es: "He shall be
punished as though he slew Christ." But the sin of them who slew
Christ seems to have been most grave. Therefore this sin, whereby a
man approaches Christ's table with consciousness of sin, appears to
be the gravest.

Obj. 2: Further, Jerome says in an Epistle (xlix): "What hast thou to
do with women, thou that speakest familiarly with God at the altar?"
[*The remaining part of the quotation is not from St. Jerome]. Say,
priest, say, cleric, how dost thou kiss the Son of God with the same
lips wherewith thou hast kissed the daughter of a harlot? "Judas,
thou betrayest the Son of Man with a kiss!" And thus it appears that
the fornicator approaching Christ's table sins as Judas did, whose
sin was most grave. But there are many other sins which are graver
than fornication, especially the sin of unbelief. Therefore the sin
of every sinner approaching Christ's table is the gravest of all.

Obj. 3: Further, spiritual uncleanness is more abominable to God than
corporeal. But if anyone was to cast Christ's body into mud or a
cess-pool, his sin would be reputed a most grave one. Therefore, he
sins more deeply by receiving it with sin, which is spiritual
uncleanness, upon his soul.

_On the contrary,_ Augustine says on the words, "If I had not come,
and had not spoken to them, they would be without sin" (Tract. lxxxix
in Joan.), that this is to be understood of the sin of unbelief, "in
which all sins are comprised," and so the greatest of all sins
appears to be, not this, but rather the sin of unbelief.

_I answer that,_ As stated in the Second Part (I-II, Q. 73, AA. 3, 6;
II-II, Q. 73, A. 3), one sin can be said to be graver than another in
two ways: first of all essentially, secondly accidentally.
Essentially, in regard to its species, which is taken from its
object: and so a sin is greater according as that against which it is
committed is greater. And since Christ's Godhead is greater than His
humanity, and His humanity greater than the sacraments of His
humanity, hence it is that those are the gravest sins which are
committed against the Godhead, such as unbelief and blasphemy. The
second degree of gravity is held by those sins which are committed
against His humanity: hence it is written (Matt. 12:32): "Whosoever
shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him;
but he that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be
forgiven him, neither in this world nor in the world to com