PRESUMPTION. - The term p. can be understood in several senses: in the order of feeling, it indicates exaggerated confidence in one's own qualities: it is therefore a form of pride; in the order of the will, p. is a movement that drives a person to undertake more than he can really do with the forces he has or believes he has. In the natural order, p. is opposed to the virtue of magnanimity (v.), whose task is to moderate the tendency to launch oneself into difficult undertakings. In the supernatural order, p. comes to be directly opposed to the virtue of hope.
I. PRESUMPTION, THE SIN OPPOSED TO THE VIRTUE OF HOPE
It may be defined as a rash confidence of obtaining eternal salvation without the means established by God. Grace and glory, goods of the supernatural order, are beyond the reach of man's natural powers: whoever wished to attain them by his own means would be in direct opposition to the virtue of hope, inasmuch as he practically takes away from it its own motive, its formal object, namely the divine goodness which alone justifies in the creature the expectation of such goods, which can come only from God. On the other hand, God normally grants his supernatural goods in conformity with his promises and his attributes. To wish to obtain such goods by another way would mean «to aim at the object of hope and therefore to sin against it. Such is the case of the sinner who believes he is forgiven without sincere repentance for his sins, or of one who believes he will be saved while continuing to the end obstinate in his sin. It is an exaggerated confidence in God, contrary to the Providence established by him. Promises that are in fact conditional would be made absolute, or one would wish to exalt God's mercy to the detriment of his justice. Hence two forms of presumption, differing in cause and malice. The first places an illusory foundation under hope. The second respects God's omnipotence, but awaits supernatural helps without acting to merit them.
II. HERETICAL, COMMON, OR SIMPLE PRESUMPTION
Theologians call the presumption that places hope on a foundation that is not its own praesumptio contra spem or praesumptio haereticalis. It destroys the virtue of hope by opposing its motive: the goodness of God. It is founded on a dogmatic error. The "Pelagian" one is founded on Pelagian naturalism, which exalts human freedom to the point of attributing to man alone his own sanctification. The "Lutheran" presumption, deriving from Luther's doctrine, attributes individual sanctification and salvation to the merits of Christ alone, excluding any cooperation of man. Calvinist predestinarianism, which admits absolute predestination, generates the "Calvinist" presumption. The Calvinist and Lutheran presumptions are more serious than the Pelagian one, because they would attribute to God a power and a mercy at the expense of justice, thereby offending against divine holiness itself.
Theologians call praeter spem the presumption that, without destroying the virtue of hope, introduces into its practice some disorder and some temerity. It is a duty to hope from God for Heaven and the means to reach it, but it is temerity and a sin of presumption to hope for that degree of glory that he has reserved for one or another of his elect. God gives to all the promised graces, but to defer attending to one's own salvation, counting on having at the moment of death the time to repent, and to expect from him more than he has promised, is to sin by presumption. An act of presumption is to abuse trust in divine forgiveness in order to sin more frequently, gravely and freely, to persevere longer in sin, to expose oneself to temptation without reason, to demand divine graces without the normal means of prayer and personal effort.
III. MALICE OF THE PRESUMPTION
Heretical presumption, that is, that which includes dogmatic error, is a sin mortal in itself (ex toto genere suo) because it is opposed to faith, to hope and to the fear of God and brings great injury to divine justice.
Common or simple presumption is a sin mortal by its nature (ex genere suo) because it too in itself brings grave injuries to divine justice and causes great harm to man; but it admits of oscillations between mortal and venial sin. This sin is less grave than that of despair (v.): in fact presumption goes against divine justice, whereas despair destroys divine mercy; and according to our way of thinking it is attributed more properly to God to be merciful than to be just and avenger of sins (Sum. Theol., 2ᵃ-2ᵃᶜ, q. 2, i a. 2).
IV. THE PRESUMPTION IN SPIRITUAL LIFE
From the dogmatic error on which heretical presumption is founded there derives a false conception of the life and progress of the soul, whereby man places himself outside the conditions of salvation and perfection.
Although less radical, common presumption likewise exercises an influence over the whole field of the spiritual life. While self-confidence, when it is reasonable and wise, fortifies the soul, stimulates its energies and generates courage in undertakings, perseverance in effort, and boldness to face the struggle and overcome difficulties, presumption, which presents itself as excessive self-confidence, produces nothing but evils. One who has an exaggerated esteem of himself launches into disproportionate undertakings, judges it useless to take counsel and direction; the fear of danger diminishes in him to the point of neglecting the necessary precautions, particularly in temptations. If he is desirous of perfection, he believes the virtues he does not possess to be already acquired, despising the ordinary ways of piety and of the Christian life.
Every asceticism and every mysticism that is not founded on humility is presumptuous and therefore ineffective and harmful.
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Giuseppe Sette