Importance
Of Instruction On This Sacrament
As
the frailty and weakness of human nature are universally known and felt by each
one in himself, no one can be ignorant of the great necessity of the Sacrament
of Penance. If, therefore, the
diligence of pastors should be proportioned to the weight and importance of the
subject, we must admit that in expounding this Sacrament they can never be
sufficiently diligent. Nay, it should
be explained with more care than Baptism.
Baptism is administered but once, and cannot be repeated; Penance may be
administered and becomes necessary, as often as we may have sinned after
Baptism. Hence the Council of Trent
declares: For those who fall into sin after Baptism the Sacrament of Penance
is as necessary to salvation as is Baptism for those who have not been already
baptized. 1 The saying of St. Jerome that Penance is a second plank, 2 is universally
known and highly commended by all subsequent writers on sacred things. As he who suffers shipwreck has no hope of
safety, unless, perchance, he seize on some plank from the wreck, so he that
suffers the shipwreck of baptismal innocence, unless he cling to the saving
plank of Penance, has doubtless lost all hope of salvation. {a}
These instructions are intended not only for the benefit of pastors, but also for that of the faithful at large, to awaken attention, lest they be found culpably negligent in a matter so very important. Impressed with a just sense of the frailty of human nature, their first and most earnest desire should be to advance with the divine assistance in the ways of God, without sin or failing. But should they at any time prove so unfortunate as to fall, then, looking at the infinite goodness of God, who like the good shepherd binds up and heels the wounds of His sheep, they should not postpone recourse to the most saving remedy of penance.
Different Meanings of the Word "Penance"
To
enter at once on the subject, and to avoid all error to which the ambiguity of
the word may give rise, it's different meanings are first to be explained. By penance some understand
satisfaction; while others, who wander far from the doctrine of the Catholic
faith, supposing penance to have no reference to the past, define it to be
nothing more than newness of life. {b} It must, therefore, be shown that the word
has a variety of meanings.
In
the first place, it is said of those to whom that which was before pleasing is
now displeasing, whether the object itself was good or bad. In this sense all those repent whose sorrow
is according to the world, not according to God; and therefore, worketh not salvation,
but death. 3
In
the second place, it is used to express that sorrow which the sinner conceives,
not, however, for the sake of God, but for his own sake, concerning some sin of
his in which he once took pleasure. 4
A
third kind of penance is that by which we experience interior sorrow of heart,
or give exterior indication of such sorrow for the sake of God alone. To all these kinds of sorrow the word repentance
properly applies.
When
the Sacred Scriptures say that God repented, 5 the expression is evidently
figurative. When we repent of anything,
we are most anxious to change it; and hence when God has resolved to change any
thing, the Scriptures, accommodating their language to our manner of speaking,
say that He repents. Thus we read that
it repented him that he had made man, 6 and also that He was sorry that He had made
Saul King. 7
But
and important distinction is to be made between these different significations
of the word. The first kind of penance
must be considered faulty; The second is only the agitation of a disturbed
mind; the third we call both a virtue and a Sacrament. In this last sense penance is taking here.
The Virtue of Penance
We
shall first treat of penance as a virtue, not only because it is the duty of the
pastor to lead the faithful to the practice of every virtue; but also, because
the acts which proceed from penance as a virtue, constitute the matter, as it
were, of Penance as a Sacrament, and unless the virtue be rightly understood,
the force of the Sacrament cannot be appreciated.
The faithful, therefore, are first to be
admonished and exhorted to labor strenuously to attain this interior penance of
the heart which we call a virtue, and without which exterior penance can avail
them very little.
Interior
penance consist in turning to God sincerely and from the heart, and in hating
and detesting our past transgressions, with a firm resolution of amendment of
life, hoping to obtain pardon through the mercy of God. Accompanying this penance, like an
inseparable companion of detestation for sin, is a sorrow and sadness, which is
a certain agitation and disturbance of the soul, and is called by many a
passion. Hence many of the Fathers define
penance as an anguish of soul. Penance,
however, in those who repent, must be preceded by faith, for without faith no
man can turn to God. Faith therefore,
cannot on any account be called a part of penance. {c}
That
this inward penance is, as we have already said, a virtue, the various commands
which have been given regarding it clearly show; For the law commands only
those actions that are virtuous.
Furthermore,
no one can deny that it is a virtue to be sorrowful at the time, in the manner,
and to the extent which are required.
To regulate sorrow in this manner belongs to the virtue of penance. Some conceive a sorrow which bears no
proportion to their crimes. Nay, there
are some, says Solomon who are glad when they have done evil. 8 Others, on
the contrary, give themselves to such melancholy and grief, as utterly to
abandon all hope of salvation. Such,
perhaps, was the condition of Cain when he exclaimed: My iniquity is greater
than that I may deserve pardon. 9 Such certainly was the condition of
Judas, who, repenting, hanged
himself, and thus lost soul and body. 10 Penance, therefore, considered as a
virtue, assists us in restraining within the bounds of moderation our sense of
sorrow.
That
penance is a virtue may also be inferred from the ends which the true penitent
proposes to himself. The first is to
destroy sin and efface from the soul its every spot and stain. The second is to make satisfaction to God
for the sins which he has committed, which is clearly an act of justice. Between God and man, it is true, no relation
of strict justice can exist, so great is the distance that separates them; yet
between them there is evidently a sort of justice, such as exists between a
father and his children, between a master and his servants. The third
( end of the penitent ) is to
reinstate himself in favor and friendship of God whom he has offended and whose
hatred he has earned by the turpitude of sin.
The foregoing considerations sufficiently prove that penance is a
virtue.
The Steps Which Lead
Up To this Virtue
We
Must also point out the steps by which we may ascend to this divine
virtue. The mercy of God first goes
before us and converts our hearts to Him.
This was the object of the Prophet's prayer: Convert us, O Lord, to
thee, and we shall be converted. 11
Illumined
by this light the soul next tends to God by faith. He that cometh to God,
says the Apostle, must believe that he is, and is a rewarder to them that
seek him. 12
A salutary
fear of God's judgment's follows, and
the soul, contemplating the punishments that await sin, is recalled from the
paths of vice. To this (state of soul)
seem to refer these words of Isaias: As a woman with child, when she draweth
near the time of her delivery, is in pain and crieth out in her pangs, so are
we become. 13
Then
follows a hope of obtaining mercy from God, encouraged by which we resolve on
improvement of life.
Lastly,
our hearts are inflamed by charity, whence springs that filial fear which good
and dutiful children experience; and thus, dreading only to offend the majesty
of God in anything, we entirely abandoned the ways of sin.
Such
are, as it were, the steps by which we ascend to this most exalted virtue, a
virtue altogether heavenly and divine, to which the Sacred Scriptures promise
the kingdom of heaven; for it is written in St. Matthew: Do penance, for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand. 14 If, says Ezechiel, the wicked do
penance for all his sins which he hath committed, and keep all my commandments,
and do judgment and justice, living he shall live. 15 In another place: I desire not the
death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live, 16 words which are evidently understood of eternal
life. {d}
Penance As A
Sacrament
Regarding
external penance it will be necessary to show that in it the Sacrament properly
consists, and that it possesses certain outward and sensible signs which denote
the effect that takes place interiorly in the soul.
Why Christ Instituted This Sacrament
In
the first place, however, it would be well to explain why it is that Christ our
Lord was pleased to number Penance among the Sacraments. One of His reasons certainly was to leave us
no room for doubt regarding the remission of sin which was promised by God when
He said: If the wicked do penance, 17
etc.. For each one has good reason to
distrust the accuracy of his own judgment on his own actions, and hence we
could not be very much in doubt regarding the truth of our internal
penance. It was to destroy this, our
uneasiness, that our Lord instituted the Sacrament of Penance, by means of
which we are assured that our sins are pardoned by the absolution of the
priest; and also to tranquilize our conscience by means of the trust we rightly
repose in the virtue of the Sacraments.
The words of the priest sacramentally and lawfully absolving us from our
sins are to be accepted in the same sense as the words of Christ our Lord when
He said to the paralytic: Son, be of good heart: thy sins are forgiven thee.
18
In
the second place, no one can obtain salvation unless through Christ and the
merits of His Passion. Hence it was
becoming in itself, and highly advantageous to us, that a Sacrament should be
instituted through the force and efficacy of which the blood of Christ flows
into our souls, washes away all the sins committed after Baptism, and thus
leads us to recognize that it is to our Savior alone we owe the blessing of
reconciliation. {e}
Penance Is A Sacrament
That
Penance is a Sacrament pastors can easily show from what follows. As baptism is a Sacrament because it blots
out all sins, and especially original sin, so for the same reason Penance,
which takes away all the sins of thought and deed committed after Baptism, must
be regarded as a true Sacrament in the proper sense of the word.
Moreover-and this is the principal
reason-since what is exteriorly done, both by priest and penitent, signifies
the inward effects that take place in the soul, who will venture to deny that
Penance is invested with the nature of a proper and true Sacrament? For a Sacrament is a sign of a sacred
thing. Now the sinner who repents
plainly expresses by his words and actions that he has turned his heart from
sin; while from the words and actions of the priest we easily recognize the
mercy of God exercised in the remission of sins.
In any event, the words of our Savior
furnish a clear proof: I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of
heaven; whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven.
