De Lubac, in other words, wishes to be able to assert the traditional teaching concerning the

gratuity of God’s gift of supernatural life, while at the same time also affirming its opposite.

FROM THE CATECHISM ON NEW THEOLOGY

What is the heart of de Lubac's new theology?
“ … de Lubac taught that the supernatural is a necessary perfection of nature without which nature is
frustrated in its essential aspirations.This means that the supernatural is needed to complete nature
which remains incomplete without it. Hence, the supernatura is not a gratuitous gift but a part of nature
owed to nature; in other words, the supernatural is not supernatural but natural and lies within the
bounds of nature.

Analysis

“...de Lubac taught that the supernatural is a necessary perfection of nature without which nature is
frustrated in its essential aspirations.This means that the supernatural is needed to complete nature
which remains incomplete without it.”

Up to this point the CATECHISM ON NEW THEOLOGY is spot on.

But then it said: “Hence, the supernatural is not a gratuitous gift but a part of nature owed to nature; in
other words, the supernatural is not supernatural but natural and lies within the bounds of nature.”

Let's focus here on “ the supernatural is a necessary perfection of nature”

The supernatural could refer to God, angels, Grace, eternal life, God's powers, God's attributes
etc.While nature refers to human. Substituting terms into the proposition in question, we get:

Assumptions:

Nature here refers to human nature.

Supernatural means
1) Not constitutive of human nature or not something that man is born with
2) Exceeds the human capacity to procure for itself and/or by its own powers.

Perfection:
1) An attribute that completes or is part of the constitution or make up of a being
For example: Rationality is an attribute of the human nature. It is part of the make up or
constitution of any human being
2) Anything that completes or fulfils something in accordance to what it is or nature
For example: Light is external to the physical human. But light perfects the human eye
because without light the human is unable to see. This way it fails to be fulfiled or be what it is
supposed to be by doing what it supposed to do. Light in this sense is a perfection of the human eye
althout it is extraneous and not part of the human. But the eye's design incorporates receptivity to light.
Light is necessary for the fulfilment of the eye and therefeore is a necessary perfection of the eye.

Gratuitous means free. So that a gratuitous gift from God means God is free to give or not to give it.
God is free to decide either way.
The supernatural is a necessary perfection of human nature.

Here perfection must be understood in the same sense as meaning #2 of perfection above so that the
supernatural is not seen as something already part of human nature (meaning #1 of supernatural) but
something coming from outside and yet by virtue of the design of human nature, has a necessary place
in it. Human nature is able to exist even without the supernatural added (state of sin, hell damnation)
but is not able to be fully fulfilled (eternal bliss).

Also, nothing in it suggests that human nature has the power to procure the supernatural by its own
powers.

This makes “ in other words, the supernatural is not supernatural but natural and lies within the bounds
of nature” a NON SEQUITUR.

The 'necessary' in 'necessary perfection' does not make the supernatural no longer gratuitous either.
Because necessity is on the side of human nature and not on the side of the supernatural. This means
that the human nature has need of the supernatural but not vice versa.

God is a necessary perfection of human nature.

There are only two obvious ways of interpreting the resulting proposition:

1. God is a necessary attribute of human nature.

Perfection by definition is anything that makes something complete
So an attribute that belongs necessarily to human nature is a necessary perfection of
human nature because that attribute completes human nature.
But God is not an attribute of human nature. Therefore, the sense that God is a
necessary attribute of human nature must be ruled out.
2. God is a necessary good that completes or fulfils human nature.
Perfection by definition is anything that makes something complete.
God is not only a good but goodness himself, the highest good.
Happiness completes man. He is not complete without happiness.
The attainment of something good brings happines to man, albeit transiently.
The attainment of the highest good, God, who is eternal and permanent, brings eternal and
permanent happiness.
Therefore, God is a necessary good that completes or fulfils human nature.
Hence, we can conclude that “the supernatural is a necessary perfection of nature” means that

“ the supernatural (God) is a necessary good that completes or fulfils human nature