INDULGENCES IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH
Before addressing the question of indulgences directly, it is important to see them within the general plan of redemption. In this way we shall have a better grasp of their precise importance, and we shall see them in the context of Protestant errors and the influence of those errors on the Church since the Second Vatican Council. In fact, it is the failure to understand the following concepts that has led to what amounts to the suppression of indulgences by churchmen at the present time.
This does not mean that we shall conclude that the new code of indulgences is invalid; we shall observe, however, the considerable damage it has done to Catholic piety. We shall also examine the extent to which the former indulgeces can maintain a certain value.
SATISFACTION
The Concept
The term "satisfaction" comes from the two Latin words satis and facere, which means "to do enough." Roman Law used this word in the context of debts and offenses. To "satisfy" meant to "do enough" so that the creditor would agree to grant a remission of all or part of the debt, or so that the offended person would renounce the exaction of vengeance or the pursuit of punishment for the offense received. St. Thomas Aquinas sees in this satisfaction a kind of payment.1 In the Pater Noster, for instance, Our Lord says: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Nor is it necessary, either, that the payment should be complete, since it may be remitted in whole or in part in virtue of the debtor's attitude, intention or good will.
The Satisfaction Performed by Our Lord
The Testimony of St. Paul
Satisfaction is at the heart of Christianity, at the heart of the mystery of our redemption. Why did Our Lord come to this earth of ours? St. Thomas replies: "Everywhere in the Sacred Scripture the sin of the first man is assigned as the reason of the Incarnation."2 "It is certain that Christ came into this world not only to take away that sin which is handed on originally to posterity, but also in order to take away all sins subsequently added to it....He offered what was sufficient for blotting out all sins."3 The Apostle Paul says the same thing very clearly:
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption ....Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant....He has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself... Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings thou hast not desired, but a body hast thou prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings thou hast taken no pleasure. Then I said, 'Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God.'"4 (Heb. 9:11-12, 15, 26; 10:5-7)
For there is one God and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was borne at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. (I Tim. 2:5)
The Order of Nature and of Supernature Restored by Our Lord
Before proceeding further and entering into the theological argument, it is important to remind the reader that when we speak of God we do so by analogy.
Let us explain: the words which we use express concepts that are drawn from creatures, and to that extent they are limited. They cannot, therefore, totally encompass the divine mystery. For example, from a certain point of view, divine justice and human justice mean the same thing: a debt exists that has to be canceled. But from other points of view it must be said that divine justice totally transcends human justice:
It is also due to a created thing that it should possess what is ordered to it5; thus it is due to man to have hands....Thus also God exercises justice, when He gives to each thing what is due to it by its nature and condition... .And although God in this way pays each thing its due, yet He Himself is not the debtor....6
It follows that the offense caused to God by sin, like the satisfaction performed by Our Lord, cannot be conceived according our human criteria alone. Let us examine this in more detail:
God is not Himself injured by sin, for He is impassible and immovable. Yet, when the sinner refuses to be subordinate to God–the supreme principle of the universe–the whole order of nature and supernature is attacked, and this fault is of infinite gravity "because of the infinity of the divine majesty."7
God, who is the supreme Judge, could have wiped out man's sin by a simple decree or by demanding a reparation proportionate to our powers.8 But, in order to cause His justice to shine forth in a pre-eminent way, He desired a satisfaction that would be adequate. However, "no man, in proportion to his powers (see footnote 9), could make reparation for a disorder of such a kind unless he were himself placed at the head of this order as its Alpha and Omega, i.e., unless he were the Incarnate Word."9
Being God, Our Lord offered His Father an infinite sacrifice which made superabundant reparation for all the crimes of the human race: "He is the propitiatory victim for our sins, and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world" (I Jn 2:2).10
On the one hand, since His humanity is united to a divine Person, Our Lord was able to offer this perfect reparation in the name of all men and in their place11: "Now a mere man could not have satisfied for the whole human race, and God was not bound to satisfy; hence it behoved Jesus Christ to be both God and man."12 And since, by baptism, Our Lord has made us members of His Mystical Body, of which He is the head, the satisfaction of His Passion profits us all, as St. Thomas Aquinas says: "The head and members are as one mystic person; and therefore Christ's satisfaction belongs to all the faithful as being His members."13
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; ... But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities .... All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Is. 53:4-6)
St. Thomas Aquinas gives us a magnificent synthesis of this mystery:
That man should be delivered by Christ's Passion was in keeping with both His mercy and His justice. With His justice, because by His Passion Christ made satisfaction for the sin of the human race; and so man was set free by Christ's justice: and with His mercy, for since man of himself could not satisfy for the sin of all human nature....God gave him His Son to satisfy for him, according to Rom. 3:24-25: Being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath proposed to be a propitiation, through faith in His blood. And this came of more copious mercy than if He had forgiven sins without satisfaction. Hence it is said (Eph. 1:4): God, who is rich in mercy, for His exceeding charity wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together in Christ.14
Before concluding this section we should not forget to mention that Our Lord has willed to associate His most holy Mother in the work of our redemption: "In uniting herself to the Passion and death of her Son, [Our Lady] underwent virtually mortal suffering. ..to appease divine justice, as Pope Benedict XV says; insofar as she was able, she immolated her Son. Thus we can say that, together with Him, she ransomed mankind."15 We know furthermore that, through her universal mediation, none of the graces that flow from the Passion is granted to us without Mary's intervention.16 In the words of St. Pius X, who here echoes the Church's entire Tradition:
This community of suffering and will between Mary and Christ promoted her to the high dignity of restorer of the lost world17 and thus the dispenser of all the good which Jesus won for us by His death and at the price of His blood. [... She is] the most powerful mediatrix and conciliator between the whole world and her only-begotten Son.18
We need to keep this doctrine in our minds as we peruse the following pages.
