|
Objection 1: It would seem that the offering of sacrifice is not a
special act of virtue. Augustine says (De Civ. Dei x, 6):
"A true sacrifice is any work done that we may cleave to God in holy
fellowship." But not every good work is a special act of some
definite virtue. Therefore the offering of sacrifice is not a special
act of a definite virtue.
Objection 2: Further, the mortification of the body by fasting
belongs to abstinence, by continence belongs to chastity, by martyrdom
belongs to fortitude. Now all these things seem to be comprised in the
offering of sacrifice, according to Rm. 12:1, "Present your
bodies a living sacrifice." Again the Apostle says (Heb.
13:16): "Do not forget to do good and to impart, for by such
sacrifices God's favor is obtained." Now it belongs to charity,
mercy and liberality to do good and to impart. Therefore the offering
of sacrifice is not a special act of a definite virtue.
Objection 3: Further, a sacrifice is apparently anything offered to
God. Now many things are offered to God, such as devotion,
prayer, tithes, first-fruits, oblations, and holocausts.
Therefore sacrifice does not appear to be a special act of a definite
virtue.
On the contrary, The law contains special precepts about sacrifices,
as appears from the beginning of Leviticus.
I answer that, As stated above (FS, Question 18, Articles
6,7), where an act of one virtue is directed to the end of another
virtue it partakes somewhat of its species; thus when a man thieves in
order to commit fornication, his theft assumes, in a sense, the
deformity of fornication, so that even though it were not a sin
otherwise, it would be a sin from the very fact that it was directed to
fornication. Accordingly, sacrifice is a special act deserving of
praise in that it is done out of reverence for God; and for this
reason it belongs to a definite virtue, viz. religion. But it
happens that the acts of the other virtues are directed to the reverence
of God, as when a man gives alms of his own things for God's sake,
or when a man subjects his own body to some affliction out of reverence
for God; and in this way the acts also of other virtues may be called
sacrifices. On the other hand there are acts that are not deserving of
praise save through being done out of reverence for God: such acts are
properly called sacrifices, and belong to the virtue of religion.
Reply to Objection 1: The very fact that we wish to cling to God
in a spiritual fellowship pertains to reverence for God: and
consequently the act of any virtue assumes the character of a sacrifice
through being done in order that we may cling to God in holy
fellowship.
Reply to Objection 2: Man's good is threefold. There is first
his soul's good which is offered to God in a certain inward sacrifice
by devotion, prayer and other like interior acts: and this is the
principal sacrifice. The second is his body's good, which is, so to
speak, offered to God in martyrdom, and abstinence or continency.
The third is the good which consists of external things: and of these
we offer a sacrifice to God, directly when we offer our possession to
God immediately, and indirectly when we share them with our neighbor
for God's sake.
Reply to Objection 3: A "sacrifice," properly speaking,
requires that something be done to the thing which is offered to God,
for instance animals were slain and burnt, the bread is broken,
eaten, blessed. The very word signifies this, since "sacrifice" is
so called because a man does something sacred [facit sacrum]. On the
other hand an "oblation" is properly the offering of something to God
even if nothing be done thereto, thus we speak of offering money or
bread at the altar, and yet nothing is done to them. Hence every
sacrifice is an oblation, but not conversely. "First-fruits" are
oblations, because they were offered to God, according to Dt.
26, but they are not a sacrifice, because nothing sacred was done to
them. "Tithes," however, are neither a sacrifice nor an oblation,
properly speaking, because they are not offered immediately to God,
but to the ministers of Divine worship.
|
|