatitude of man, huh? For the perfection of the body is a certain, what? Bodily good. But above it has been shown that beatitude does not consist in bodily goods. Therefore, for the beatitude of man, there is not required some perfect disposition of the body. So can you be blessed there, missing an arm or a leg there or something, huh? Having an ugly body and so on. Yeah. But maybe, you know, you have to see the essential distinction, right? Moreover, the beatitude of man consists in the vision of the divine essence. But for this operation, the body shows nothing, huh? As has been said. Therefore, no disposition of the body is required for the beatitude, huh? So the ugly man, like Socrates, is supposed to be, what? The ugliest man in Athens, right, huh? But he's going to see God, clearly, despite being ugly, you know, as a movie actor, he gets up there. Moreover, the more the understanding is, what? To the extent that the understanding is more separated from the body, the more perfectly it understands, huh? This is the argument of Socrates, right, huh? Thomas develops from Socrates, huh? That the understanding is perfected by what being separated from the body. That's why he's speaking of the absolute man professor, right, huh? And therefore, how can it be, what? Cease to be when it's separated from the body. Because the road to perfection and the road to destruction are not the contrary, huh? But beatitude consists in the most perfect operation of the understanding. So when St. Paul was carried up to the third heaven, you know, whether in the body or not, he doesn't even know, right? He's not even aware of his body, you know? And he seems to go into elevation, you know, off the floor, you know? He said, Avila, they're not aware of their body at all, right, there. So how can this, you know? But beatitude consists in the most perfect operation of the understanding. Therefore, it is necessary that in all ways the soul be abstracted from the body, right? In no ways, therefore, is there required some disposition of the body for beatitude, huh? Against this is it that the reward of virtue is beatitude, huh? Whence it is said in John 13, you'll be blessed if you, what, do these things, huh? But to saints is promised for reward not only the vision of God and the light of this vision, but also the good disposition of the body. For it is said in Isaiah 14, you shall see, and your heart will rejoice, huh? That's the first things, huh? Gaudium de veritate. And your bones, right? Like herbs will germinate, huh? My wife was giving me an interesting little thing about the, I think it was St. Martin of Tours, I guess. He had all these monks that were carrying his body with his funeral, right? And as they passed the trees, the trees suddenly blossomed, you know? So I said, what a beautiful image, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's just, but here's the bones themselves, huh? Yeah, yeah, probably. I told you, listen, the woman there who had worked with Mother Teresa, what she was saying, I don't know what the authority was for it, but one of these persons who saw Mary, right, who Mary appeared to, you know, she had to ask her, why are you so beautiful? And Mary said, well, because I love. That's kind of very interesting, I think, huh? So the more you love, maybe the more beautiful you'll be in heaven, huh? Therefore, the good disposition of the body is required for the attitude, because it's part of the reward, huh? With the bones, huh? Okay. Thomas doesn't have any reply to that subconsciously. It's going to stand, huh? I answer, it should be said, that if we speak of the beatitude of man, such as can be had in this life, huh? It is manifest that for it, of necessity, is required the good disposition of the body, right? For this beatitude consists, according to the philosopher, in the operation of perfect virtue. But it is manifest that through the, what? The condition of the body, right? In disposition. Yeah. Man is able to be impeded in every operation of, what? Virtue. But if we speak about the perfect beatitude, thus some lay down that it is not required for the attitude in each position of the body. Nay, rather, for it, the soul must be altogether separated from the, what? Body. And this is the way Socrates seems to think in the dialogues, right? Body is an impediment, too. Thank you. When Augustine says in the 22nd book of the City of God, he introduces the words of Porphyry, right? Saying that in order that the soul be blessed, every body ought to be, what? Fleet, huh? Including your own. Yeah. Thank you. But this is inconvenient, huh? This is not fitting, huh? Why? Because it is natural to the soul to be joined to the body, huh? It is not possible, then, that the perfection of the soul exclude its, what? Natural. Natural perfection. And therefore, it should be said that for beatitude to be perfect in all ways, huh? There is required the, that's kind of distinction, right? Omnibus modis, right? Not essentially, right? There is required a perfect decision of the body both before and what? After, huh? Thomas looking before and after, then. Antecedently, because as Augustine says in the 12th book, in Genesis to the letter, if such be the body, right, of which the administration is difficult and grave, just as the flesh, which is, what? Corrupt, right? Weighs down the soul, huh? Averting the mind from that, what? Vision of the highest heavens. Whencey concludes that since this body already is not, what? Animal, but spiritual, which doesn't mean it's not a body. Then it is, what, made equal to the angels, and it will be for glory that was, what? Sackcloth? Yeah, it means a sack, but so it's like just your baggage. Baggage for your bones. Don't say the bag of bones. Consequently, because from the beatitude of the soul, there comes a body, certainly, redundant to the body, right, huh? That it joys its, what? Perfection. Well, that's what that woman was saying was said by Mary. That would be a very striking example of it, right, huh? Why are you so beautiful? Being the body, right, huh? Because I love, right? So the more you love, the more this will overflow into the body. We talk about Mother, you know, Treesa, she's kind of, you know, in a lot of pictures here, it's, you know, an old woman, you know, and kind of look on her face, but I guess when she... She was tending these poor people dying there in Calcutta, wherever