Our Lord's Satisfaction Applied to Our Souls
While Our Lord and Our Lady have made superabundant satisfaction for our sins, it does not follow that there is nothing left for us to do.
For Luther, since Jesus had satisfied the divine justice for all our sins, not only have we no further debt to pay, but there can be no doubt about our salvation provided that we believe we are saved. This error considerably reduces man's status; it hardly leaves any room for the cooperation of his intellect and free will in working towards his own salvation. However, let us hear the Council of Trent's admirable reply to the chief of heretics:
And it is in keeping with divine clemency that sins be not thus pardoned without satisfaction, lest seizing the occasion and considering sins as trivial and offering insult and affront to the Holy Spirit (Heb. 10:29), we should fall into graver ones, "treasuring up to ourselves wrath against the day of wrath" (Rom. 2:5; Jas. 5:3). For without doubt these satisfactions greatly restrain from sin, check penitents as it were with a bit and make them more cautious and vigilant in the future; they are also remedies19 for the remnants of sin and by acts of the opposite virtues destroy habits acquired by evil living. Neither was there ever in the Church of God any way held more certain to ward off impending chastisement by the Lord than that men perform with true sorrow of mind these works of penance. Add to this that while making satisfaction we suffer for our sins, we are made conformable to Christ Jesus who satisfied for our sins (Rom. 5:10; I Jn. 2:1), from whom is all our sufficiency (II Cor. 3:5), having thence a most certain pledge that "if we suffer with him, we shall also be glorified with him" (Rom. 8:17).20
Canon XIII solemnly affirms:
If anyone shall say that the satisfaction for sins, as to their temporal punishment, is in no way made to God through the merits of Christ by the punishments inflicted by him and patiently borne, or by those imposed by the priest, or even those voluntarily undertaken, as by fasts, prayers, almsgiving or other works of piety, and that therefore the best penance is merely a new life–anathema sit.21
This is the wise divine pedagogy, which is the pedagogy of a father. As St. Augustine said, "God, who created you without your cooperation, will not save you without your cooperation."
But how is the virtue of Our Lord's Passion communicated to our souls? "By faith and the sacraments," replies St. Thomas.22
Faith Is the Condition Sine Qua Non
If we are to profit from Christ's satisfaction, the first stage is faith.23 As St. Thomas says: "As the ancient Fathers were saved through faith in Christ's future coming, so are we saved through faith in Christ's past birth and Passion."24 The Council of Trent teaches that "faith is the beginning of human salvation, the foundation and root of all justification,25'without which it is impossible to please God' (Heb. 11:6) and to come to the fellowship of His sons."26 It is the first degree of union to Christ the Savior.27 But it does not suffice for salvation. The sacraments are also necessary.28
Satisfaction and Sacraments
St. Thomas Aquinas says that "the sacraments of the Church derive their power specially from Christ's Passion, the virtue of which is in a manner united to us by our receiving the sacraments,"29purifying us from sin and causing us to live the divine life: "Vidi aquam egredientem de Templo, a latere dextro, alleluia: et omnes ad quos pervenit aqua ista, salvifacti sunt et dicent: alleluia, alleluia:"30
Here we shall not speak of all the sacraments, but only of those that have a special relationship to the reparation of our sins.
