Thomistic "Virtue-Ethics"--A Sounder Pastoral Approach

When I began theology 10,000 years ago at an American seminary on the west coast, our course in moral theology consisted of Richard Gula's Reason Informed by Faith:  Foundations of Catholic Morality and another text by Richard McCormick (I forget the title).  A wonderful priest-professor taught the course which, in hindsight, struck me as a semester-long exercise in the art of excuplation.

Eventually, I moved to what would be my alma mater, the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley.  Well into my course of studies, it was decided that my previous credits in moral theology would not be transferred but, instead, I would take another one taught by Dr John Berkman (now at the University of Toronto).

It was there that I was introduced to St Thomas Aquinas' system of "the good life" and, especially, the 'calculus' of virtue-ethics.  Rather than the 'art of excuplation,' I discovered the 'art of tending towards God,' naturally by the cardinal virtues and supernaturally by the theological virtues.  That was in 2006 or thereabouts.

Nearly ten years later, I went to The Thomistic Institute's conference for priests, "Becoming a Better Confessor," where we were introduced to the skill of applying Thomas' teachings on the virtues and vices medicinally in effort to guide penitents and spiritual directees toward their Last End.  It was astonishing to see how subordinating vices could be traced back to a capital vice and how to identify a contrary virtue in view of aiding Christian souls to grow in grace.  Sensitive questions, especially pertaining to human relationships, were addressed with much care and precision, and in such a 'scientific' manner in such a way that we came away with a newfound ability to 'diagnose' moral and spiritual ailments and to medicinally apply the workings of virtue.

The description "pastoral," I think, is overused, and more often than not to mean simply 'sensitive' or 'assuaging.'  To shepherd is to lead a flock to healthy pastures and clean water in view of both health and contentment.  That being said, I've become convinced that the knowledge and application of St Thomas Aquinas' system of 'tending toward God' by way of a virtuous life buttressed by grace is in fact the most pastoral approach one can take in overseeing the Christian's struggle against sin.  More than that, Thomas' system isn't so much one of directly struggling against sin as it is tending towards our Last End and, on the way, the encumbrances of sin begin to be dislodged and progressively fall off.  In view of this, I cannot imagine how or why the 'art of exculpation' would at all be desirable.

This semester at Dominican University College, I'll be taking the course 'Aquinas on Virtue,' personally to hone my skill as a confessor and spiritual director, but professionally to 'polish my lens' as it were in order to see more clearly the humanity of Jesus, Jesus who possessed the fullness of the virtues (cf S.th., 3a, q. 7, art. 2) on account of His Anointing.  This will bring me 'full circle' to my pastoral praxis, namely, encouraging Christians to live in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, who enables us to live virtuously and, thereby, to be more conformed to Jesus Christ as the Exemplar of the virtuous life.