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Dist. 16, Part 2, Art. 3, Q. 2

Book IV: On the Sacraments · Distinction 16

Textus Latinus
p. 410

Quaestio II. Utrum quis teneatur poenitere de veniali.

Secundo quaeritur de poenitentia venialium quantum ad necessitatem remedii. Et est quaestio, utrum teneatur quis poenitere de veniali. Et quod sic, videtur:

1. Quia impossibile est intrare in gloriam, nisi veniale remittatur1; sed veniale est actuale peccatum, et ab illo non iustificatur nisi per poenitentiam: ergo necesse est poenitere.

2. Item, aliquod est veniale, quod per consensum fit mortale2: ergo aliqua sunt, in quae tenemur dissentire, ne fiant: ergo postquam talia sunt commissa, tenemur dissentire et de eis dolere: ergo et poenitere.

3. Item, multitudo venialium de proximo disponit ad mortale, licet non necessario: ergo qui dimittit venialia, in se multiplicari committit se discrimini; sed omnes tenentur non committere se discrimini: ergo etc.

p. 411

4. Item, quod poena exterior sit necessaria, videtur, quia dicit Magister in littera3, quod est pectus percutiendum, et quantulacumque poena est sustinenda.

5. Item, Augustinus4, loquens de periculo venialium: «Ieiunia, inquit, et orationes et eleemosynae invigilent».

Sed contra: 1. Quae non tenemur vitare, non tenemur de his poenitere — hoc certum est, quia, sicut virtus poenitentiae detestatur factum, ita cavet faciendum5 — sed talia sunt venialia: ergo etc.

2. Item, ad nihil tenemur, sine quo potest esse caritas; sed caritas potest esse sine deletione venialium, quia stat cum venialibus6: ergo de venialibus non tenemur poenitere.

3. Item, non teneor7 poenitere de hoc veniali nec de illo, et sic de aliis: pari ratione ergo de nullo.

4. Item, quod non debeatur veniali poena exterior, videtur: quia veniale est minus mortali in infinitum; sed mortali debetur poena finita exterior8: ergo veniali nulla.

Conclusio. Poenitentia de peccato veniali secundum se non est necessaria, sed bene, prout praebet rationem periclitandi.

Respondeo: Dicendum, quod dupliciter est loqui de morbo peccati venialis: aut in se, aut in quantum praebet occasionem periclitandi, quam ponit Augustinus in littera9 sive per consensum, sive per contemptum. Si loquamur de veniali in se; sic dico, quod non est necesse poenitere de veniali, nec poenitentia interiori nec poenitentia exteriori; quoniam, sicut infra10 videbitur, veniale non solum in hac vita deletur, verum etiam post mortem. — Si autem loquamur ratione periculi, ad quod ducit; sic dico, quia ducunt ad periculum ipsum impoenitentem, quod tenetur homo de aliquibus poenitere, quando advertit periculum, sicut manifeste dicit Augustinus in littera11.

Et ideo notandum est, sicut tactum est12, quod tria sunt genera venialium: quaedam ex subreptione; et de his non tenemur poenitere nisi de congruo; quaedam ex cogitatione, cui si consentiatur, incidit homo in mortale; et de tali tenetur homo poenitere non simpliciter, sed in casu, sive pro loco et tempore, quando recogitat ea, ne, si consentiat, cadat. Quaedam autem sunt venialia, quae per sui multitudinem augent libidinem, sicut illa, in quae est consensus, sed deordinatio infra Deum; et de talibus dico, quod tenetur homo poenitere, ne multiplicentur, et homo periculo et discrimini se committat. Et ad talium poenitentiam hortatur Augustinus13 ostendens periculum, quod est in multitudine venialium, comparans arenae, comparans bestiis minutis, comparans guttis multiplicatis, comparans scabiei; et intelligenda est similitudo quantum ad haec omnia ratione periculi, non quod faciant ipsa venialia de se, sed quod ad hoc hominem praeparant14. Et de his sanum consilium est etiam poenam sustinere, sicut Augustinus determinat. Utrum autem teneamur sacerdoti ea confiteri et ad eius arbitrium satisfacere, quaestio erit infra15, cum agetur de confessione.

Ex his patent obiecta ad utramque partem. Nam rationes ad primam partem procedunt ratione periculi, ad quod disponunt, praeter primum, ad quod solvendum per interemptionem16, quia remitti possunt in alio saeculo. — Rationes vero ad oppositum procedunt ratione morbi in se.