it was, and, you know, she seemed beautiful, she said, when you watch her, you know? You know, kind of treat her with great love and respect and so on. It's kind of interesting, you know? Well, your grandmother looked beautiful to you, I suppose, huh? Even though she may have been old, but she, you know, treats you with great love and respect and so on. Once Augustine says in the Epistle to Dioscorus, of such potent nature does God make the soul, right, huh? That from its most full beatitude, huh? There are, what, overflows, you might say, huh? Vigor of incorruption to the, what, lower nature, right? So your body is... I guess when you have the beauty of your vision, it's enough to make your bones immortal. Yeah. That's what it sounds like to me, it doesn't sound like a saint, it makes your flesh immortal. Oh. Now, what about the first objection, that the Beatitude doesn't consist in the bodily good? To the first, therefore, it should be said, and that in that bodily good does not consist the attitude, as in the object of the attitude, huh? But that bodily good can make something, what? It can make, do something for the dormant and, or perfection of the attitude, huh? Kind of, right? Like a youth, like a discipline. Yeah. Now, the second objection. The Beatitude of man consists in the division of the divine essence. But the body does nothing for this, right? The apparition, huh? Except to distract you from it, right? That's what you put on, you know, and so on. I don't think that, let me have that problem in heaven. Well, the second, it should be said, that although the body confers nothing to that operation of the understanding by which the essence of God is seen, right, huh? Nevertheless, it is able to, what? Impede one from this, huh? And therefore, there's required a perfection of the body that it does not impede the elevation of the mind, huh? Third objection there. That'd be extracted from the body, right, huh? And force it down as an enemy, right? The third, it should be said that for the perfect operation of the understanding, there is a required abstraction from this corruptible body, right? Which, what? Weighs down the soul, right, huh? But not from the spiritual body. That is to say the body that will be called spiritual because it will be wholly subject to the spirit, right? About which in the third part of this work we will speak, I only speak of the resurrected body. I guess the bodies of the damned will be weighed down, you know, and, you know, to lug that around with it all the time will be part of your punishment. Yeah, I have that image of Dante of the suicides, you know, with their bodies flung in the tree. It's just horrible. Give me time for another course. Sure. Okay. Whether for the added tools are required. other some exterior goods right now my books there or something maybe or my beautiful wine glass or something you know by paintings and so on to the seventh one proceeds thus it seems that for the attitude I required always good I'm gonna have any exterior goods shucks can't take it with you as they say a beautiful house or whatever it is yeah yeah for what is promised as a reward to the saints pertains to the attitude but the saints are promised exterior goods as food and drink wealth and a kingdom right where it said in Luke 22 you shall eat and drink on my table or at my table right in my kingdom huh in Matthew 6 huh treasure up for yourselves treasures in heaven right huh in Matthew 25 come blessed of my father to possess the kingdom right wow it sounds like what got the Jews in problem there with Christ the expected of Messiah to really be strong in possessions of the kingdom therefore to beatitude are required exterior goods huh they probably weren't opposed to the spiritual kingdom but they wanted the material one too all this in heaven too huh whoever according to Boethius in the third book of the consolation the attitude is a state made perfect by the bringing together of all goods well exterior goods are part of it maybe the less lesser goods but they're part of the goods right but the exterior goods are some goods of men although the the least as Augustine says and as Aristotle says so therefore they also require it for the attitude huh gotta have the built mercy or something you know war with the Lord says your reward is what much in heaven but to be in heaven signifies to be in a place therefore at least the exterior place is required for the attitude and Thomas really talks about these three things you know the the um um descendant to hell right the resurrection and then the ascension right he does so in one text there by the you know the goods of the soul the goods of the body and the what yeah so when he went down to uh hell right he gave the bit of the vision to the prophets there right that's the good of the soul and the resurrection is obviously the good of the body right and then going to a suitable place ascension yeah so those are the three goods the goods yeah okay against this is what is said in psalm 72 what is it to me to be in heaven i guess what is what is there for me in heaven yeah and from you what do i wish upon her yeah just to say nothing other do i wish except this that follows for me to adhere to god is good huh not to adhere to okay therefore nothing other nothing other exterior is required for beatitude huh well what does the master say now dying do what the master says the answer should be said that for imperfect beatitude huh such as is able to be had in this life there are required outside what goods huh uh not as as we're existing in the essence of beatitude right as if they are the very nature of beatitude right but truly like huh too like instrumentality there serving beatitude huh which consists in the operation of virtue as is said in the first book of the nicomachean ethics but man needs in this life uh yeah both for the operation of contemplative virtue as requires also the operation of active virtue to which even more things are required right so even the man like the philosopher needs some exterior things right now you know those philosophers who deny that matter exists right and go to a nice dinner or something you know make fun of them you know because they write down their books you know that matter doesn't exist and all this other nonsense and then then they go to dinner you know now is that but they cash in on writing on books