Monday, November 26, 2012
371. Are the passions morally good or bad? (part 1)
(Comp 371) The passions insofar as they are movements of the sensible appetite are
neither good nor bad in themselves. They are good when they contribute to a
good action and they are evil in the opposite case. They can be taken up into
the virtues or perverted by the vices.
“In brief”
(CCC 1773) In the passions, as
movements of the sensitive appetite, there is neither moral good nor evil. But
insofar as they engage reason and will, there is moral good or evil in them.
To deepen and
explain
(CCC 1767)
In themselves passions are neither good nor evil. They are morally qualified
only to the extent that they effectively engage reason and will. Passions are
said to be voluntary, "either because they are commanded by the will or
because the will does not place obstacles in their way" (St. Thomas
Aquinas, STh I-II, 24, 1 corp. art.). It belongs to the
perfection of the moral or human good that the passions be governed by reason
(Cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, STh I-II,
24, 3).
Reflection
(CCC 1768)
Strong feelings are not decisive for the morality or the holiness of persons;
they are simply the inexhaustible reservoir of images and affections in which
the moral life is expressed. Passions are morally good when they contribute to a
good action, evil in the opposite case. The upright will orders the movements
of the senses it appropriates to the good and to beatitude; an evil will
succumbs to disordered passions and exacerbates them. Emotions and feelings can
be taken up into the virtues or
perverted by the vices. [IT CONTINUES]
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