can pursue his own final end, is not precisely his desire for the good; nor is it his capacity to create with his hands; but it is his intellectual capacity to grasp the good contained within the essence and existence of creation. His natural inclination toward the truth, a feature predicated of the mind, is prior to and orders the natural inclination of his will toward the good.

Thus the good as known in its virtuous aspect is ontologically and logically prior to its usefulness and its pleasure-ableness. For the object of knowledge and of desire is not merely useful or pleasurable. A thing is not good because it is useful; it is useful because it is good. And it is good because it has being. The goodness of a thing includes its usefulness, but only in a secondary sense, as when it is grasped as a means toward something else. In the first place, and in its virtuous meaning, the goodness of the creatura is identified with the final end toward which the appetite of the creatura moves, and the thing is desired, not as a means toward something else, but for its own sake.35

Now, the "unfailing order" we observe in nature as a whole is proof that it is being governed.36 This order issues from the observable reality that every created entity has its own end toward which it is ordered; its ultimate perfection consists in the attainment of that final end.37 Thus, inherent in the nature of created beings is a "natural necessity" that directs them toward that end, revealing the divine governance of creation and the Divine Providence that oversees all things. Man's use of the goods of creation cannot contravene this order, but must participate with it.38

Here, finally, is the precise claim that creation has on us-if we are to participate rightly within this order, we must understand that our place is to serve as ministers of God's dominion over creation by insuring that the goods of creation reach their own proper end. We exercise dominion rightly only to the extent that our governance is a reflection of God's. This is our privilege and our gift, for "it is a greater perfection for a thing to be good in itself and also the cause of goodness in others."39 Man's place in the created order calls him to be the agent that enables other creatura to realize their own final end. When a man works to secure his own

35 Aquinas, ST I, q. 5, a. 6.36 Aquinas, ST I, q. 103, a. 1.37 Aquinas, ST I, q. 103, a. 1.38 Aquinas, ST I, q. 103, a. 1, ad 3.39 Aquinas, ST I, q. 103, a. 6. I am indebted for this insight to Matthew Cuddeback of Providence College, who pointed to the relevance of the category of Divine Governance during his presentation, "John Paul II and Thomas Aquinas on Man's Participated Dominion of the Earth," at the conference "Renewing the Face of the Earth: the Church and the Order of Creation," St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity, October 20-31, 2009.

Toggle SidebarMagisterium AIMagisterium AI

Magisterium AI

Login for more usage & features

Metaphysical Realism as the Foundation of Environmental Stewardship and Economic Development

Magisterium AI
Magisterium AI