Baptism
In his treatise on baptism, St. Thomas has some striking words, showing us that the communication with Christ on Calvary, effected by the sacraments, must be understood in an extremely realistic sense: "Since the pains of Christ's Passion are communicated to the person baptized, inasmuch as he is made a member of Christ, just as if he himself had borne those pains, his sins are set in order by the pains of Christ's Passion."31 In the case of an infant, it is original sin that is thus dealt with; for an adult being baptized, it is also all the sins, of whatever kind, he had committed prior to his baptism. Not only are the latter completely wiped out: the temporal punishment they had merited is remitted entirely.32 That is why it is pointless to impose works of satisfaction on sinners who are receiving baptism. "In baptism, the grace of God requires neither groanings nor lamentations, nor any other work," says St. Ambrose, "but only faith; and it grants a complete pardon."33 St. Thomas even says that to impose a penance on adults who are to be baptized "would be to dishonor the Passion and death of Christ, as being insufficient for the plenary satisfaction for the sins of those who were to be baptized."34
It should be added that, as regards satisfaction for our sins, martyrdom and perpetual religious profession have the same effect as water baptism: martyrdom, or baptism of blood, because "a man
may ... receive the sacramental effect from Christ's Passion, in so far as he is conformed to Christ by suffering for Him" (Summa Theologica, III, Q.66, Art. 11);—perpetual religious profession, because,
by entrance into religion a man obtains remission of all his sins. For if by giving alms35 a man may forthwith satisfy for his sins, according to Dan. 4:24, Redeem thou thy sins with alms, much more does it suffice to satisfy for all his sins that a man devote himself wholly to the divine service by entering religion, for this surpasses all manner of satisfaction, even that of public penance...just as a holocaust exceeds a sacrifice, as St. Gregory declares. Hence we read in the Lives of the Fathers (6:1) that by entering religion one receives the same grace as by being baptized.36 (ST, II-II, Q.189, Art.3, ad 3)
The Eucharist
It is the sacrament of the Eucharist which most strikingly manifests the link between the Passion and the Church's sacraments: "Since Christ's body and blood are a perfect representation37 of the Son of God immolated on Calvary, they thus guarantee the soul the most direct and most complete contact with the entire salvific virtue of Golgotha."38 Let us quote St. Thomas Aquinas again: "The Eucharist is the perfect sacrament of Our Lord's Passion, as containing Christ crucified,"39 and "man is made perfect in union with Christ Who suffered."40
If we are to understand the Eucharist's effects with regard to the punishment due to our sins, we must consider that it is "both a sacrifice and a sacrament; it has the nature of a sacrifice41 inasmuch as it is offered up; and it has the nature of a sacrament inasmuch as it is received."42 As a sacrifice, it has power to make satisfaction for our sins, depending on the fervor with which we assist at Mass. As a sacrament, however, its direct and first effect is to produce in us a kind of spiritual repast or nourishment. Here it makes reparation only indirectly as to the punishment due to our sins, by augmenting charity in our soul, thereby helping us to make satisfaction more effectively.43
Through Baptism man is born into the Christian life; by Confirmation he grows up in it; by the Eucharist he holds on to it. Thus, once established in the Christian life, he is not meant to lose it again; these three sacraments should be enough to nourish man as a Christian. But since it is possible to lose this supernatural life through sin, it was necessary for two further sacraments to be instituted: one to restore this life when it is lost, and the other to re-establish it definitively before the passage to eternity. These two sacraments are called Penance and Extreme Unction.
Penance
As St. Jerome says, "The second plank [of salvation] after shipwreck is penance."44 If Our Lord instituted the sacrament of baptism primarily to deliver us from original sin,45 he instituted the sacrament of penance principally to destroy mortal sin.46 Whenever the sacrament is brought about–by the application of matter47 and form48 –its principal effect is obtained: sin is destroyed and man returns to the state of grace with God. However, contrary to baptism, the sacrament of penance does not, by its own efficacious power, remit all the temporal punishment merited by our sins. St. Thomas explains why:
In baptism man shares the power of Christ's Passion fully, since by water and the Spirit of Christ, he dies with Him to sin, and is born again in Him to a new life, so that, in baptism, man receives the remission of all debt of punishment. In penance, on the other hand, man shares in the power of Christ's Passion according to the measure of his own acts, which are the matter of penance,49 as water is of Baptism.50
Baptism acts of itself alone, independently of the subject receiving it, provided only that (in the case where an adult is being baptized) the latter does not put any obstacle in the way.51 In the sacrament of penance, on the other hand, the penitent's acts form part of the sacrament itself, actually constituting its quasi-"matter." This means that the sacrament operates to destroy the temporal punishment only in proportion to the fervor of these acts.
Why did Our Lord arrange things in this way? This question touches on a point of prime importance, and again it is St. Thomas who sets forth the principles of a reply: "In baptism man begins a new life, and by the baptismal water becomes a new man, as that no debt for previous sin52 remains in him. On the other hand, in penance, a man does not take on a new life, since therein he is not born again, but healed."53 The sacrament of penance is a remedy given to a sick man, and it is necessary, if the latter's health is to be restored, for him to cooperate in his convalescence. He must cooperate to such a degree that his own acts, i.e., his conversion, enter into the sacrament itself so as to constitute its "matter." Let us explain.