19 The
absolution announced in the words of the priest expresses the remission of sins
which it accomplishes in the soul. {f}
This Sacrament May
Be Repeated
The
Faithful should be instructed not only that Penance is to be numbered among the
Sacraments, but that it is one of the Sacraments which may be repeated. To Peter, who had asked whether pardon could
be given to sin seven times, our Lord replied: I say not to thee, till seven times; but till seventy times seven.
20
If,
then, ( the pastor ) happens to encounter those who seem to
distrust the infinite goodness and clemency of God, let him endeavor to inspire
their minds with confidence, and raise them up to the hope of obtaining the
grace of God. He will easily accomplish
this object by explaining the above and other passages which are frequently met
with in Holy Writ; as well as by using the arguments and reasons which may be
found in St. Chrysostom's book On the Lapsed, and St. Ambrose books On
Penance. 21{g}
The Constituent Parts of Penance
The MATTER
There
is nothing that should be better known to the faithful than the matter of this
Sacrament; hence they should be taught that Penance differs from other
Sacraments in this that while the matter of the other Sacraments is some thing,
whether natural or artificial, the matter, as it were, of the Sacrament of
Penance is the acts of the penitent,- namely, contrition, confession and
satisfaction, - as has been declared by the Council of Trent. Now, inasmuch as these acts are by divine
institution required on the part of the penitent for the integrity of the
Sacrament, and for the full and perfect remission of sin, they are called parts
of Penance. It is not because they are
not the real matter that they are called by the Council the matter as it
were, 22
but because they are not of that sort of matter which is applied
externally, such, for instance, as water in Baptism and chrism in Confirmation.
As
regards the opinion of some who hold that sins themselves are the matter of
this Sacrament, it will be found, when carefully examined, that it does not
really differ from the explanation already given. Thus we say that wood which is consumed by fire is the matter of
fire. In the same way, sins which are
destroyed by Penance may properly be called the matter of Penance. {h}
Pastors
should not neglect to explain the form of the Sacrament of Penance. A knowledge of it will excite the faithful
to receive the grace of this Sacrament with the greatest possible
devotion. Now the form is: I absolve thee, as may be inferred
not only from the words, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth shall be bound
also in heaven, 23 but also
from the teaching of Christ our Lord,
Handed down to us by the Apostles.
Moreover, since the
Sacraments signify what they effect, the words, I absolve thee, signify
that remission of sin is effected by the administration of this Sacrament; and
hence it is plain that such is the perfect form of the Sacrament. For sins are, so to say, the chains by which
the soul is bound, and from which it is freed by the Sacrament of Penance. An nonetheless truly does the priest
pronounce the form over the penitent who, through perfect contrition,
accompanied by the desire of confession, has already obtained remission of his
sins from God.
Several
prayers are added, not that they are necessary to the form, but in order to
remove every obstacle that can impede the force and efficacy of the Sacrament:
owing to the fault of him to whom it is administered.
How
thankful, then, should not sinners be to God for having bestowed such ample
power on the priests of His Church! Unlike the priests of the Old Law who merely declared the leper cleansed from
his leprosy, 24 the power now given to the priests of the New Law is not limited
to declaring the sinner absolved from his sins, but, as the Minister of God, he
truly absolves from sin. This is an
effect of which God Himself, the author and source of grace and justice, is the
principal cause. {i}
The Rites Observed in the Sacrament Of Penance
The
faithful should take great care to observe the rites which accompany the administration of this Sacrament. In this way they will have a higher idea of
what they obtain from this Sacrament, that is, that they have been reconciled
as slaves to their kind master, or rather, as children to their best of Fathers;
and at the same time they will also better understand what is the duty of those
who desire, as everyone should, to show their gratitude and remembrance of so
great a benefit.
The
sinner, then, who repents, casts himself humbly and sorrowfully at the feet of
the priest, in order that by their humbling himself he may the more easily be
led to see that he must tear up the roots of pride whence spring and flourish
all the sins he now deplores. In the
priest, who is his legitimate judge, he venerates the person and the power of
Christ our Lord; for in the administration of the Sacrament of Penance, as in
that of the other Sacraments, the priest holds the place of Christ. Next the penitent enumerates his sins,
acknowledging, at the same time, that he deserves the greatest and severest
chastisements; and finally, suppliantly asks pardon for his faults.
All these rites have a sure guarantee for
their antiquity in the authority of St. Denis. 25 {j}
Nothing
will prove of greater advantage to the faithful, nothing will be found to
conduce more to a willing reception of the Sacrament of Penance, than for
pastors to explain frequently the great advantage to be derived therefrom. They will then see that of Penance it is
truly said that its roots are bitter, but it's fruit sweet indeed.
First
of all, then, the great efficacy of Penance consist in this, that it restores
us to the grace of God, and unites us to Him in the closest friendship.
In
pious souls who approach this Sacrament with devotion, profound peace and
tranquility of conscience, together with ineffable joy of soul, sometimes
accompany this reconciliation. For there is no sin, however great or horrible,
which cannot be effaced by the Sacrament of Penance, and that not merely once,
but over and over again. On this point
God Himself thus speaks through the Prophet: If the wicked do penance for
all his sins which he hath committed, and keep all my commandments, and do
judgment, and justice, living he shall live, and shall not die, and I will not
remember all his iniquities that he hath done. 26 And St. John says: If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins; 27 and a little later, he adds: If any man sin,
-he excepts no sin whatever, -we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ, the just; for he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours
only, but for the sins of the whole world. 28
When
we read it in Scripture that certain persons did not obtain pardon from God,
even though they earnestly implored it, we know that this was due to the fact
that they had not a true and heartfelt sorrow for their sins. Thus when we find in Sacred Scripture and in
the writings of the Fathers passages which seem to assert that certain sins are
irremissible, we must understand the meaning to be that it is very difficult to
obtain pardon for them. A disease is
sometimes called incurable, because the patient is so disposed as to loathe the
medicines that could afford him relief.
In the same way certain sins are not remitted or pardoned because the
sinner rejects the grace of God, the only medicine for salvation. It is in this sense that St. Augustine
wrote: When a man who, through the grace of Jesus Christ, has once arrived
at a knowledge of God, wounds fraternal charity, and, driven by the fury of
envy, lifts up his head against grace, the enormity of his sin is so great
that, though compelled by a guilty conscience to acknowledge and confess his
fault, he finds himself unable to submit to the humiliation of imploring pardon.
29
Returning
now to the Sacrament, it is so much the special province of Penance to remit sins
that it is impossible to obtain or even to hope for remission of sins by any
other means; for it is written: Unless you do penance, you shall all
likewise perish. 30 These words were said by
our Lord in reference to grievous and mortal sins, although at the same time
lighter sins, which are called venial, also require some sort of penance. St. Augustine observes that the kind of
penance which is daily performed in the Church for venial sins, would be
absolutely useless, if venial sin could be remitted without penance. 31 {k}
But
as it is not enough to speak in general terms when treating of practical
matters, the pastors should take care to explain, one by one, those things from
which the faithful can understand the meaning of true and salutary Penance.
Now
it is peculiar to this Sacrament that besides matter and form, which it has in
common with all the other Sacraments, it has also, as we have said, those parts
which constitute Penance, so to say, whole and entire; namely, contrition,
confession and satisfaction. On these
St. Chrysostom thus speaks: Penance enables the sinner to bear all
willingly; in his heart is contrition; on his lips confession; in his actions
entire humility or salutary satisfaction. 32
These
three parts belong to that class of parts which are necessary to constitute a
whole. {l} The human body is composed of many members, ---hands, feet, eyes
and the various other parts; the want of any one of which makes the body be
justly considered imperfect, while if none of them is missing, the body is
regarded as perfect. In the same way,
Penance is composed of these three parts in such a way that through contrition
and confession, which justify man, are alone required constitute its essence,
yet, unless accompanied by its third part, satisfaction, it necessarily remains
short of its absolute perfection.
These
three parts, then, are so intimately connected with one another, that
contrition includes the intention and resolution of confessing and making
satisfaction; contrition and the resolution of making satisfaction imply
confession; while the other two precede satisfaction.
The
reason why these are the integral parts may be thus explained. Sins against God are committed by thought,
by word and by deed. It is, then, but
reasonable, that in recurring to the power of the keys we should endeavor to
appease God's wrath, and obtain pardon for our sins by means of the very same
things which we employed to offend His sovereignty.
A
further reason by way of confirmation can also be assigned. Penance is a sort of compensation for sin,
springing from the free will of the delinquent, and is appointed by God,
against whom the offense has been committed.
Hence, on the one hand, there is required the willingness to make
compensation, in which willingness contrition chiefly consists; while, on the
other hand, the penitent must submit himself to the judgment of the priest, who
holds God's place, in order to enable him to award a punishment proportioned to
the gravity of the sin committed. Hence
the reason for and the necessity of confession and satisfaction are easily
inferred. {m}
As
the faithful require instruction on the nature and efficacy of the parts of
Penance, we must begin with contrition.
This subject demands careful explanation; for as often as we call to
mind our past transgressions, or offend God anew, so often should our hearts be
pierced with contrition.
By
the Fathers of the Council of Trent, contrition is defined: A sorrow and
detestation for sin committed, with a purpose of sinning no more. 33 And a little further on the Council, speaking
of the motion of the will to contrition, adds: if joined with a confidence
in the mercy of God and an earnest desire of performing whatever is necessary
to the proper reception of the Sacrament, it thus prepares us for the remission
of sin.
