(e) It offers to God the tribute of worship, that is, some internal or external work done in acknowledgment of God’s Majesty and with the purpose of impressing the worshipper or others with the sense of His greatness, or it is the sense of that greatness.
2146. Religion as a Moral Virtue.—(a) Religion takes its rank among the moral, not among the theological, virtues. A theological virtue has the Last End for its immediate object or subject-matter (e.g., faith is concerned directly with God, since it believes Him and in Him), and has no mean of virtue (e.g., faith cannot go to extremes by believing God too much); whereas a moral virtue has the means to God for its immediate object (e.g., justice is concerned directly with the actions we owe to others) and it must observe the golden mean (e.g., justice must pay the just price, neither more nor less, and at the proper time, place, and to the proper person, etc.). Now, it is clear that religion has for its immediate object the due performance of worship, although God is the person for whose sake it is offered and His excellence the foundation of its necessity; and also that one must observe moderation in worship as to circumstances of place, time, etc., although it is impossible to be extreme in the quantity or fervor one gives to worship, since even the best efforts will fall short of the honor God deserves (Ecclus., xliii. 33).
(b) Religion is the greatest of the moral virtues, since the person in whose favor it is exercised is God Himself, and its obligation is correspondingly stricter than that of the other virtues. General and particular justice are owed to creatures, but the claim of a creature is much less than that of God. There is no contradiction in making religion a part of justice and then preferring it to justice, for it is more correct to speak of the integral and potential parts of virtues as quasi-parts, since they are called parts only from analogy to parts that are found in material or living things, though they are not similar to those parts in all respects (see 1647, 1648, 2139). Neither does the fact that religion cannot pay in full make it inferior to justice, since in matters of virtue good will take precedence over the ability to pay. Since religion is the supreme moral virtue, irreligion is the chief offense against the moral virtues (e.g., malicious blasphemy is worse than injustice or intemperance).
2147. Superiority of Religion as a Virtue.—Religion, therefore, is superior to the following virtues: (a) it is superior to legal justice, the chief of the moral virtues that deal with human and natural good; (b) it is superior to humility, the chief of the moral virtues moderative of the passions; (c) it is superior to mercy, the greatest of the virtues that relieve distress, for religion is offered to God, not for His utility, but for His external glory and our benefit; (d) it is greater than repentance, for it honors God, while repentance only disposes or prepares for satisfaction to His honor; (e) it is greater than large external offerings made to God without spirit, for “obedience is better than victims” (I Kings, xv. 22); that is, the internal acts of religion (reverence and devotion) are of more importance than external acts of worship conducted with great pomp or magnificence but without the inner reverence, the obedience or other dispositions pleasing to God.
2148. Necessity of the Acts of Religion.—(a) The internal acts (devotion and prayer) are chiefly necessary, for these are exercised by the soul, and it is through them that the external acts are made truthful: “God is a spirit and those who adore Him must adore in spirit and in truth” (John, iv. 24).
(b) The external acts (adoration, sacrifice, etc.) are also necessary to man. God does not need these acts (Psalm xlix. 13), it is true, for no creature can add to the glory God has from Himself. But man needs the elevation and perfection which he receives from communication with the Supreme Being, and, as he is not all spirit, he must employ symbols and ceremonies to arouse, hold and strengthen the affections of his soul. Hence, although the ceremonial law of the Old Testament was abolished by Christ (see 342), the Christian religion recognizes the need of ceremonies, as is plain both from the Scriptures and the teaching and practice of the Church at all times. In the New Testament we read that Our Lord used vocal prayer, prayed on His knees, and made use of sacred hymns; and like external acts of religion are ascribed to Sts. Peter, Paul, and Stephen (Luke, xxii. 31; Matt., xxvi. 39; Acts, ii. 42, vii. 59, ix. 40). Public worship is also a necessity on account of the nature of the Church as a visible society.
2149. The Internal Acts of Religion.—These internal acts are offerings made to God of the worship of the soul itself, and they may be reduced chiefly to two: (a) devotion, which is the offering of the will and the highest act of religion, since from the will the other acts arise; (b) prayer, which is the offering of the intellect; for in prayer the thoughts of the mind rise to God as an oblation made to Him.
2150. Definition of Devotion.—Devotion is defined as “the will to give oneself readily to those things that pertain to the divine service.” We find an example of it in Exod., xxxv. 21, where it is said that the multitude offered first fruits to the Lord with a most ready and devout mind. One who is devoted to another is strongly attached to that other’s interests, and so one who is devout is zealous for the service of God.
(a) Thus, devotion is an act of the will, that is, an offering of oneself to the service of God, the Last End. But devotion will be found in other acts in so far as they are done under the will’s impulse, such as prayer, adoration, sacrifice. The looks, gestures, and voice of those who pray or take part in services of divine worship are influenced by internal devotion, and so become fitting expressions of honor shown to God and an inspiration to beholders.
(b) Devotion contains a ready willingness, that is, the devout person is quick to choose the divine honor as a purpose, quick also to select and to employ suitable means for this purpose. The great model of this is Our Lord, who declared that His very food was to serve His Father (John, iv. 34).