Ultimam tamen non valet. Quamvis enim mortale, quamdiu est mortale, sit improportionale; tamen in ipsa iustificatione remittitur poena aeterna, et mortale fit quodam modo veniale, et ita proportionale17.

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English Translation
p. 410

Question II. Whether one is bound to repent of a venial sin.

Secondly there is inquiry concerning the penance for venial sins as regards the necessity of the remedy. And the question is whether one is bound to repent of a venial sin. And that he is, it seems:

1. Because it is impossible to enter into glory unless the venial sin be remitted1; but a venial sin is an actual sin, and one is not justified from it except through penance: therefore it is necessary to repent.

2. Likewise, there is some venial sin which by consent becomes mortal2: therefore there are things to which we are bound to dissent, lest they come to be: therefore, after such things have been committed, we are bound to dissent and to grieve over them: therefore also to repent.

3. Likewise, a multitude of venial sins disposes one nearly to mortal sin, though not necessarily: therefore he who lets venial sins be multiplied in himself commits himself to danger; but all are bound not to commit themselves to danger: therefore etc.

p. 411

4. Likewise, that exterior punishment is necessary seems so, because the Master says in the text3 that the breast is to be struck, and that however small a punishment is to be borne.

5. Likewise, Augustine4, speaking of the danger of venial sins: «Let fastings, he says, and prayers and almsdeeds keep watch».

On the contrary: 1. Those things which we are not bound to avoid, of these we are not bound to repent — this is certain, because, just as the virtue of penance detests the deed done, so it guards against the doing5 — but such are venial sins: therefore etc.

2. Likewise, we are bound to nothing without which charity can exist; but charity can exist without the deletion of venial sins, because it stands together with venial sins6: therefore of venial sins we are not bound to repent.

3. Likewise, I am not bound7 to repent of this venial sin nor of that, and so of the others: by parity of reasoning, therefore, of none.

4. Likewise, that exterior punishment is not owed to a venial sin seems so: because a venial sin is less than a mortal one infinitely; but to a mortal sin a finite exterior punishment is owed8: therefore to a venial sin none.

Conclusion. Penance for a venial sin, taken in itself, is not necessary, but well [advised], inasmuch as it furnishes a ground of being endangered.

I respond: It must be said that there are two ways of speaking about the disease of venial sin: either in itself, or insofar as it furnishes an occasion of being endangered, which Augustine sets down in the text9, whether through consent or through contempt. If we speak of a venial sin in itself; thus I say that it is not necessary to repent of a venial sin, neither with interior penance nor with exterior penance; since, as will be seen below10, a venial sin is deleted not only in this life, but also after death. — But if we speak by reason of the danger to which it leads; thus I say that, because they lead the impenitent man himself into danger, a man is bound to repent of certain things, when he perceives the danger, as Augustine manifestly says in the text11.

And therefore it must be noted, as was touched on12, that there are three kinds of venial sins: certain ones from sudden impulse; and of these we are not bound to repent except as fitting; certain ones from thought, to which if one consents the man falls into mortal sin; and of such a man is bound to repent not absolutely, but in a [particular] case, or according to place and time, when he reflects on them, lest, if he consent, he fall. But there are certain venial sins which by their multitude increase concupiscence, like those in which there is consent, but [only] a disorder below God; and of these I say that a man is bound to repent, lest they be multiplied, and the man commit himself to peril and danger. And to penance for such Augustine13 exhorts, showing the danger that is in the multitude of venial sins, comparing it to sand, comparing it to tiny beasts, comparing it to multiplied drops, comparing it to the itch; and the likeness is to be understood, as regards all these, by reason of the danger, not as though the venial sins themselves do it of themselves, but because they prepare a man for this14. And concerning these it is sound counsel to bear punishment also, as Augustine determines. But whether we are bound to confess them to a priest and to make satisfaction at his judgment, will be a question below15, when confession is treated.

From these things the objections to either part are clear. For the reasonings to the first part proceed by reason of the danger to which they dispose, except the first, which is to be solved by [its] suppression16, because they can be remitted in the other age. — But the reasonings to the opposite proceed by reason of the disease in itself.

The last, however, does not hold. For although a mortal sin, so long as it is mortal, is disproportionate; nevertheless in the very justification the eternal punishment is remitted, and the mortal sin becomes in a certain way venial, and so proportionate17.