From
this definition, therefore, the faithful will perceive that the efficacy of
contrition does not simply consist in ceasing to sin, or in resolving to begin,
or having actually begun a new life; it supposes first of all a hatred of one's
ill spent life and a desire of atoning for past transgressions.
This
is especially confirmed by those cries of the holy Fathers, which we so frequently meet with in Holy Scripture. I have labored in my groaning, says
David; every night I will wash my bed; and again, The Lord hath heard
the voice of my weeping. 34 I will recount to thee all my years,
says another, in the bitterness of my soul. 35
These and many like expressions were called forth by an intense hatred and a
lively detestation of past transgressions.
But
although contrition is defined as sorrow, the faithful are not thence to
conclude that this sorrow consists in sensible feeling; for contrition
is an act of the will, and, as St. Augustine observes, grief is not penance but
the accompaniment of penance. 36 By sorrow the Fathers understood a
hatred and detestation of sin; in the first place, because the Sacred
Scriptures frequently use the word in this sense. How long, says David, shall I take counsels in my soul,
sorrow in my heart all the day. 37 and
secondly, because from contrition arises sorrow in the inferior part of the
soul which is called the seat of concupiscence.
With
propriety, therefore, is contrition defined a sorrow, because it
produces sorrow; hence penitents, in order to express it, used to change their
garments. Our Lord alludes to this
custom when He says: Woe to thee, Corozain, woe to thee, Bethsaida: for if
in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in you,
they had long ago done penance in sack-cloth and ashes. 38
To
signify the intensity of this sorrow of the name contrition has rightly been
given to the detestation of sin of which we speak. The word means the breaking of an object into small parts by
means of a stone or some harder substance; and here it is used metaphorically,
to signify that our hearts, hardened by pride, are beaten and broken by
penance. Hence no other sorrow, not
even that which is felt for the death of parents, or children, or for any other
calamity, is called contrition. The
word is exclusively employed to express the sorrow with which we are overwhelmed
by the forfeiture of the grace of God and of our own innocence.
Contrition,
however, is often designated by other names.
Sometimes it is called contrition of heart, because the word heart
is frequently used in scripture to express the will. As the movement of the body originates in the heart, so the will
is the faculty which governs and controls the other powers of the soul.
By
the holy Fathers it is also called compunction of heart, and hence they
preferred to entitle their works on contrition treaties On Compunction of
Heart; for as ulcers are lanced with a knife in order to allow the escape
of the poisonous matter accumulated within, so the heart, as it were, is
pierced with the lance of contrition, to enable it to emit the deadly poison of
sin.
Hence,
contrition is called by the Prophet Joel, a rending of the heart. Be converted to me, he says, with
all your hearts in fasting, in weeping, in mourning, and rend your hearts. 39 {n}
That
sorrow for sins committed should be so profound and supreme that no greater
sorrow could be thought of will easily appear from the considerations that
follow.
Perfect contrition is an act of charity,
emanating from what is called filial fear; hence it is clear that the measure
of contrition and of charity should be the same. Since, therefore, the charity which we cherish towards God, is
the most perfect love, it follows that contrition should be the keenest sorrow
of the soul. God is to be loved above
all things, and what ever separates us from God is therefore to be hated above
all things. It is also worthy of note
that to charity and contrition the language of Scripture assigns the same
extent. Of charity it is said: Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart. 40 Of contrition the Lord says through the
Prophet: Be converted with your whole heart. 41
Secondly,
it is true that of all objects which deserve our love, God is the supreme good,
and it is not less true that of all objects which deserve our execration sin is
the supreme evil. The same reason,
then, which prompts us to confess that God is to be loved above all things,
obliges us also of necessity to acknowledge that sin is to be hated above all
things. That God is to be loved above
all things, so that we should be prepared to sacrifice our lives rather than
offend Him, these words of the Lord clearly declare: He that loveth father
or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; 42 He that will save his life shall lose
it. 43
Further,
it should be noted that since as St. Bernard says, there is no limit or measure
to charity, or to use his own words, as the measure of loving God is to love
him without measure, 44 there should be no limit to the hatred of
sin.
Besides,
our contrition should be not only the greatest, but also the most intense, and
so perfect that it excludes all apathy and indifference; for it is written in
Deuteronomy: when thou shall seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him: yet
so if thou seek Him with all my heart, and all the affliction of thy soul, 45 and in
Jeremias: Thou shalt seek me and shalt find me, when thou shall seek me with
all thy heart; and I will be found by thee, saith the Lord. 46
If,
however, our contrition be not perfect, it may nevertheless be true and
efficacious. For as things which fall
under the senses frequently touch the heart more sensibly than things purely
spiritual, it sometimes happens that persons feel more intense sorrow for the
death of their children than for the grievousness of their sins.
Our
contrition may also be true and efficacious, although unaccompanied by
tears. Penitential tears, however, are
much to be desired and commended. On
this subject St. Augustine has well said:
The spirit of Christian charity lives not within you, if you lament
the body from which the soul has departed, but lament not the soul from which
God has departed. 47 To the same effect are the words of the
Redeemer above cited: Woe to thee, Corozain, woe to the, Bethsaida: for if
in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in you,
they had long since done penance, in sack cloth and ashes. 48 To
establish this truth it will suffice to recall the well-known examples of the
Ninivites, 49
of David, 50 of the woman who was a sinner, 51
and of the Prince of the Apostles, 52 all of whom obtained the pardon of their
sins when they implored the mercy of God with abundant tears.
The
faithful should be earnestly exhorted and admonished to strive to extend their
contrition to each mortal sin. For it
is thus that Ezechias describes contrition: I will recount to the all my
years in the bitterness of my soul. 53 to recount all our years is to examine our
sins one by one in order to have sorrow for them from our hearts. In Ezechiel also we read: If the wicked do penance for all his
sins, he shall live. 54 In this sense St. Augustine says:...Let
the sinner consider the quality of his sins, as to time, place, variety and
person. 55
In
this matter, however, the faithful should not despair of the infinite goodness
and mercy of God. For since God is most
desirous of our salvation, He will not delay to pardon us. With a Fathers fondness, He embraces the
sinner the moment he enters into himself, turns to the Lord, and, having
detested all his sins, resolve that later on, as far as he is able, he will
call them singly to mind and detest them.
The Almighty Himself, by the mouth of His Prophet, commands us to hope,
when He says: The wickedness of the wicked shall not hurt him, in what day
soever he shall turn from his wickedness. 56
CONDITIONS REQUIRED
FOR CONTRITION
From
What has been said we may gather the chief requisites of true contrition. In these the faithful are to be accurately
instructed, that each may know the means of attaining, and may have a fixed
standard by which to determine, how far he may be removed from the perfection
of this virtue.
We
must, then, in the first place, detest and deplore all our sins. If our sorrow and detestation extend only to
some sins, our repentance is not salutary, but feigned and false. Whosoever shall keep the whole law,
says St. James, but offend in one point, is become guilty of all. 57
In
the next place, our contrition must be accompanied with a desire of confessing
and satisfying for our sins. Concerning
these dispositions we shall treat in their proper place.
Thirdly,
the penitent must form a fixed and firm purpose of amendment of life. This the Prophet clearly teaches in the
following words: If the wicked do penance for all his sins which he hath
committed, and keep all my commandments, and do judgment, and justice, living
he shall live, and shall not die: I will not remember all his iniquities which
he hath done. And a little after: When
the wicked turneth himself away from his wickedness which he hath wrought, and
doth judgment and justice, he shall save his soul alive. Still further on he adds: Be converted,
and do penance for all your iniquities, and iniquity shall not be ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions,
by which you have transgressed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new
spirit. 58 To the woman taken in adultery
Christ our Lord commanded the same thing: Go thy way, and sin no more; 59 And also
to the lame man whom He cured at the pool of Bethsaida: Behold, thou art
made whole, sin no more. 60
That
a sorrow for sin and a firm purpose of avoiding sin for the future are two
conditions indispensable to contrition nature and reason clearly show. He who would be reconciled to a friend whom
he has wronged must regret to have injured and offended him, and his future
conduct must be such as to avoid offending in anything against friendship.
Furthermore,
these are conditions to which man is bound to yield obedience; for the law to
which man is subject, be it natural, divine, or human, he is bound to
obey. If, therefore, by force or fraud,
the penitent has taken anything from his neighbor, he is bound to
restitution. Likewise if, by word or
deed he has injured his neighbors honor or reputation, he is under an
obligation of repairing the injury by procuring him some advantage or rendering
him some service. Well known to all is
the maxim of St. Augustine: The sin is not forgiven unless what has been
taken away is restored. 61
Again,
not less necessary for contrition than the other chief conditions is a care
that it be accompanied by entire forgiveness of the injuries which we may have
received from others. This our Lord and
Savior admonishes when He declares: If you will forgive men their offenses,
your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offenses; but if you will not
forgive men, neither will your father forgive you your offenses. 62
These
are the conditions which the faithful should observe as regards
contrition. There are other
dispositions which, although not essential to true and salutary penance,
contribute to render contrition more perfect and complete in its kind, and
which pastors will readily discover. {o}
Simply
to make known those things which pertain to salvation should not be deemed a
full discharge of the duty of pastors; their zeal and industry should be exerted
to persuade the people to adopt these truths as their rule of conduct and as
the governing principle of their actions.
Hence it will be highly useful often to explain the power and utility of
contrition.