First of all, the penitent's first act is contrition. The word comes from the Latin conterere, which means "to break," showing that our heart must be broken for having offended God. Contrition is sorrow for having sinned, accompanied by a firm purpose of going to confession,54 making reparation for one's faults (satisfaction), and taking effective measures against falling into them again. Contrition is an act of the will: it is not necessarily something registered or supported by the senses. All the same, as St. Thomas observes, there may be some repercussion of contrition on the senses, and in that case it is a penance that suffices to efface both the sin and the punishment due.55
Secondly, however, confession (when we accuse ourselves of our faults) can also contribute to satisfaction. In itself it is something painful and humiliating which, when we do it humbly and courageously, without trying to make excuses, certainly does diminish our debts toward God.56 This is one reason why it may be advisable, in subsequent confessions, to re-accuse oneself of former sins that have already been pardoned.
Finally, the penitent's third act, sacramental satisfaction, is (as its name suggests) directly aimed at reparation for our sins. It is defined as "a compensation voluntarily undertaken by the penitent in view of the disorder caused by his sin." Such compensation consists in carrying out works (prayers or actions) given as a penance by the confessor; they should be regarded as a punishment inflicted on the will. As St. Thomas says,
It is just that he who has been too indulgent to his will, should suffer something (by way of reparation) against his will, for thus will equality be restored. Hence it is written (Apoc. 18:7): As much as she hath glorified herself, and lived in delicacies, so much torment and sorrow give ye to her.57
If these three acts (contrition, the accusation of our faults, and sacramental satisfaction) are performed with the greatest possible fervor, they can suffice, not only to make reparation for the sins, but also to remit all the punishment due to them. This was the case with St. Mary Magdalen when she "anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped them with her hair" (Jn. 12:3). St. Thomas says that this sincere confession established her in "perfect spiritual health."58 Alas, our fervor is not always as great as this. So we have to keep doing penance after our confessions in order to make reparation for our sins.
The rite by which the sacrament of penance is administered is a clear invitation to continue our works of satisfaction after we have received the sacramental pardon. The last prayer the priest pronounces over the penitent, which is a sacramental,59 says this:
May the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the merits of the blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints, whatever good thou shall have done and whatever evil thou shall have endured, avail thee for the forgiveness of sins, increase of grace and the reward of life everlasting. Amen.60
Extreme Unction
"Is any among you sick61? Let him call the priests of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (James 5:13-15).
The Council of Trent tells us that extreme unction is "the completion not only of penance but also of the whole Christian life, which ought to be a continual penance."62
St. Thomas explains this teaching:
But, since man, whether due to negligence, or to the changing occupations of life, or even to the shortness of time, or to something else of the sort, does not perfectly heal within himself the weaknesses mentioned, a healthful provision for him is made by this sacrament [extreme unction]: it completes the healing aforesaid, and it delivers him from the guilt of temporal punishment; as a result, nothing remains in him when the soul leaves the body which can obstruct the soul in the perception of glory.63
The principal, direct effect of extreme unction is to strengthen the soul, to heal it of the spiritual debility caused in it by sin, both actual and original,64such as bad habits, weakness of will, reluctance to make efforts, etc. The matter of the sacrament–olive oil–aptly manifests this effect of the sacrament: just as oil softens and fortifies things, extreme unction mollifies pains and gives strength to resist the devil,65 to overcome physical and moral sufferings and to unite them with those of Our Lord in His Passion, thereby meriting the remission of punishment due to sin.66 Peccati reliquias abstergit: this sacrament cleans away the consequences of sin.67 That is why it is important to administer this sacrament as soon as possible, as soon as there is danger of death. This will help the sick person to make satisfaction by enduring his sufferings, and so go to heaven very soon after his death. Extreme unction, therefore, is the sacrament of final configuration to Christ suffering and dying on the Cross in order to be raised in glory.
In addition to the sacraments, however, there is another way of profiting from the satisfaction made by Our Lord, namely, the works of satisfaction we can perform when united to Him in the state of grace.
Works of Satisfaction
The first condition for an action to contribute to reparation for our sins is that it must be performed in the state of grace.68 Indeed, how could God accept it if we were not in friendship with Him, if we were His enemies by mortal sin?
