Shadows of Divine Virtue: St. John of the Cross, Implicit Memory, and the Transformation Theory of Infused Cardinal Virtues

Abstract

The transformation theory postulates that a person’s previously acquired habits are transformed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. This article contributes to the development of the transformation theory by drawing upon St. John of the Cross and recent developments in neurobiology and psychology, especially in the transformation of memory. Placing these disciplines into a creative dialogue yields a richly descriptive account of the developmental process by which a person grows in grace and virtue toward union with God, and suggests that ethics must pay greater attention to the role of emotion in the cultivation of practical wisdom.