Considered as single, he [Aquinas] takes grace to be God’s action in people leading them to the beatific vision. Considered as divisible, he views it as something that we can classify in six ways.
To be precise, Aquinas distinguishes between (1) “sanctifying grace” (gratia gratum faciens), (2) “freely bestowed grace” (gratia gratis data), (3) “operating grace” (gratia operans), (4) “cooperating grace” (gratia cooperans), (5) “prevenient grace” (gratia praeveniens), and (6) “subsequent grace” (gratia subsequens). And the breakdown here amount to the following conclusions:
1. Sanctifying grace is grace by which God makes people holy or directed to God or united to God.
2. Freely bestowed grace is grace by which God supernaturally helps people who help others to become holy. Here Aquinas is thinking that, for example, someone might be given the gift of prophecy and thereby aid someone else to will what God wills.
3. Operating grace is the grace by which God moves us to start willing what God wills.
4. Cooperating grace is the grace by which God continues to move us to will what God wills.
5. Prevenient grace is grace that comes to people before what they go on to do by means of grace.
6. Subsequent grace is grace that comes after what God has previously brought about in them by grace.
Brian Davies, Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae: A Guide and Commentary (pp.225-26)
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