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Apparatus Criticus
  1. 1
    Cfr. Apoc. 21, 27.
    Cf. Revelation 21:27.
  2. 2
    Ut dictum est quaest. praeced., ubi etiam maior seq. arg. insinuatur. — De dolore poenitentiae vide supra p. I. a. 1. q. 1.
    As was said in the preceding question, where also the major [premise] of the following argument is intimated. — On the sorrow of penance see above, p. I, a. 1, q. 1.
  3. 3
    Hic c. 4. et 6.
    Here [in the Master's text], c. 4 and 6.
  4. 4
    Epist. 265. (alias 108.) n. 8. Vide hic lit. Magistri, c. 5.
    Letter 265 (formerly 108), n. 8. See here the Master's text, c. 5.
  5. 5
    Vide supra d. 14. p. I. dub. 4.
    See above, d. 14, p. I, dubium 4.
  6. 6
    Cfr. II. Sent. d. 42. a. 2. q. 1. fundam.
    Cf. Book II of the Sentences, d. 42, a. 2, q. 1, in the fundamenta.
  7. 7
    Codd. R S tenemur.
    Codices R and S read tenemur ["we are bound"].
  8. 8
    Vide hic lit. Magistri, c. 6. in fine. Cfr. etiam supra d. 15. p. I. q. 1. et p. II. a. 1. q. 1. seqq.
    See here the Master's text, c. 6, at the end. Cf. also above, d. 15, p. I, q. 1, and p. II, a. 1, q. 1 and following.
  9. 9
    Hic c. 5.
    Here [in the Master's text], c. 5.
  10. 10
    Dist. 21. p. I. a. 2. q. 1.
    Distinction 21, p. I, a. 2, q. 1.
  11. 11
    Hic c. 5. Cfr. ibid. c. 6. verba Magistri.
    Here [in the Master's text], c. 5. Cf. there, c. 6, the words of the Master.
  12. 12
    Quaest. praeced. — Inferius pro quaedam ex cogitatione non pauci codd. et ed. 1 perperam quaedam ex voluntate. Subinde, voci quando codd. A I K aa praemittunt scilicet.
    The preceding question. — Below, for quaedam ex cogitatione ["certain ones from thought"] not a few codices and the first edition wrongly read quaedam ex voluntate ["certain ones from will"]. Thereupon, to the word quando ["when"] codices A, I, K, aa prefix scilicet ["namely"].
  13. 13
    Vide supra pag. 410, nota 1. — Pro et homo edd. et homo. Superius pro multitudinem cod. aa multiplicationem.
    See above, p. 410, note 1. — For et homo the editions [read] et homo. Above, for multitudinem ["multitude"] codex aa reads multiplicationem ["multiplication"].
  14. 14
    Vide arg. 5. pro parte affirm., et hic lit. Magistri, c. 5. — Pro sed quod ad hoc plurimi codd. et ed. 1 sed ad quod (cod. L) — fortasse legendum sed ad hoc (similitudo est), quod. Dist. 17. p. III. a. 2. q. 1.
    See argument 5 for the affirmative part, and here the Master's text, c. 5. — For sed quod ad hoc most codices and the first edition [read] sed ad quod (codex L) — perhaps to be read sed ad hoc (the likeness holds), quod. Distinction 17, p. III, a. 2, q. 1.
  15. 15
    Dist. 17. p. II. dub. 7. et d. 21. p. I. a. 1. q. 2.
    Distinction 17, p. II, dubium 7, and d. 21, p. I, a. 1, q. 2.
  16. 16
    Sive negationem. Cfr. tom. I. pag. 87, nota 4. — Pro praeter primum, ad quod Vat. praeter primam, quam. Inferius pro quod, quod multi codd. et ed. 1 omittunt, codd. F G Ultima.
    Or [its] negation. Cf. Tome I, p. 87, note 4. — For praeter primum, ad quod ["except the first, which"] the Vatican edition [reads] praeter primam, quam ["except the first {reason}, which"]. Below, for quod ["which"], which many codices and the first edition omit, codices F and G [read] Ultima ["The last"].
  17. 17
    Vide infra d. 17. p. II. dub. 7. et d. 21. p. I. q. 2. — Vide scholion ad praecedentem quaest.
    See below, d. 17, p. II, dubium 7, and d. 21, p. I, q. 2. — See the scholion on the preceding question.
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