For
whereas most other pious practices, such as alms, fasting, prayer and similar
holy and commendable works, are sometimes rejected by God on account of the
faults of those who perform them, contrition can never be other than pleasing
and acceptable to Him. A contrite
and humble heart, O God, exclaims the Prophet, thou wilt not despise.
63
Nay
more, the same Prophet declares elsewhere that, as soon as we have conceived
this contrition in our hearts, our sins are forgiven by God: I said, I will
confess my injustice to the Lord, and thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my
sin. 64
Of this truth we have a figure in the ten lepers, who, when sent by our
Lord to the priests, were cured of their leprosy before they had reached them; 65 which
gives us to understand that such is the efficacy of true contrition, of which
we have spoken above, that through it we obtain from the Lord the immediate
pardon of all sins. {p}
To
move a faithful to contrition, it will be very useful if pastors point out some
method by which each one may excite himself to contrition.
They should all be admonished frequently to
examine their consciences, in order to ascertain if they have been faithful in
the observance of those things which God and His Church require. Should anyone be conscience of sin, he
should immediately accuse himself, humbly solicit pardon from God, and implore
time to confess and satisfy for his sins.
Above all, let him supplicate the aid of divine grace, in order that he
may not relapse into those sins which he now penitential the deplores.
Pastors should also take care that the
faithful be excited to a supreme hatred of sin, both because its turpitude and
baseness are very great and because it brings us the gravest losses and
misfortunes. For sin deprives us of the friendship of God, to whom we are
indebted for so many invaluable blessings, and from whom we might have expected
and received gifts of still higher value; and along with it consigns us to
eternal death and to torments unending and most severe.
The Second Part of Penance
CONFESSION
Having
said so much on contrition, we now come to confession, which is another part of
Penance. The care and exactness which
its exposition demands of pastors must be at once obvious, if we only reflect
that most holy persons are firmly persuaded that whenever of piety, of
holiness, of religion, has been preserved to our times in the Church, through
God's goodness, must be ascribed in great measure to confession. It cannot, therefore, be a matter of surprise
that the enemy of the human race, in his efforts to destroy utterly the
Catholic Church, should, through the agency of the ministers of his wicked
designs, have assailed with all his might this bulwark, as it were, of
Christian virtue. It should be shown,
therefore, in the first place that the institution of confession is most useful
and even necessary to us.
Contrition,
it is true, blots out sin; but who does not know that to effect this it must be
so intense, so ardent, so vehement, as to bear in proportion to the magnitude
of the crimes which it effaces? This is a degree of contrition which few reach;
and hence, in this way, very few indeed could hope to obtain the pardon of
their sins. It, therefore, became
necessary that the most merciful Lord should provide by some easier means for
the common salvation of men; and this He has done in His admirable wisdom, by
giving to His Church the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
According
to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, a doctrine firmly to be believed and
constantly professed by all, if the sinner have a sincere sorrow for his sins
and a firm resolution of avoiding them in the future, although he bring not
with him that contrition which may be sufficient of itself to obtain pardon,
all his sins are forgiven and remitted through the power of the keys, when he
confesses them properly to the priest.
Justly, then, do those most holy men, our Fathers, proclaim that by the
keys of the Church the gate of heaven is thrown open, a truth which no one can
doubt since the Council of Florence has decreed that the effect of Penance is
absolution from sin. 66 {q}
To
appreciate further the great advantages of confession we may turn to a fact
taught by experience. To those who have
led immoral lives nothing is found so useful towards a reformation of morals as
sometimes to disclose their secret thoughts, all their words and actions, to a
prudent and faithful friend, who can assist them by his advice and
cooperation. For the same reason it
must prove most salutary to those whose minds are agitated by the consciousness
of guilt to make known the diseases and wounds of their souls to the priest, as
the vicegerent of Christ our Lord, bound to eternal secrecy by the strictest of
laws. ( In the Sacrament of Penance)
they will find immediate remedies, the healing qualities of which will
not only remove the present malady, but will also have such a heavenly efficacy
in preparing the soul against an easy relapse into the same kind of disease and
infirmity. Another advantage of
confession, which should not be overlooked, is that it contributes powerfully
to the preservation of social order.
Abolish sacramental confession, and that moment you deluge society with
all sort of secret and heinous crimes-crimes too, and others of still greater
enormity, which men, once they have been depraved by vicious habits, will not
dread to commit in open day. The
salutary shame that attends confession restrains licentiousness, bridles desire
and checks wickedness. {r}
Having
explained the advantages of confession, pastors should next unfold its nature
and efficacy. Confession, then, is
defined: A sacramental accusation of one’s sins, made to obtain pardon by
virtue of the keys. It is rightly called an accusation,
because sins are not to be told as if the sinner boasted of his crimes, as they
do who are glad when they have done evil; 67 nor are
they to be related as stories told for the sake of amusing idle listeners. They are to be confessed as matters of self
accusation, with a desire, as it were, to avenge them on ourselves.
We
confess our sins with a view to obtain pardon. In this respect the tribunal of penance differs from other
tribunals, which take cognizance of capital offenses, and before which a
confession of guilt does not secure acquittal and pardon, but penalty and
punishment. The definition of
confession by the holy Fathers, although different in words, is substantially
the same. Confession, says St.
Augustine, is the disclosure of a secret disease, with the hope of
obtaining pardon; 68 and St. Gregory: Confession
is a detestation of sins. 69 Both of these
definitions accord with, and are contained in the preceding definition. {s}
In
with the next place, it is a duty of greatest moment that pastors should
unhesitatingly teach that this Sacrament owes its institution to the singular goodness
and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has ordered all things well, and solely
with a view to our salvation.
After
His Resurrection He breathed on the Apostles, assembled together, saying: Receive
ye the Holy Ghost, whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven; and whose
sins you shall retain, they are retained. 70 Now in giving to priests the power to
retain and forgive sins, it is evident that our Lord made them also judges in
this matter.
Our Lord seems to have signified the same thing
when, having raised Lazarus from the dead, He commanded His Apostles to lose
him from the bands in which he was bound. 71 This is the interpretation of St.
Augustine. The priests, he says,
can now do more: they can exercise greater clemency towards those who
confess, and whose sins they forgive.
The Lord, in giving over Lazarus, whom He had already raised from the
dead, to be loosed by the hands of His disciples, wished us to understand that
to priests was given the power of loosing. 72
To this also refers the command giving by
our Lord to the lepers cured on the way, that they show themselves to the
priests, and subject themselves to their judgment. 73 Invested, then, as they are, by our Lord
with power to remit and retain sins, priests are evidently appointed judges of
the matter on which they are to pronounce; and since, according to the wise
remark of the Council of Trent, we cannot form and accurate judgment on any
matter, or award to crime a just proportion of punishment without having previously
examined and made ourselves well acquainted with the case, it follows that the
penitent is obliged to make known to the priests, through the medium of
confession, each and every sin. 74
This doctrine the pastors should teach as
defined by at the holy Council of Trent, and handed down by the uniform
doctrine of the Catholic Church. An
attentive perusal of the Fathers will present passages throughout their works,
proving in the clearest terms that this Sacrament was instituted by our Lord,
and that the law of Sacramental confession, which, from the Greek, they call exomologesis,
and exagoreusis, is to be received as true Gospel teaching.
If we seek figures in the Old Testament, the
different kinds of sacrifices which were offered by the priests for the
expiation of different sorts of sins, seem, beyond all doubt, to have reference
to confession of sins.
Not only are the faithful to be taught that
confession was instituted by our Lord.
They are also to be reminded that, by authority of the Church, certain
rights and solemn ceremonies have been added which, although not essential to
the Sacrament, serve to place its dignity more fully before the eyes of the
penitent, and to prepare his soul, so that, kindled with devotion, he may more
easily receive the grace of God. When,
with uncovered head and bended knees, with eyes fixed on the earth and hands
raised in supplication, and with other indications of Christian humility not
essential to the Sacrament, we confess our sins, our minds are thus deeply
impressed with a clear conviction of the heavenly virtue of the Sacrament, and
also of the necessity of most earnestly beseeching and imploring the mercy of
God.
Nor
let it be supposed that, although confession was instituted by our Lord, He did
not declare its use to be necessary.
The faithful must be impressed with the conviction that he who is dead
in sin is to be recalled to spiritual life by means of sacramental confession.
Proof
Of The Obligation
This
truth is clearly conveyed by our Lord Himself, when, by a most beautiful
metaphor, He calls the power of administering this Sacrament, the key of the
kingdom of heaven. 75 Just as no one can enter any place without
the help of him who has the keys, so no one is admitted to heaven unless its
gates be unlocked by the priests to whose custody the Lord gave the keys. This power would otherwise be of no use in
the Church. If heaven can be entered
without the power of the keys, in vain would they to whom the keys were given
seek to prevent entrance within its portals.
This
thought was familiar to the mind of St. Augustine. Let no man, he says, say within himself: “ I repent in
secret to the Lord. God, who has power
to pardon me, knows the inmost sentiments of my heart. " Was there, then, no reason for saying
" whatsoever you lose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven"; 76 no
reason why the keys were given to the Church of God? 77 The same doctrine
is taught by St. Ambrose in his treaties On Penance, when refuting the
heresy of the Novatians who asserted that the power of forgiving sins belonged
solely to God. {t} Who, says he, yields greater
reverence to God, he who obeys or he who resists His commands? God commands us
to obey His ministers; and by obeying them, we honor God alone. 78
The Age At Which The
Law Of Confession Obliges
As
the law of the confession was no doubt enacted and established by our Lord
Himself, it is our duty to ascertain, on whom, at what age, and at what period
of the year, it becomes obligatory.
