Fr. Francisco Marin Sola, OP: On Divine Causality and Human Free Choice

Francisco Marin Sola is hailed as one of the greatest and most preeminent minds the Order of Preachers had to offer. His contribution to theology is profoundly felt in the celebrated theological debates between the Dominicans and the Jesuits mediated by the socalled 16th-century Congregatio de Auxiliis. These great debates were attempts to respond to the understanding (or misunderstanding) of questions regarding human beings’ exercise of their freedom while enjoying God’s grace. The Dominicans affirm God's overarching causality and providence, emphasizing God's necessary role in salvation. Thus, characterized as theocentric rather than anthropocentric, the Dominicans believe there is no inherent conflict between divine sovereignty and human freedom. Instead, they maintain that understanding human freedom requires grounding in fundamental principles concerning God's essence and actions. T heir adherence to these principles shapes and delineates their interpretation of human freedom. For his part, Fr. Marin contributed to this theological debate by giving his “fresh takes” on the subjects of premotion, grace, sin, predestination, and reprobation encapsulated in his so-called “Ten Propositions.” Fr. Marin lays down the basic Thomistic presupposition that Divine Causality is infallible concerning motion general governance. In the classic Thomistic sense, God is the unmistakable Unmoved Mover, the Necessary Being who efficaciously sets all motions that lead to the execution and realization of the universal end. Thus, infallibility is a true mark of divine causality since God, being the Prime Mover, according to Saint Thomas, is the only being capable of reducing potency to actuality.