ST THOMAS OF AQUINAS IN AMORIS LAETITIA: REPROPOSING A THEOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY OF JOY

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the frequency and occur­rences of the theological ethical thinking of the great Dominican doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas, in the post-synodal exhortation Amoris Laetitia (AL). The nineteen (19) quotations in the concluding text suggest that, in his thinking, there is a solid, wise, prudent and serene tradition, always to be revisited, that allows us to think of a true theological anthropology of joy. The purpose is to re-examine a theology of marriage that finds its roots in a vision of fruitful love, rather than in a canonical juridical conception. The reflection will be presented in two moments. In the first, the marital morality present in Amoris Laetitia (AL) will be discussed with its own implications. In the second, we propose to analyze each number quoted from the thought of St. Thomas in the exhortation of Francis, showing the changes of moral postures proposed by this magisterium. Finally, in the conclusion, we will synthe­size the most relevant ideas of the article. The result sought is to demonstrate that the post-synodal exhortation not only shows progress in terms of moral posture, but also re-proposes the theological anthropology of St. Thomas as a reference for the theological debate. This opens the possibility of a new way of accompanying couples and families pastorally, based on the experience of human love and its possible variations throughout life.