Charity, however, is not sufficient. It is also necessary that the action performed be penal,69 i.e., it should cause us some pain, some suffering, to compensate for the disordered and undue pleasure that led us into the bad action. "Some penal suffering is required for satisfaction, as a kind of compensation for the sin's delectation," says St.Thomas.70
The Catechism of the Council of Trent teaches that "all kinds of satisfaction are reducible to three heads: prayer, fasting, and alms deeds."71 St. Thomas substantiates this classification by three sorts of arguments, which are so admirable that we quote them here:
Satisfaction should be of such a nature as to involve something taken away from us for the honor of God. Now we have but three kinds of goods, bodily, spiritual and goods of fortune, or external goods. By alms deeds we deprive ourselves of some goods of fortune, and by fasting we retrench goods of the body. As to goods of the soul, there is no need to deprive ourselves of any of them, either in whole or in part, since thereby we become acceptable to God, but we should submit them entirely to God, which is done by prayer.
This number is shown to be suitable in so far as satisfaction uproots the causes of sin, for these are reckoned to be three,72viz. concupiscence of the flesh, concupiscence of the eyes, and pride of life, as Augustine says.73
This number is also shown to be suitable in so far as satisfaction does not open a way to the suggestions of sin, because every sin is committed either against God, and this is prevented by prayer, or against our neighbor, and this is remedied by alms deeds, or against ourselves, and this is forestalled by fasting.74
Here again we see the medicinal nature of satisfaction. That is why God, Who is our Father and the best of educators, imposes it on us, rather than simply forgiving our sins without demanding something from us in return.
Let us repeat, briefly, since we have already mentioned it, that the works of satisfaction find their crown and perfection in martyrdom and in entry into religious life.
Can We Make Satisfaction for Others?
This is the last question to be addressed before we come to speak of indulgences.
"Bear one another's burdens," says the Apostle St. Paul.75 Since we are all members of the one body, we are in a position to give succor to each other. Just as, in the human body, "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."76 "...Punishment derives its power of satisfaction chiefly from charity whereby man bears it. And since greater charity is evidenced by a man satisfying for another than for himself, less punishment is required of him who satisfies for another, than of the principal [debtor]."77
In order to confirm and crown this teaching on satisfaction, let us turn to the demands made by the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The Demands of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Here it is important to observe that the two great devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which represent the pinnacle of Catholic piety, are essentially devotions of reparation.78
Our Lord's Message at Paray-le-Monial
Behold this Heart which has so loved men that, not sparing Itself, It has exhausted and consumed itself to show Its love for them; and in return, for the most part, I receive nothing but ingratitude, through their irreverence, their sacrilege, and their coldness, and the scorn they have for me in this sacrament of love.79 What pains me most, however, is that I am treated so by hearts that have been consecrated to me. (Message of June 16, 1675 to St. Margaret Mary)
This incomprehensible scorn for divine love calls for reparation. Jesus demands this of his maidservant, and, through her, he demands it of all generous souls:
Do you, at least, seek to please me by making up for their ingratitude, as far as you are able.
The idea of reparation, in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, is the dominant idea presented by Our Lord Himself to St. Margaret Mary. However, it is not simply a question of some additional or supplementary act of love towards the Heart of Jesus. What is required is a unique act, an act that operates in a special mode. Essentially, of course, the act is love; but because its object is the divine love ignored, it takes the form of an act of reparation.80 This is the spirit in which we should perform the devotion of the first Fridays of each month.
The liturgy confirms this, for the Collect for the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus says:
O God, who in the Heart of Thy Son, wounded by our sins, dost mercifully vouchsafe to bestow upon us the boundless treasures of Thy love: grant, we beseech Thee, that we who now render Him the service of our devotion and piety, may also fulfill our duty of worthy satisfaction.81
The Message of Our Lady at Fatima
The three little seers were prepared for Our Lady's message by the Angel of Portugal, who appeared to them in 1916. The aspect of reparation is immediately apparent. First of all we see it in the prayer he taught them at his first apparition, in spring:
My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee! I ask pardon of Thee for all those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee!
Then, at his second apparition in high summer, the Angel makes himself even more explicit:
Make of everything you can a sacrifice, and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. You will thus draw down peace upon your country. I am its Angel Guardian, the Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission the suffering which the Lord will send you.
Finally, in his third apparition, in autumn the same year, the Angel teaches the three little seers a prayer of reparation to the Holy Eucharist, which is similar to the message of Paray-le-Monial:
Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the sacrileges, outrages, and indifference by which He Himself is offended. And through the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.82
Next, once the children have been taught the spirit of sacrifice by the many penances they imposed on themselves in response to the Angel's request, Our Lady comes to them to proclaim her great message to the world:
• On May 13, 1917:
Are you willing to offer yourselves to God and bear all the sufferings He wills to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended and of supplication for the conversion of sinners?
• On June 13, 1917 (Lucy says):
In front of the palm of Our Lady's right hand was a heart encircled by thorns which pierced it. We understood that this was the Immaculate Heart of Mary, outraged by the sins of humanity, and seeking reparation.