According to the canon of the Council of Lateran, which begins: Omnis
utriusque sexus, no person is bound by the law of confession until he has
arrived at the use of reason,- a time determinable by no fixed number of years.
79 It
may, however, be laid down as a general principle, that children are bound to
go to confession as soon as they are able to discern good from evil, and are
capable of malice; for, when a person has arrived at an age when he must begin
to attend to the work of his salvation, he is bound to confess his sins to a
priest, since there is no other salvation for one whose conscience is burdened
with sin.
At What Time The Law Of
Confession Obliges
In
the same canon holy Church has defined the period within which we are
especially bound to discharge the duties of confession. It commands all the faithful to confess
their sins at least once a year. If,
however, we consult our eternal interest, we will certainly not neglect to have
recourse to confession as often, at least, as we are in danger of death, or
undertake to perform any act incompatible with the state of sin, such as to
administer or receive the Sacraments.
The same rule should be strictly followed when we are apprehensive of
forgetting some sin, into which we may have fallen; for we cannot confess sins
unless we remember them, neither do we obtain pardon unless our sins are
blotted out through Sacramental confession.
{u}
But
since in confession many things are to be observed, some of which are
essential, some not essential to the Sacrament, all these matters should be
carefully treated. Access can easily be
had to works and treaties from which an explanation of all these things can be
drawn.
Pastors
should teach, first of all, that care must be exercised that confession be
complete and entire. All mortal sins
must be revealed to the priest. Venial
sins, which do not separate us from the grace of God, and into which we
frequently fall, although they may be usefully confessed, as the experience of
the pious proves, may be omitted without sin, and expiated by a variety of
other means. Mortal sins, as we have
already said, are all to be confessed, even though they be most secret, or be
opposed only to the last two Commandments of the Decalogue. Such secret sins often inflict deeper wounds
on the soul than those which are committed openly and publicly.
So
the Council of Trent 80 has defined, and such has been the
constant teaching of the Church, as the Fathers declare. St. Ambrose's speaks thus: Without the
confession of his sin, no man can be justified from his sin. 81 In
confirmation of the same doctrine, St. Jerome, on Ecclesiastes, says: If the serpent, the devil, has secretly
and without the knowledge of a third person, bitten anyone, and has infused
into him the poison of sin; if unwilling to disclose his wound to his brother
or master, he is silent and will not do penance, his master, who has a tongue ready to cure him, can render him no
service. 82 The same doctrine we find in St. Cyprian, in his sermon On
the Fallen. Although guiltless, he
says, of the heinous crime of sacrificing to idols, or of having purchased
certificates to that effect; yet, as they entertained the thought of doing so,
they should confess it with grief to the priests of God. If fine, such is unanimous voice and
teaching of all the Doctors of the Church.
In
confession we should employ all that care and exactness which we usually bestow
upon worldly concerns of great moment, and all our efforts should be directed
to the cure of our souls wounds and to the destruction of the roots of sin. We should not be satisfied with the bare
enumeration of our mortal sins, but should mention such circumstances as
considerably aggravate or extenuate their malice. Some circumstances are so serious as of themselves to constitute
mortal guilt. On no account what ever,
therefore, are such circumstances to be omitted. Thus if one man has killed another, he must state whether his
victim was a layman or an ecclesiastic. Or, if he has had sinful relations with
a woman, he must state whether the female was unmarried or married, a relative
or a person consecrated to God by vow.
These circumstances change the nature of the sins; so that the first
kind of unlawful intercourse is called by theologians simple fornication, the
second adultery, the third incest, and the fourth sacrilege. Again, theft is numbered in the catalogue of
sins. But if a person has stolen one
golden coin, his sin is less grievous than if he had stolen a hundred or two
hundred, or an immense sum; and if the stolen money belonged to the Church, the
sin would be still more grievous. The
same rule applies to the circumstances of time and place, but the examples are
too well-known from many books to require mention here. Circumstances such as these are, therefore,
to be mentioned; but those which do not considerably aggravate the malice of
the sin may be lawfully omitted.
So
important is it that confession be entire that if the penitent confesses only
some of his sins and willfully neglects to accuse himself of others which should
be confessed, he not only does not profit by his confession, but involves
himself in new guilt. Such an
enumeration of sins cannot be called sacramental confession; on the contrary,
the penitent must repeat his confession, not omitting to accuse himself of
having, under the semblance of confession, profaned the sanctity of the
Sacrament.
But
should the confession seem defective, either because the penitent forgot some
grievous sins, or because, although intent on confessing all his sins, he did
not examine the recesses of his conscience with sufficient accuracy, he is not
bound to repeat his confession. It will
be sufficient, when he recollects the sins which he had forgotten, to confess them
to a priest on a future occasion.
It
should be noted, however, that we are not to examine our consciences with
careless indifference, or to be so negligent in recalling our sins as to seem
as if unwilling to remember them.
Should this have been the case, the confession must by all means be made
over again.
Confession
Should Be Plain, Simple, Sincere
In
the second place our confession should be plain, simple and undisguised; not
artfully made, as is the case with some who seem more intent on defending
themselves than on confessing their sins.
Our confession should be such as to disclose to the priest a true image
of our lives, such as we ourselves know them to be, exhibiting as doubtful that
which is doubtful, and as certain that which is certain. If, then, we neglect to enumerate our sins,
or introduce extraneous matter, our confession, it is clear, lacks this
quality.
Prudence
and modesty in explaining matters of confession are also much to be commended,
and a superfluity of words is to be carefully avoided. Whatever is necessary to make known the
nature of every sin is to be explained briefly and modestly.
Confession
Should Be Made Privately And Often
Secrecy
as regards confession should be strictly observed, as well by the penitent as
by the priest. Hence, no one can, on
any account, confess by messenger or letter, because in those cases secrecy
would not be possible.
The
faithful should be careful above all to cleanse their consciences from sin by
frequent confession. When a person is
in mortal sin nothing can be more salutary, so precarious is human life, than
to have immediate recourse to confession.
But even if we could promise ourselves a long life, yet it would be
truly disgraceful that we who are so particular in whatever relates to
cleanliness of dress or person, were not at least equally careful in preserving
the luster of the soul unsullied from the foul stains of sin. {v}
The Minister of the Sacrament of Penance
The
Usual Minister
We
now come to treat of the minister of this Sacrament. That the minister of the Sacrament of Penance must be a priest
possessing ordinary or delegated jurisdiction the laws of the Church
sufficiently declare. Whoever
discharges this sacred functions must be invested not only with the power of
orders, but also with that of jurisdiction.
Of this ministry we have an illustrious proof in these words of our
Lord, recorded by St. John: Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven
them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained, 83 words addressed not to all, but to the Apostles
only, to whom, in this function of the ministry, priests succeed.
This
is also most fitting, for as all the grace imparted by this Sacrament is
communicated from Christ the Head to His members, they who alone have power to
consecrate His true body should alone have power to administer this Sacrament
to His mystical body, the faithful, particularly as these are qualified and
disposed by means of the Sacrament of Penance to receive the Holy Eucharist.
Thus
scrupulous care which in the primitive ages of the Church guarded the right of
the ordinary priest is easily seen from the ancient decrees of the Fathers,
which provided that no Bishop or priest, except in case of great necessity,
presume to exercise any function in the parish of another without the authority
of him who governed there. This law
derives its sanction from the Apostle when he commanded Titus to ordain priests
in every city, 84 to administer to the faithful
the heavenly food of doctrine and of the Sacraments.
In
order that none may perish, if there is imminent danger of death, and recourse cannot
be had to the proper priest, the Council of Trent teaches that according to the
ancient practice of the Church of God it is then lawful for any priest, not
only to remit all kinds of sin, whatever faculties they might otherwise
require, but also to absolve from excommunication. 85
Besides
the powers of orders and of jurisdiction, which are of absolute necessity, the
minister of this Sacrament, holding as he does the place at once of judge and
physician, should be gifted not only with knowledge and erudition, but also
with prudence.
As
judge, his knowledge, it is evident, should be more than ordinary, for by it he
is to examine into the nature of sins, and among the various kinds of sins to
judge which are grievous and which are not, keeping in view the rank and
condition of the person.
As
physician he has also occasion for consummate prudence for to him it belongs to
administer to the diseased soul those healing medicines which will not only
effect the cure, but prove suitable preservatives against its future contagion.
The
faithful, therefore, will see the great care that each one should take in
selecting (as confessor) a priest, who
is recommended by integrity of life, by learning and prudence, who is deeply
impressed with the awful weight and responsibility of the station which he
holds, who understands well the punishment due to every sin, and can also
discern who are to be loosed and who to be bound.
Since
each one is most anxious that his sins and defilements should be buried in
oblivion, the faithful are to be admonished that there is no reason whatever to
apprehend that what is made known in confession will ever be revealed by the
priest to anyone, or that by it the penitent can at any time be brought into
danger of any sort. The laws of the
Church threaten the severest penalties against any priest who would fail to
observe a perpetual and religious silence concerning all the sins confessed to
them. 86
Let the priest, says the Great Council of Lateran, {w} take
special care, neither by word or sign, nor by any other means whatever, to
betray in the least degree the sinner. 87 {x}
Duties of the
Confessor towards Various Classes of Penitents
Having
treated of the minister of this Sacrament, the order of our matter requires
that we next proceed to explain some general heads which are of considerable
importance with regard to the use and practice of confession.
