Dictionary
A modern dictionary of Catholic terms, both common and obscure. Find accurate definitions of words and phrases.
VOLUNTARIETY
Will power or the activity of the human will indesiring, choosing, or loving some real or apparent good. On our side, voluntariety is the response of the free will to God's grace and the reason for supernatural merit when the action is morally good and performed in the state of grace. It is also the cause of sin when the will deliberately chooses to do something contrary to the known will of God. Degrees of voluntariety are one of the factors that determine the extent of merit for good actions, and the extent of guilt for sinful actions.
All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.