• On July 13, 1917, Our Lady herself made this demand:
Sacrifice yourselves for sinners, and say many times, especially when you make some sacrifice: O Jesus, it is for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Also, let us remember that, on December 10, 1925, at Pontevedra, Our Lady instructed Sister Lucy to spread the devotion of the Five First Saturdays of the month "in a spirit of reparation."83 The issue is clear. The above quotations will suffice.
This brings Part 1 to an end. It has shown us that we can profit from Our Lord's satisfaction by the sacraments, and by works of satisfaction performed when we are in union with Him in the state of grace. There is, however, a further channel by which Our Lord's merits can be communicated to us for the reparation of our sins, namely, indulgences.
Translated exclusively for Angelus Press from Sel de la Terre (No.46, Fall 2003), pp. 23-53.
Fr. Marie-Dominique, a Frenchman, is a member of the Dominican convent at Avrille, France. He was ordained by Archbishop Lefebvre in 1982, and he teaches Moral Theology at the convent.
1. Summa Theologica (ST), III, Q. 48, Art .4: pretium quoddam dicitur.
4. As St. Paul's words show us, "satisfaction" is only one part of the mystery of our redemption ("being bought back"). The latter is many things: satisfaction, sacrifice (Aliquid factum in honorem proprie Deo debitum, ad eum placendum–III, Q. 48, Art. 3); deliverance (from sin, from the punishment due to sin, from slavery to the devil); restoration (by our meriting to be restored to grace and glory). All these concepts are explained in detail in the book by Fr. Hugon, O.P., Le Mystere de la rédemption (Paris: Téqui, 1916).
5. According to an order established by God Himself.
6. ST, I, Q. 21, Art. 1, ad 3.
7. Ibid., I-II, Q. 87, Art. 1; III, Q. I, Art. 2, ad 2.
8. Ibid., III, Q. 46, Art. 2, ad 3; Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P., De Christo Salvatore, p. 38. We have developed this question in Le Sel de la Terre, No. 1, "La Passion de Notre-Seigneur Jesus-Christ," pp. 51-57.
9. Jean-Marc Rulleau, Le Sacrifice (Bulle, Switzerland: Publications of Controverses, 1990), p. 30-35. ["In proportion to his powers": this is an attempt to render Fr. Rulleau's expression à egalité de proportion.–Tr.]
10. How can punishment re-establish order? "Whatever rises up against an order, is put down by that order or by the principle thereof," says St. Thomas Aquinas (I-II Q. 87, Art. 1). And again: "That which seems to depart from the divine will in one order, returns to it in another order; as does the sinner, who by sin falls away from the divine will as much as lies in him, yet falls back into the order of that will, when by its justice he is punished" (I, Q. 19, Art. 6). It is this reaction that causes the return to order: "The man who lacks subordination to the real by the direct path of obedience returns to it by the indirect path of passivity [i.e., by undergoing some punishment]" (Philippe Besnier, Faute et peine chez saint Thomas d'Aquin [Montsurs: Resiac, 1989], p. 61).
11. We speak of vicarious satisfaction, a term that comes from the Latin word vicarius, which means substitute or replacement. Here it is appropriate to point out that since Vatican II we are in the presence of a re-interpretation of the mystery of redemption: the attempt is being made to efface all idea of expiation and, implicitly, to challenge the concept of vicarious satisfaction. Our Lord's death becomes the simple revelation of the love that God has for us. Bishop Tissier de Mallerais drew attention to this grave error in his sermon at the ordinations at Ecône on June 27, 2002 (reprinted in Le Sel de la Terre, No. 42, cf. esp. pp. 9-10).
13. Ibid., Q. 48, Art. 2, ad 1.
14. Ibid., Q. 46, Art. 1, ad 3.
15. Letter Inter Sodalicia, quoted by Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P., in La Mere du Sauveur et notre vie interieure (Lyons: Editions de 1'Abeille, 1941), p. 219.
16. See the articles by "Filius Ancillae" published in Le Sel de la Terre.
17. Eadmer of Canterbury, De Excellentia Virginia Mariae, Ch. 9, PL 159, 573D.
18. St. Pius X, Ad Diem Illum, February 2, 1904, DS 3370, Neuner-Roos, The Teaching of the Church (Ireland: Mercier Press, 1967), Nos. 332-333.
19. For a more thorough treatment of this medicinal aspect of punishment, see Philippe Besnier's work referred to in note 10 above.
19. Session XIV, Chapter VIII, DS 1690, "The Necessity and Fruits of Satisfaction," in Neuner-Roos, The Teaching of the Church, Nos. 569-570.