Many
of the faithful, to whom, as a rule, no time seems to pass so slowly as that
which is appointed by the laws of the Church for the duty of confession, are so
removed from Christian perfection that, far from bestowing attention on those
other matters which are obviously most efficacious in conciliating the favor
and friendship of God, they do not even try to remember the sins that are to be
confessed to the priest. Since,
therefore, nothing is to be omitted which can assist the faithful in the
important work of salvation, the priest should be careful to observe if the
penitent be truly contrite for his sins, and deliberately and firmly resolved
to avoid sin for the future.
If
the sinner is found to be thus disposed, he is to be admonished and earnestly
exhorted to pour out his heart in gratitude to God for so great and so singular
a blessing, and to supplicate unceasingly the aid of divine grace, shielded by
which he may securely combat his evil propensities.
He
should also be taught not to suffer a day to pass without devoting a portion of
it to meditation on some mystery of the Passion of our Lord, and to exciting
and inflaming himself to the imitation and most ardent love of his Redeemer. The fruit of such meditation will be to
fortify him more and more every day against all the assaults of the devil. For what other reason is there why our
courage sinks and our strength fails the moment the enemy makes even the
slightest attack on us, but that we neglect by pious meditation to kindled
within us the fire of divine love, which animates and invigorates the soul?
But
should the priest perceive that the penitent is not truly contrite, he will endeavor
to inspire him with an anxious desire for contrition, inflamed by which he may
resolve to ask and implore this heavenly gift from the mercy of God.
The
pride of some who seek by vain excuses to justify or extenuate their offences
is carefully to be repressed. If, for
instance, a penitent confesses that he was wrought up to anger, and immediately
transfers the blame of the excitement to another, who, he complains, was the
aggressor, he is to be reminded that such apologies are indications of a proud
spirit, and of a man who either things lightly of, or is unacquainted with the
enormity of his sin, while they serve rather to aggravate then to extenuate his
guilt. He who thus labors to justify
his conduct seems to say that then only will he exercise patience, when no one
injures him - a disposition than which nothing can be more unworthy of a
Christian. Instead of lamenting the
state of him who inflicted the injury he disregards the grievousness of the
sin, and is angry with his brother.
Having had an opportunity of honoring God by his exemplary patience, and
of correcting a brother by his meekness, he turns the very means of salvation
to his own destruction.
Still
more pernicious is the fault of those who, yielding to a foolish bashfulness,
cannot induce themselves to confess their sins. Such persons are to be encouraged by exhortation, and are to be
reminded that there is no reason whatever why they should fear to disclose
their sins, that to no one can it appear surprising if person's fall into sin,
the common malady of the human race and the natural consequence of human
infirmity.
There
are others who, either because they seldom confess their sins, or because they
have bestowed no care or attention on the examination of their consciences, do
not know well how to begin or end their confession. Such persons deserve to be severely rebuked, and are to be taught
that before anyone approaches the tribunal of Penance he should employ every
diligence to excite himself to contrition for his sins, and that this he cannot
do without endeavoring to know and recollect them severally.
The
Unprepared Should Be Dismissed Or Led To Good Disposition
Should
the confessor meet persons of this class entirely unprepared, he should dismiss
them without harshness, exhorting them in the kindest terms to take some time
to reflect on their sins, and then return; but should they declare that they
have already done everything in their power to prepare, and there is reason to
apprehend that if sent away they may not return, their confession is to be
heard, particularly if they manifest some disposition to amend their lives and
can be induced to accuse their own negligence and promise to atone for it at
another time by a diligent and accurate scrutiny of conscience. In such cases however, the confessor should
proceed with caution. If, after having
heard the confession, he is of the opinion that the penitent did not entirely
lack diligence in examining his conscience or sorrow in detesting his sins, he
may absolve him; but if he has found him deficient in both, he should, as we
have already said, admonish him, to use greater care in his examination of
conscience, and dismiss him as kindly as he can.
But
as it sometimes happens that females, who may have forgotten some sin in a
former confession, cannot bring themselves to return to the confessor, dreading
to expose themselves before the people to the suspicion of having been guilty
of something grievous or of looking for the praise of extraordinary piety, the
pastor should frequently remind the faithful, both publicly and privately, that
no one is gifted with so tenacious a memory as to be able to recollect all his
thoughts, words and actions; that the faithful, therefore, should they call to
mind some sin which they had previously forgotten, should not be deterred from
returning to the priest. {y} These and
many other matters of the same nature demand the attention of priests in
confession.
THE THIRD PART OF PENANCE
Let
us now come to the third part of Penance, which is called satisfaction. We
shall begin by explaining its nature and efficacy, because the enemies of the
Catholic Church have on these subjects taken ample occasion to sow discord and
division, to the serious detriment of Christians.
General
Meaning Of The Word
"Satisfaction"
Satisfaction
is the full payment of a debt; for that is sufficient or satisfactory to which
nothing is wanting. Hence, when we
speak of reconciliation to favor, to satisfy means to do what is sufficient to
atone to the angered mind for an injury offered; and in this sense satisfaction
is nothing more than compensation for an injury done to another. But, to come to the object that now engages
us, theologians make use of the word satisfaction to signify the
compensation man makes, by offering to God some reparation for the sins he has
committed.
This sort of satisfaction, since it has several degrees,
can be understood in various senses.
The first and highest degree of satisfaction
is that by which whatever we owe to God on account of our sins is paid
abundantly, even though He should deal with us according to the strictest rigor
of His justice. This degree of
satisfaction appeases God and renders Him propitious to us; and it is a
satisfaction for which we are indebted to Christ our Lord alone, who paid the
price of our sins on the cross, and offered to God a superabundant
satisfaction. No created being could
have been of such worth as to deliver us from so heavy a debt. He is the propitiation for our sins,
says St. John, and not for ours only but also for those of the whole world.
88
This satisfaction, therefore, is full and superabundant, perfectly
adequate to the debt of all sins committed in this world. It gives to man's actions great worth before
God, and without it they would be deserving of no esteem whatever. This David seems to have had in view when,
having asked himself, what shall I render to the Lord, for all the things
that he hath rendered to me? 89 and finding nothing besides this
satisfaction, which he expressed by the word chalice, a worthy return for so
many and such great favors, he replied:
I will take the chalice of salvation, and I will call upon the name
of the Lord. 90
There
is another kind of satisfaction, which is called canonical, and is performed
within a certain fixed period of time.
Hence according to the most ancient practice of the Church, when penitents
are absolved from there sins, some penance is imposed the performance of which
is commonly called satisfaction.
By
the same name is called any sort of punishment endured for sin, although not
imposed by the priest, but spontaneously undertaken and performed by ourselves.
This
however, does not belong to Penance as a Sacrament. Only that satisfaction constitutes part of the Sacrament which,
as we have already said, is offered to God for sins at the command of the
priest. Furthermore, it must be
accompanied by a deliberate and firm purpose carefully to avoid sin for the
future.
For
to satisfy, as some define it, is to pay due honor to God: and this, it
is evident, no person can do, who is not entirely resolved to avoid sin. Again, to satisfy is to cut off all
occasions of sin, and to close every avenue against its suggestions. In accordance with this idea of satisfaction
some have defined it as a cleansing, which effaces whatever defilement may remain
in the soul from the stains of sin, and which exempts us from the temporal
chastisements due to sin. {z}
Such
being the nature of satisfaction, it will not be difficult to convince the faithful
of the necessity imposed on the penitent of performing works of
satisfaction. They are to be taught
that sin carries in its train two evils, the stain and the punishment. Whenever the stain is effaced, the
punishment of eternal death is forgiven with the guilt to which it was due;
yet, as the Council of Trent declares, the remains of sin and the temporal
punishment are not always remitted. 91
Of
this the Scriptures afford many conspicuous examples, such as are found in the
third chapter of Genesis, 92 in the twelfth and
twenty-second of numbers, 93 and in many other places. That of David, however, is the best known
and most striking. Although the Prophet
Nathan had announced to him: The Lord also hath taken away thy sin, thou
shalt not die, 94 yet David voluntarily subjected himself to the most severe
penance, imploring night and day the mercy of God in these words: Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and
cleanse me from my sin; for I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me.
95 thus did he beseech the Lord to pardon not
only the crime, but also the punishment due to it, and to restore him, cleansed
from the remains of sin, to his former state of purity and integrity. This he besought with most earnest
supplications, and yet the Lord punished his transgression with the loss of his
adulterous offspring, the rebellion and death of his beloved son Absalom, and
with the other chastisements and calamities with which he had previously
threatened him.
In
Exodus, too, we read that though the Lord yielded to the prayers of Moses and
spared the idolatrous Israelites, yet He threatened the enormity of their crime
with heavy chastisement, 96 and Moses himself
declared that the Lord would take severest vengeance on it, even to the third
and forth generations.
That
such was at all times the doctrine of the holy Fathers in the Catholic Church,
their own testimony most clearly proves.
