Br. Raymond La Grange, O.P., on Worship Properly

"In his Summa Theologiae, qq. 81-100, St. Thomas Aquinas discusses the virtue of religion, whereby we render due worship to God our creator. It may seem odd that Thomas devotes 20 questions to this virtue, each composed of several articles. Questions 92-95, in particular, deal with vices of excess. Vices of excess broadly concern “overdoing it,” as opposed to vices of defect. For example, consider the virtue of courage: cowardice is the defect, and foolhardiness is the excess. Thomas then dedicates four questions to excessive religiousness.

"At first sight, this is confusing. It is easy to understand that insufficient religiosity is bad for the soul, but how can we be too religious? An admonition to be 'less religious' may seem like an arbitrary rule that does us no good. Sins of excess in matters of religion, however, do not consist in giving too much worship to God, but in giving improper worship, or worshipping the wrong things. By teaching us how to properly render worship to God, the Church focuses and strengthens our worship, and protects us from evil. These 'rules' are actually valuable insights from the spiritual masters."

In a recent commentary, Brother Raymond La Grange, O.P., reflected on the need to "worship properly, so that we may more easily understand and develop our relationship with God."

To access Br. Jordan's complete post, please visit:

Dominicana: Too Much Religion (3 JUL 19)