Dear Parents,

Last week I wrote that Abraham's faith would not have been the same as the theological virtue of faith (since the sacraments are the ordinary means of receiving sanctifying grace). A parent wrote and asked for clarification and I started digging. The more I dug, the more conflicted I became so I reached out to an expert: Fr. Dominic Langevin, O.P., who is up at the Dominican House of Studies and sometimes appears in Thomistic Institute videos. I was quite mistaken, and here is his response:

The theological virtues and sanctifying grace go together (Prima secundae somewhere). When one receives sanctifying grace, one also receives the theological virtues. Sanctifying grace can be received outside of the sacraments, whenever God justifies a person (I-II, q. 113 or 114). Whether a person is in sanctifying grace is usually known only to God.

Abraham had both sanctifying grace and the theological virtue of faith. I may not be able to find an easy clincher quote quickly enough, but, basically, if one has sanctifying grace or the theological virtue of faith, the other dynamic is involved too. Plus lots of other things, e.g., justification (the forgiveness of sins), the other theological virtues, the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

For Abraham, the "shade" of sanctifying grace would not yet have been Christological in fact, though it would have been Christological in anticipation. His faith would have been in the Christ to come rather than in the Christ who has already come.

Aquinas speaks about Abraham (or the saints of the OT) with respect to these matters. For instance, in his Roman Commentary, see the commentary on Romans 4. Part of paragraph 340 says: "For Genesis reports that faith was reckoned to Abraham as justice (Gen 15:6), but the fact of receiving circumcision is not recorded until Genesis (17:23 et seq.). Therefore, if Abraham, still uncircumcised, was justified by faith, it is plain that the justice of faith, through which sins are forgiven gratis, occurs not only in circumcision but also in uncircumcision, i.e., in gentiles."

The general idea of justifying grace in the OT is in the Summa theologiae I-II, q. 100, a. 11: "Whether the moral precepts of the Old Law justified man?" Another good indication is ST, II-II, q. 2, a. 7: "Whether it is necessary for the salvation of all to believe explicitly in the mystery of Christ?" Aquinas doesn't talk about Abraham explicitly there, but he does talk about how faith could be possessed in the OT. Abraham would be a classic, Scripturally-affirmed example of such a person.

A good analogy (from my husband, who was assisting me in digging) can be found in the Pool of Bethesda (Gospel of John, chapter 5).

Biblical scholars note that the five porticos around the pool symbolically represent the Pentateuch, the five books of the Old Testament attributed to Moses. When the water was stirred up by the angel of the Lord, invalids could enter the water and be healed.

The paralytic man could not make it to the water quickly enough to be healed. He had no one to move him into the water. This is like God's grace, which was not accessible to man by ordinary means before the coming of Christ. Christ walked up to the man and healed him.

Through Jesus Christ and the Church He established we are granted the incredible gift of the sacraments. He has come to us so that we are no longer unable to come to the source of grace!

To conclude: MANY THANKS and mega-kudos to Querida for the question! Please always send questions because opportunities to expand my own understanding are a tremendous joy. This question also is also a reminder of what a blessing the Dominicans are -- we have them at our fingertips (virtually, that is) and can dive deeper into the Faith with their guidance!

Best,

Eleanor

Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.” Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.

Keep the Faith! God Bless!