{a1}
It
Is Required By God's Justice And Mercy
Why
in a Sacrament of Penance, as in that of Baptism, the punishment due to sin is
not entirely remitted is admirably explained in these words of the Council of
Trent: Divine justice seems to
require that they who through ignorance sinned before Baptism, should recover
the friendship of God in a different manner from those who, after they have
been freed from the thraldom of sin and the devil and have received the gifts
of the Holy Ghost, dread not knowingly to violate the temple of God and grieve
the Holy Spirit. It is also in keeping
with the divine mercy not to remit our sins without any satisfaction, lest,
taking occasion hence, and imagining our sins less grievous than they are, we
should become injurious, as it were, and contumelious to the Holy Ghost, and
should fall into greater enormities, treasuring up to ourselves wrath against
the day of wrath. These satisfactory
penances have, no doubt, great influence in recalling from and, as it were,
bridling against sin, and in rendering the sinner more vigilant and cautious
for the future. 97
Satisfaction Atones To
The Church
Furthermore
(these satisfactions) serve as testimonies of our sorrow for sin committed, and
thus atone to the Church which is grievously insulted by our crimes. God, says St. Augustine despises
not, a contrite and humble heart; 98 but,
as heartfelt grief is generally concealed from others, and is not manifested by
words or other signs, wisely, therefore, are penitential times appointed by those
who preside over the Church, in order to atone to the Church, in which sins are
forgiven. 99
Besides, the example presented by our penitential practices
serves as a lesson to others, how to regulate their lives and practice
piety. Seeing the punishments inflicted
on sin, they must feel the necessity of using the greatest circumspection
through life, and of correcting their former habits.
The
Church, therefore, with great wisdom ordained that when anyone had committed a
public crime, a public penance should be imposed on him, in order that others,
being deterred by fear, might more carefully avoid sin in future. This has sometimes been observed even with
regard to secret sins of more than usual gravity.
But
with regard to public sinners, as we have already said, they were never
absolved until they had performed public penance. During the performance of this penance, the pastors poured out prayers
to God for their salvation, and ceased not to exhort the penitents to do the
same. In this respect, great was the
care and solicitude of St. Ambrose, of whom it is related that many who came to
the tribunal of Penance with hardened hearts were so softened by his tears as
to conceive the sorrow of true contrition. 100 But in process of time the severity of
ancient discipline was so relaxed and charity grew so cold, that in our days
many of the faithful think in ward sorrow of soul and grief of heart
unnecessary for obtaining pardon, imagining that a mere appearance of sorrows
is sufficient.
Again,
by undergoing these penances we are made like unto Jesus Christ our Head,
inasmuch as He Himself suffered and was tempted. 101 As St. Bernard observes, nothing can
appear so unseemly as a delicate member under a head crowned with thorns. 102 To use
the words of the Apostle: We are
joint-heirs with Christ, yet so if we suffer with him; 103 and again, if we be dead with him, we shall
live also with him; if we suffer, we shall also reign with him. 104
St.
Bernard also observes that sin produces two effects: a stain on the soul and a
wound; that the stain is removed through the mercy of God, while to heal the
wound inflicted by sin the remedy of penance is most necessary. When a wound
has been healed, some scars remain which demand attention; likewise with regard
to the soul, after the guilt of sin is forgiven, some of its effects remain,
from which the soul requires to be cleansed.
St.
Chrysostom fully confirms the same doctrine when he says: It is not enough
that the arrow has been extracted from the body; the wound which it inflicted
must also be healed. So with regard to
the soul, it is not enough that sin has been pardoned; the wound which it has
left must also be healed by penance.105
St.
Augustine also frequently teaches that penance exhibits at once the mercy and
the Justice of God,- His mercy by which He pardons sin and the eternal
punishment due to sin; His justice by
which He exacts temporary punishment
from the sinner. 106
Finally,
the punishment which the sinner endures disarms the vengeance of God and averts
the punishments decreed against us.
Thus the Apostle says: If we would judge ourselves, we should not be
judged; but whilst we are judged, we are chastised by the Lord, that we be not
condemned with this world. 107 If all this is explained to the faithful, it
must have great influence in exciting them to perform works of penance.
Of
the great efficacy of penance we may form some idea, if we reflect that it
arises entirely from the merits of the Passion of Christ our Lord. It is His Passion that imparts to our good
actions the greatest advantages: the first, that we may merit the rewards of
eternal glory, so that a cup of cold water given in His name shall not be
without its reward; 108 the second, that we may be able to satisfy
for our sins.
Nor
does this lessen the most perfect and superabundant satisfaction of Christ our
Lord, but, on the contrary, renders it still more conspicuous an
illustrious. For the grace of Christ is
seen to abound more,
inasmuch as it communicates to us not only what He
merited and paid of Himself alone, but also what as Head, He merited and paid
in His members, that is, in holy and just men.
Hence it can be seen how such great weight and dignity belong to the
good actions of the pious. For Christ
our Lord continually infuses His grace into the devout soul united to Him by
charity, as the Head to the members, or as the vine through the branches. This grace always precedes, accompanies and
follows our good works, and without it we can have no merit, nor can we at all
satisfy God.
Hence
it is that nothing seems wanting to the just.
Through their works done by the power of God, they are able, on the one
hand, to satisfy God's law, and far as their human and mortal condition will
allow; and, on the other hand, they can merit eternal life, to the fruition of
which they will be admitted if they die in the state of God's grace. Well known are the words of the
Saviour: He that shall drink of the
water that I will give him, shall not thirst for ever; but the water that I
will give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into life
everlasting. 109
In
satisfaction two things are particularly required: the one, that he who
satisfies be in a state of grace, the friend of God, since works done without
faith and charity cannot be acceptable to God; the other, that the works
performed be such as are of their own nature painful or laborious. They are a compensation for past sins, and,
to use the words of the holy martyr, Cyprian, the redeemers, as it were, of
past sins, 110 and must, therefore, in some way be disagreeable.
It
does not, however, always follow that they are painful or laborious to those
who undergo them. The influence of
habit, or the intensity of divine love, frequently renders the soul insensible
to things the most difficult. Such
works, however, do not therefore cease to be satisfactory. It is the privilege of the children of God
to be so inflamed with His love, that while undergoing the most cruel tortures,
they art either almost insensible to them, or bear them all with the greatest
joy. {b1}
Works
Of Satisfaction Are Of Three Kinds
Pastors
should teach that all kinds of satisfaction are reducible to three heads:
prayer, fasting and almsdeeds, which correspond to three kinds of goods which
we have received from God, those of the soul, those of the body and what are
called external goods.
Nothing can be more effectual in uprooting
all sin from the soul than these three kinds of satisfaction. For since whatever is in the world is the
concupiscence of the flesh the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life,
111 everyone
can see that to these three causes of disease are opposed also three
remedies. To the first is opposed
fasting; to the second, almsdeeds; to the third, prayer.
Moreover
if we consider those whom our sins injure, we shall easily perceive why all kinds
of satisfaction are reduced especially to these three. For those (we offend by our sins) are: God,
our neighbor and ourselves. God we
appease by prayer, our neighbor we satisfy by alms, and ourselves we chastise
by fasting.
As
this life is checkered by many and various afflictions, the faithful are to be
particularly reminded that those who patiently bear all the trials and
afflictions coming from the hand of God acquire abundant satisfaction and
merit; whereas those who suffer with reluctance and impatience deprive
themselves of all the fruits of satisfaction, merely enduring the punishment
which the just judgment of God inflicts upon their sins. {c1}
In
this the supreme mercy and goodness of God deserve our grateful acknowledgment
and praise, that He has granted to our frailty the privilege that one may
satisfy for another. This, however, is
a privilege which is confined to the satisfactory part of Penance alone. As regards contrition and confession, no one
is able to be contrite for another; but those who are in the state of grace may
pay for others what is due to God, and thus we may be said in some measure to
bear each other's burdens. 112
This
is a doctrine on which the faithful cannot for a moment entertain a doubt,
since we profess in the Apostles Creed our belief in the Communion of
Saints. For since we are all reborn to
Christ in the same cleansing waters of Baptism and are partakers of the same
Sacraments, and, above all, are nourished with the same body and blood of
Christ our Lord, as our food and drink, we are all, it is manifest, members of
the same body. As then the foot does not perform its functions
solely for itself, but also for the sake of the eyes, and as the eyes see not
only for their own sake, but for the general good of all the members, so also
works of satisfaction must be considered common to us all.
This,
however, is not true in reference to all the advantages to be derived from
satisfaction. For works of satisfaction
are also medicinal, and are so many remedies prescribed to the penitent to heal
the depraved affections of the soul. It
is clear that those who do not satisfy for themselves can have no share in this
fruit of penance. {d1}
These
three parts of Penance, contrition, confession and satisfaction, should be
fully and clearly explained.
Above
all, priests should be very careful not to give absolution to any penitent,
whose confession they have heard, without obliging him to make full
satisfaction for any injury to his neighbor's goods or character for which he
seems responsible. No person is to be
absolved until he has first faithfully promised to restore all that belongs to
others.
But
as there are many who readily promise to comply with their duty in this
respect, yet are deliberately determined never to fulfill their promises, these
persons should be obliged to make restitution, and the words of the Apostle are
to be frequently pressed upon their minds: He that stole, let him now steal
no more; but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is
good, that he may have something to give to him that suffereth need. 113
In
imposing penance priests should do nothing arbitrarily, but should be guided
solely by justice, prudence and piety.