21. DS 1713, Neuner-Roos, The Teaching..., No. 584.
23. Not just any kind of faith, but supernatural faith, a "theological" virtue that enables our intellect to adhere to the entirety of Our Lord's revelation, transmitted by the Catholic Church founded by Him. It is important to hold fast to this, because for Protestants, for example, faith is simply a natural trust in God's saving action.
25. Here justification, from the Latin words justum and facere (to make just), has the same meaning as sanctification. Bishop Fellay has given a detailed study of this question in order to counter the Protestant errors and the scandalous Lutheran-Catholic "accords" of 1999; see Le Sel de la Terre, Nos. 38, 39.
26. "Fides est humanae salutis initium, fundamentum et radix omnis justificationis, 'sine qua impossibile est placere Deo' et ad filiorum ejus consortium pervenire": Session VI, Decree on Justification, Ch. 8, DS 1532, Neuner-Roos, The Teaching..., No. 722.
27. St. Thomas says, "We must therefore consider the members of the mystical body...those who are actually united to Him by faith" (ST, III, Q. 8, Art. 3).
28. We have already given a detailed treatment of this question in Le Sel de la Terre, No. 2, "La Croix dans notre vie," pp. 84-95.
30. Antiphon for the aspersion of holy water in Paschal time: "I saw a stream of water coming out of the Temple [Our Lord's body] on the right side, alleluia: and all who were touched by this water were saved, and they sang: alleluia, alleluia."
31. ST, III, Q. 69, Art. 2, ad 1.
32. If an adult dies immediately after his baptism (without, of course, remaining attached to sin), he goes straight to heaven without undergoing purgatory.
33. Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, on "the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable" (Rom. 11:29), quoted by St. Thomas, ST, III, Q. 68, Art. 5, sed contra.
35. We shall see this later, in connection with works of satisfaction.
36. Of course it does not dispense the candidate from confessing his mortal sins to a priest, whereas the catechumen who receives the water of baptism does not have to have recourse to confession.
37. On the meaning of the word representation cf. the article by Fr. Pierre-Marie in Le Set de la Terre, No.45, pp. 54-107.
38. Dom Vonier, La Clef de la doctrine eucharistique (Lyons: L'Abeille, 1942), pp. 133-134.
39. ST III, Q. 73, Art. 5, ad 2.
40. Ibid., Q. 73, Art. 3, ad 3.
41. According to the new idea of redemption that has sprung from Vatican II (see above), the Eucharist, too, is no longer anything more than a revelation of God's love. It is only a sign that–under the veil of symbol–contains the sacred reality, namely, the glorious Christ. It is no longer a sacrifice. On this question see the following: La Messe en question: Actes du 5e congres theologique de Si Si No No (Versailles: Publications du Courrier de Rome, 2002), and The Problem of the Liturgical Reform (Kansas City: Angelus Press, 2001).
43. "Punishment derives its power of satisfaction chiefly from charity whereby man bears it" (Suppl. Q. 13, Art. 2). We shall return to this later when we discuss the conditions that are necessary for a work of satisfaction.
44. Epistle 130, cited by St. Thomas Aquinas, ST, III, Q. 84, Art. 6, sed contra.
46. Ibid., Q. 84, Art.2, ad 3.
47. What we call, by analogy, the "matter" of the sacraments is the material thing used to perform them, as for example, natural water in baptism, oil and chrism in confirmation. We shall see why, in the sacrament of penance, the place of the "matter" is taken by human acts.
48. The "form" of the sacraments consists in the words that are pronounced in performing them.
49. These acts of the penitent are contrition, confession (or accusation of our sins), and satisfaction. We shall give the definitions later.
50. ST, III, Q. 86, Art. 4,ad 3.
51. To receive baptism validly it suffices to have faith and the intention of receiving the sacrament. If the candidate remains attached to mortal sin, he does not receive grace, but nonetheless his soul is marked by the mark, the "character" of the Son of God. This character will enable him to receive grace once he forsakes sin.
52. This is the vanished sin of a former life that no longer exists.
54. Strictly obligatory only in the case of mortal sin.
55. "Ex parte doloris sensibilis quem voluntas in contritione excitat: illa etiam poena quaedam est, tantum potest intendi quod sufficiat ad deletionem culpae et poenae" (Suppl., Q. 5, Art. 2).
56. Suppl., Q. 10, Art. 2: "Confession [in which we accuse ourselves of our sins] diminishes the punishment in virtue of the very nature of the act of the one who confesses, for this act has the punishment of shame [for our sins] attached to it, so that the oftener one confesses the same sins, the more is the punishment diminished."
