St. Thomas on Grace and Love

I believe Grace is required for humanity to love God above all things.

Here are my brief notes on St. Thomas' question:

Concerning Grace
Question 3) Whether by his own natural powers and without grace man can love God above all things?


a. If man was not fallen, then he could love according to his natural power (of course still in need of the first movement).
i. To love God above all things is natural for all creatures.
1. This is because it is natural for all things loved to love back according to their natural power.
2. What is good for the ‘part’ is good for the ‘whole,’ since the whole (God) loves us (the part), we love God.
a. In the perfect state, man loved himself and all other things as parts of the whole. As such, he loved the whole (God) above all things, as it is the end of all things.
b. However, in our fallen state, without grace, man loves himself (the part) and follows his private good, not aware of the whole.
c. Therefore, man needs grace to heal this fallen nature so as to love God above all things.


Isn't this a perfect way at explaining the sin of individualism? So then what aspects of our lives are 'curved inward on ourselves' as Karl Rahner would put it, or "following our private good, not aware of the whole?"

Perhaps....Modernism? Postmodernism? Capitalism? Church?