Preface One’s first encounter with St. Thomas’ theology of love can be disconcerting . His technical language can seem to render the rich reality of love lifeless. His analysis has nothing of the passion of St. Augustine’s conversations with God in the Confessions. Augustine guides the reader through the city of love as a connoisseur of its joys. With Augustine as guide, the reader receives a wonderfully impressionistic collage of love’s sights and sounds, its life and history. There are times, however, when the reader needs something other than this. In a time of crisis, it is not the impressionistic skills of the orator we value, but the precise skills of the draftsman who can draw a map of where we need to go. Painfully lost in the backstreets of our affections, we seek not a tour guide, but a cabby, someone who can lead us to the understanding we desire. Early in my studies as a young Dominican, I discovered St. Thomas to be such a draftsman and guide. I did not make this discovery on my own. Many were involved in introducing me to Aquinas. This book would not have been possible without them. Those who first introduced me to Aquinas were my professors at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Notable among these were the philosophers Antonio Moreno, O.P., and Vincent Guagliardo, O.P., both of whom now rest in the Lord. Among my professors in theology, Gregory Rocca, O.P., as my M.A. director, was a constant and energetic guide, as were Michael Dodds, O.P., and Luke Buckles , O.P. As those who first introduced me to the study of Aquinas’ moral thought, Janko Zagar, O.P., and Edward Krasevac, O.P., deserve special mention. By their teaching, as well as their friendship, they instilled in me the desire to study Aquinas’ moral theology more deeply. xiii One person more than any other, however, was involved in shaping this current project. In its original form, this book was my doctoral dissertation written for the University of Notre Dame. I wrote it under the wise and generous direction of Dr. Jean Porter. Without her patience and encouragement, as well as her insights into the thought of Aquinas, this work would never have been written. I also wish to thank the other members of my committee, Thomas O’Meara, O.P., Joseph Wawrykow, and Todd Whitmore, for their labors and insights. Two others who deserve special thanks are Romanus Cessario, O.P., and Guy Mansini, O.S.B., both of whom helped sharpen my grasp of Aquinas’ theology of faith. Special mention should be made of the warm hospitality extended to me by the members of the Congregation of Holy Cross at Notre Dame, especially the community at Moreau Seminary. On many occasions their friendship and example encouraged me to continue in the labor of writing this work. I note happily as well the inestimable influence of Ralph McInerny on my studies. Like so many others, I have benefited from the generous formation he quietly offers doctoral students during his Thomistic seminars, giving them the opportunity to share their ideas with senior scholars in an atmosphere of intellectual curiosity and liturgical celebration. Nowhere else have I found the spirit of Jacques and Raïssa Maritain as alive as it is at the Maritain Center under Dr. McInerny’s direction. Another philosopher who has influenced the direction of my thought is David Solomon, whose seminar on the virtues situated the philosophy of virtue in its historical context and introduced me to the work of key authors such as Elizabeth Anscombe. I am keenly aware, in addition, that none of this would have been possible without the financial support of the benefactors of the Western Dominican Province, and the fraternal support of my religious superiors, especially John Flannery, O.P., who first sent me to undertake doctoral studies, and Daniel Syverstad, O.P., who shepherded me through them. Another person who deeply shaped this study is Fr. Servais Pinckaers, O.P. During the year and a half I spent with him in Fribourg researching these pages, he was my constant guide. By the example of his patient charity as well as by his penetrating insights, he shaped me as well as my xiv Preface [44.200.74.73] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 01:34 GMT) work. Fr. Pinckaers is truly one of those...