58. ST, III, Q. 86, Art. 5, ad l.
59. A sacramental is something (e.g., holy water) or some action (e.g., a prayer) used by the Church, in imitation of the sacraments, to obtain chiefly spiritual effects, not by its own efficacity (like the sacraments) but by the efficacity of the prayer of the Church herself. We can say that the sacramentals are instituted by Our Lord insofar as He has given His Church the power to institute them. "Passio Domini nostri Jesu Christi, merita beatae Mariae Virginis et omnium sanctorum, quidquid boni feceris et mali sustinueris, sint tibi in remissionem peccatorum, augmentum gratiae, et proemium vitae aeternae. Amen." In the Dominican rite the priest says: "May the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the merits of blessed Mary ever Virgin, of our father St. Dominic and all the saints, whatever good thou shall do and intend to do, whatever evil thou dost and shall endure, avail thee for the forgiveness of sins, increase of grace and the reward of life everlasting. Amen." He then concludes with another blessing. (Passio Domini nostri Jesu Christi, et merita beatae Mariae semper Virginis, et beati Dominici patris nostri et omnium sanctorum, et quidquid bonifeceris et intendis facere aut mala quae sustines et sustinebis, sint tibi in remissionem peccatorum, in augmentum gratiae, et proemium vitae aeternae. In nomine Patris, etc.)
61. This refers to a grave illness that is life-threatening This has been the constant practice of the Church. The post conciliar custom of giving extreme unction systematically to all elderly people is an abuse and renders the sacrament invalid.
62. Session XIV: Doctrine on the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, Foreword, DS 1694, Neuner-Roos, The Teaching..., No. 613.
63. Contra Gentes (University of Notre Dame Press, 1975), IV, 73.
65. "For though our adversary seeks and seizes occasions throughout our whole life to devour our souls in any manner (I Pet. 5:8), yet there is no time when he strains more vehemently all the powers of his cunning to ruin us utterly, and if possible to make us lose even faith in the divine mercy, than when he perceives that the end of our life is near" (Council of Trent, DS 1694, Neuner-Roos, The Teaching..., No. 613).
66. Council of Trent, DS 1696, The Teaching..., No. 615.
67. It must be said at this point that there is much negligence among the faithful who, when attending the dying, often leave it to the last minute to call the priest. Various excuses are used: they imagine that the arrival of the Church's minister will frighten the sick person, or they think that all hope of a cure is past (as if extreme unction would cause him to die). And all this time the patient is deprived of the supports which could strengthen him and help him make a really Christian end. What cruelty this is, under the guise of kindness! It shows a grave lack of the Christian spirit. The Catechism of the Council of Trent even says that "It is, however, a very grievous sin to defer the Holy Unction until, all hope of recovery being lost, life begins to ebb, and the sick person is fast verging into a state of insensibility" (Catechism of the Council of Trent, [TAN Books, 1982], p. 311). To act thus is also to forget that this sacrament has the power of healing the body if that is advantageous to the soul. We have seen cases of people profitting from an extension of time, given by God, so that they could make reparation, by a truly holy life, for the sins of their past life. Such healing is not, however, a miracle properly so called: it does not transcend the possibilities of nature. Extreme unction, by considerably reinforcing the organism's natural capacities, enables the patient to recover his health in a manner unforeseen, but on condition that the sacrament is administered early enough, so that no irreversible bodily lesions have taken place.
70. De Veritate, Q. 26, Art. 6, ad 4 in contrarium.
71. Catechism of the Council of Trent, p. 303. Fasting may include all corporal mortifications; almsgiving may include the corporal and spiritual works of mercy towards one's neighbor; prayer includes everything that places us in dependence on God, submitting our mind, our will, and our heart to him.
73. Enarratio in ps. 42, in fine, where he cites the Evangelist.
76. Catechism of the Council of Trent, p. 304.
78. It is significant that the conciliar Church is totally silent on this question; with its new theology, it is incapable of understanding it.
79. Here Our Lord is speaking of the sacrament of the Eucharist.
80. See the article by Bro. M. J. Carme O.P., "La pratique de la devotion au Sacré-Coeur," La Vie Spirituelle, June 10, 1920, pp. 216-228.
81. Deus qui nobis, in Corde Filii mi, nostris vulnerato peccatis, infinites dilectionis thesaurus misericorditer largiri dignaris: concede quaesumus, ut illi devotum pietatis nostrae praestantes obsequium, dignae quoque satisfactionis exhibeamus officium.
82. See the book by Bro. Michael of the Holy Trinity, The Whole Truth about Fatima (Immaculate Heart Publications, 1983; English translation, 1989), I, 3: "The Angel Precursor," pp. 61-97.
83. See Bro. Michael of the Holy Trinity, The Whole Truth about Fatima, 2nd ed. (Immaculate Heart Publications, 1986, English translation 1989), II, 6: "The Spirit of the Devotion of Reparation," pp. 265-277.
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