In order to show that they follow this rule, and also to impress more
deeply on the mind of the penitent the enormity of his sin, it will be useful
sometimes to remind him of the severe punishments inflicted by the ancient
penitential canons, as they are called, for certain sins. The nature of the sin, therefore, will
regulate the extent of the satisfaction.
No
satisfaction can be more salutary than to require of the penitent to devote,
for a certain number of days, some time to prayer, not omitting to pray to God
in behalf of all mankind, and particularly for those who have departed this
life in the Lord.
Penitents
should also be exhorted to undertake of their own accord the frequent
performance of the penances imposed by the confessor, and thus so to conduct
their lives that, having faithfully complied with everything which the
Sacrament of Penance demands, they may never cease earnestly to practice the
virtue of penance.
Public
Penances Should Sometimes Be Given
Should
it be deemed proper sometimes to visit public crimes with public penance, and
should the penitent express great reluctance of seek to escape from its
performance, he should not be listened to too readily, but should be persuaded
to embrace with cheerfulness and readiness that which will be so salutary to
himself into others.
These
things concerning the Sacrament of Penance and it's several parts should be
taught in such a manner as to enable the faithful not only to understand them
perfectly, but also, with the Lord's help, to resolve to put them in practice
piously and religiously.
Endnotes
for (The Sacrament of Penance)
1
Sess.
Vi. De Just. Cap. 14; Sess. Xiv. De Poenit. Cap. 3.
2
In
Isa. Iii.
3
2
Cor. vii. 10.
4
Heb.
xii. 17.
5
Gen.
vi. 6; 1 Kings xv. 11; Ps. cv. 45; Jer. xxvi. 3.
6
Gen.
vi. 6.
7
1
Kings xv. 11.
8
Prov.
Ii. 14.
9
Gen.
iv. 13.
10
Matt. xxvii. 3.
11
Jerem.
Lam. v. 21.
12
Heb. xi. 6.
13
Isa. xxvi. 17.
14
Matt.
iv. 17.
15
Ezech.
xviii. 21.
16
Ezech.
xxxiii. 11.
17
Ezech.
xviii. 21
18
Matt.
ix. 2.
19
Matt.
xvi. 19.
20
Matt.
xviii. 22.
21
Chrys.,
De Laps. Repar. Lib. 1. 5, Amb. De Poenit. Lib. 1. cc. 1, 2.
22
Sess.
Xiv. De Poenit. Cap. Iii. Can. 4.
23
Matt.
xviii. 18.
24
Lev.
xiii. 9.
25
Ep.
ad Demphilum.
26
Ezech.
xviii. 21, 22.
27
1
John i. 9.
28
1
John ii. 1, 2.
29
Serm.
Domini in Mont. Lib. 1. c. 44.
30
Luke
xiii. 3.
31
Lib.
1. Hom. 50.
32
Serm.
i. De Poenit.
33
Sess.
xiv. De Poenit. Cap. 4. can. 5; Sess. vi. xiv.
34
Ps.
vi. 7-9.
35
Isa.
xxxviii. 15.
36
Hom.
1.
37
Ps.
xii. 2.
38
Matt.
xi. 21.
39
Joel
ii. 12.
40
Deut.
vi. 5.
41
Joel
ii. 12.
42
Matt
x. 37.
43
Matt.
xvi. 25.
44
Lib.
De Diligendo Deo, cap. 1. 47.
45
Deut.
iv. 29.
46
Jer.
xxix. 13.
47
Ser.
xii. De Sanctis.
48
Matt.
xi. 21.
49
Jonas
iii. 3.
50
Ps.
vi. 1.
51
Luke
vii. 37, 48, 51.
52
Luke
xxii. 62.
53
Isa.
xxxviii. 15.
54
Ezech.
xviii. 21.
55
Lib.
De Vera et Falsa Relig. cap. 14.
56
Ezech.
xxxiii. 12.
57
James
ii. 10.
58
Ezech.
xviii. 21, 22, 27, 30, 31
59
John
viii. 11.
60
John
v. 14.
61
Epist.
v. 4. ad Maced.
62
Matt.
vi. 14.
63
Ps.
1. 19.
64
Ps.
xxxi. 5.
65
Luke
xvii. 14.
66
In
decree of Eugene IV ; De Poenit. dist. vi. c. sacerdes
67
Prov.
ii. 14.
68
Serm.
iv. De Verbis Domini.
69
Hom.
xl. in Evang.
70
John
xx. 22, 23.
71
John
xi. 44.
72
De
Vera et Falsa Poenit. c. 16; Serm. viii. De Verbis Domini.
73
Luke
xvii 14.
74
Sess.
xiv. c. 5; can. 7. De Poenit.
75
Matt.
xvi. 19.
76
Lib.
1. Hom. 49.
77
Matt.
xviii. 18.
78
De
Poenit. lib. 1. cap. 2.
79
Fourth
Lateran Council, c. 22
80
Sess.
xiv. De Poenit. c. 5. et can. 7.
81
Lib.
De Paradiso, c. 14.
82
Cap.
20.
83
John
xx. 23.
84
Tit.
i. 5.
85
Sess.
xiv. c. 6. De Poenit.; Code of Canon Law, canon 882.
86
Leo,
Epist. 80.
87
Cap.
21.
88
1
John ii. 2.
89
Ps.
cxv. 12.
90
Ps.
cxv. 13.
91
Sess.
xiv. c. 8, can. 12 et 14.
92
Gen.
iii. 17.
93
Num.
xii. 14, 22, 33, 34
94
2
Kings xii. 13.
95
Ps.
1. 4, 5.
96
Exod.
xxxii. 8, 9.
97
Sess.
xiv. De Poenit. cap. 8.
98
Ps.
1. 19.
99
Ench.
c. 65.
100 Paulinus, Life of St. Ambrose.
101 Heb. ii. 17.
102 Serm. 5, De Omn. Sanct.
103 Rom. viii. 17.
104 2 Tim. ii. 11, 12.
105 Serm. 1, in Coena Domini; Hom. 80, ad Pop. Antioch.
106 In Ps. l. at the words, “Ecce enim venit.”
107 1 Cor. xi. 31, 32
108 Matt. x. 40-42.
109 John iv. 14.
110 Lib. 1, Epist. 3, after the middle.
111 1 John ii. 16.
112 Gal. vi. 2.
113 Ephes. iv. 28.
a} On the necessity of the Sacrament of Penance
see Summa Theol. 3a. lxxxiv. 5. 6.
b} This was the teaching of Calvin (Inst. l.
iii. c. 3. n. 4).
c} Council of Trent, Sess. xiv. De Poenit. c .
3. can. 4.
d} On the virtue of repentance wee Summa
Theol. 3a. lxxxiv-lxxxix.
e} On the institution of the Sacrament of
Penance see Summa Theol. 3a. lxxxiv. 7
f} That Penance is a Sacrament is proved in
Summa Theol. 3a. lxxxiv. 1.
g} On the repetition of the Sacrament of
Penance see Summa Theol, 3a. lxxxiv. 10.
h} On the matter of Penance see Summa Theol.
3a. lxxxiv. 2; St. Alphonsus, Theol. Mor.
vi. 425-427.
i} On the form of Penance see Summa Theol.
3a. lxxxiv. 3; St Alphonsus. Theol. Mor.
vi. 428 ff.
j} On the rite of imposition of hands see
Summa Theol. lxxxiv. 4.
k} On the necessity of the Sacrament of
Penance see Summa Theol. 3a. lxxxiv. 5.
l} That the three parts of Penance are not
subjective, or potential, but integral parts see Summa Theol. 3a. xc. 3.
m} On the parts of Penance see Summa Theol.
3a. xc.
n} On the nature of contrition see Summa
Theol., Suppl. 1, 2; St Alphonsus,
Theol. Mor. vi. 434 ff.
o} On the qualities of contrition see Summa
Theol. Suppl. ii-iv.
p} On the effects of contrition see Summa
Theol. Suppl. v.
q} On the necessity of confession see Summa
Theol. Suppl. vi.
r} On the effects of confession see Summa
Theol. Suppl. x.
s} On the nature of confession see Summa
Theol. Suppl. vii.
t} This sect originated with Novatian about
the middle of the third century. They
were condemned by Pope Cornelius in the year 251. In the orient, however, the
sect survived until the sixth century.
u} On the obligation of confession see Summa
Theol. Suppl. vi; Code of Canon Law, canons 901 ff.
v} On the qualities of confession see Summa
Theol. Suppl. ix; St Alphonsus, Theol. Mor. vi. 465 ff.
w} The Fourth Lateran Council held in 1215
under Innocent III is generally cited in Canon Law as the “General Council of
Lateran” without further qualification;
or, again, as the “Great Council.”
x} On the seal of confession see Summa Theol.
Suppl. xi; St. Alphonsus, Theol. Mor. vi. 633 ff.; Code of Canon Law, canons 889
ff.
y} On the minister of confession see Summa
Theol. viii; St. Alphonsus, Theol. Mor.
vi. 539 ff.; Code of Canon Law, canons 871 ff.
z} On the nature of satisfaction see Summa
Theol. Suppl. xii; St. Alphonsus. Theol. Mor. vi. 506 ff.
a1} On the necessity of satisfaction see Code
of Canon Law, canon 887.
b1} On the conditions of satisfaction see
Summa Theol. Suppl. xiv.
c1} On the kinds of satisfactory works see
Summa Theol. Suppl. xv.
d1} On satisfaction performed for others see Summa
Theol. Suppl. xiii.