yeah i used to say about bishop barpey and bishop barpey opens the door of his study before he tries to leave it so man needs in this life the necessities of the body both for the operation of contemplative virtue the man sitting makes wisdom right and uh but even more so the operation of active virtue right so how can i be generous who i don't have any money to be generous with right i don't know he's low and magnificent huh but for the perfect beatitude which consists in the vision of god nullomodo are these goods of this sort required right why the reason for which is because all these exterior goods are either required for the sustaining of the what animal body right or required for what some operations which we what exert through the we do it through our body the animal body right okay which belong to what human life huh but that the attitude which consists in the vision of god it will be either in what the soul without the body or in the soul united to the body no longer animal but spiritual that's saint paul's way of speaking right now and therefore in no way are these exterior goods required for that attitude since ordered to the what animal life huh so the body will not need what food huh i often wonder whether it needs to breathe i don't know whether it won't breathe kind of hard to it's hard enough to understand you know not living living without eating or drinking or sleeping right you won't eat or drink or sleep right but how about breathing you know it seems kind of strange not to even breathe well christ spoke after the resurrection so he had to breathe for his vocal cords operating yeah yeah but he ate too but you know it was used to show these a lot man doesn't eat or drink or sleep or yeah well and he breathed on them he breathed on them that's it there you go you can't send all these spirits without breathing that's it and because in this life more right approaches in likeness of that great beatitude the contemplative happiness right then the active right because the two in their style distinguishes in the tenth book there um but he says that the contemplative one is is a divine happiness right in the practical foresight then is a type of foresight political foresight is a human happiness as being more what like god right and therefore it even less needs the what the goods of this body right of this sort as aristotle says in the tenth book of the ethics now the first objection of course is taking things that i said metaphorically right to the first effort should be said that all those bodily promises which are contained in sacred scripture should be understood metaphorically according as in scripture spiritual things are accustomed to be designated through bodily things so that from those things that we know we might rise up to desire the things unknown as gregory says in certain harmony that's a famous quote for me just as to food and drink is understood the what pleasure of yattu So, through what? Well, the sufficiency by which man, by God is sufficient for a man, okay? And of course, what does Christ say, you know? The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure found in the kingdom. And through the kingdom, the exaltation of man, all the way up to a union with what? Conjunction with God, right? So, that's a common thing we talked about back in question one, right? Scripture should speak metaphorically, right? To second it should be said that these, what? Goods serve the animal life, right? But do not belong to the spiritual life in which perfect beatitude consists. But nevertheless, in that beatitude, the congregation of bringing together all goods, there will be that, bringing together all goods, nevertheless, in that beatitude. Because whatever of good is found in such things, the whole is, what? Had in the highest fountain of goods, which I assume is God, right? Sumo fonte. The highest fountain of goods. That's interesting. Description of God, huh? It's an exhaustible fountain, right? What does the deludeau and faust there, you know? He has them screw something into the table there, and then wine comes out, you know, and there's no end to it, you know? Well, this is what God is, right, huh? Metaphorically speaking, right, huh? He's that fountain that never gives out, huh? The torrent of God. Yeah, yeah. Sumo, the highest fountain of goods, huh? To the third should be said, that according to Augustine, huh, in the book on the sermon of our Lord on the mountain, huh, the wards, the saints, are not said to be in bodily heavens, right? But through heavens is understood the altitude of spiritual goods, huh? Nevertheless, the, what, bodily place, in the period of heaven, right, huh, will be for the blessed, huh? Not in account of necessity of beatitude, but according to a certain, what? Congruence and decor, right, that they should be in a lovely place, right? But I'm not exactly sure about what that is, huh? In the theories of the universe, huh? But they won't be in another place, I'm sure. No, I'm sure they'll be in a ladder in heaven. Yeah, yeah. So, the city, the old streets, where they are, the pearls, and they stay on the land. You know, they found this little thing, one of my aunts, my father's sisters, had written, you know, when she was young, when she interviewed some of the older relatives, you know, why they'd come over from Sweden to America, and how people would come back, you know, and told them, you know, in Sweden, you know, to visit here. The streets really weren't paid for the gold. I didn't even thought that. So, it's kind of a nice historical document, because there's this little, you know, letter of my aunt, Aunt Gertrude, actually, she had the same name as my mother, yeah? Really? Yeah. So, my father married a Gertrude, and his sister, one of his sisters was Gertrude. But she had done this, you know, as a high school, or grade school, I think, lesson, you know, to interview your grandmother, or something like that, you know. And she, you know, told what the excitement, you know, when someone came back, and said, and told what things are like over here, you know. It wasn't quite that way when they got over here. My father's father, you know, was a blacksmith there in the Parkers Prairie, and I was at some pretty rough job, and I think he tried to drink a little too much sometimes, you know. It's got to cool off. 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