Pars 6, Cap. 10
Breviloquium · Pars VI: De medicina sacramentali
Capitulum X. De integritate poenitentiae.
De Sacramento poenitentiae hoc tenendum est, quod ipsa est « secunda tabula post naufragium5 », ad quam naufragans per mortale peccatum recurrere potest, quamdiu est in statu praesentis vitae, quandocumque et quotiescumque divinam clementiam voluerit implorare. — Ipsius autem partes integrales sunt contritio in animo, confessio in verbo et satisfactio in facto. Ex quibus tunc poenitentia integratur, cum peccator omnem mortalem culpam perpetratam et facto deserit et verbo accusat et animo detestatur, proponens nunquam iterare peccatum. — His autem debito modo concurrentibus cum absolutione facta ab eo, in quo est ordo, clavis et iurisdictio; absolvitur homo a peccato et reunitur Ecclesiae et reconciliatur Christo, mediante clave sacerdotali; per cuius etiam iudicium non tantum habet fieri absolutio, verum etiam excommunicatio et relaxatio, quae proprie habet fieri ab episcopo tanquam ab Ecclesiae sponso6.
Ratio autem ad intelligentiam praedictorum haec est: quia principium nostrum reparativum, Verbum scilicet incarnatum, eo ipso quod Verbum, fons est veritatis et sapientiae; eo ipso quod incarnatum, fons est pietatis et indulgentiae: ideo debet reparare genus humanum per medicamenta Sacramentorum, et praecipue contra praecipuum morbum, qui scilicet est peccatum mortale; iuxta quod decet pontificem pium, medicum peritum et iudicem aequum; ut sic in curatione nostra appareat Verbi incarnati summa clementia, summa prudentia et summa iustitia.
Primum igitur, quoniam in curatione nostra a mortali culpa per poenitentiam apparere debet ipsius Christi pontificis piissimi summa clementia; et summa clementia Pontificis superexcedit omnia peccata humana, qualiacumque et quantacumque sint et quotiescumque fuerint perpetrata: hinc est, quod peccantes suscipere ad veniam est ipsius Pontificis clementissimi, non7 semel nec bis, sed quotiescumque suppliciter imploraverint clementiam Dei. Et quia divina clementia tunc vere et suppliciter imploratur, quando intervenit poenitentiae lamentum; et ad hoc potest homo convertere se, quamdiu est in statu praesentis vitae, quia vertibilis est in bonum et in malum: hinc est, quod quantumcumque et quandocumque et quotiescumque peccator peccaverit, ad poenitentiae Sacramentum potest habere refugium, per quod sibi fiat remissio peccatorum.
p. 276 Rursus, quia in curatione nostra debet manifestari1 ipsius Christi, peritissimi medici summa prudentia; et prudentia medici est in adhibendo remedia contraria, per quae non tantum morbus auferatur, verum etiam praescindatur causa; cum peccetur in Deum delectatione, consensu et perpetratione, scilicet corde, ore et opere: hinc est, quod prudentissimus Medicus instituit, ut contra deordinationem peccatoris secundum triplicem vim, scilicet affectivam, interpretativam et operativam, quae fit per delectationis complacentiam occultam, esset reformatio poenitentis secundum triplicem vim praedictam per doloris poenitentiam conceptam2 in corde per compunctionem, expressam in ore per confessionem, consummatam in opere per satisfactionem. Et quia omnia peccata mortalia ab uno Deo avertunt et uni gratiae opponuntur et unam principalem hominis rectitudinem pervertunt; hinc est, quod ad hoc, quod poenitentiae medicamentum sit sufficienter ex suis partibus integratum, necesse est, quod poenitentia habeatur de omnibus peccatis et quantum ad praeteritum per displicentiam de perpetratis, et quantum ad praesens per cessationem de perpetrandis, et quantum ad futurum per propositum nunquam recidivandi vel in idem, vel in aliud genus peccati3; ut sic totaliter recedendo a culpa per poenitentiam divina gratia suscipiatur, per quam obtineatur venia omnium peccatorum.
Postremo, quia in curatione nostra manifestari debet ipsius Christi iudicis recta iustitia; et ipsius in propria persona non est iudicare ante iudicium ultimum et finale: ideo ad particularia iudicia ante finem iudices debuit constituere4. Et quia iudices isti inter Deum offensum et hominem offendentem sunt quasi intermedii ut proximi Christo et praepositi populo; Domino autem illi praecipue sunt proximi et familiares ratione officii, qui sunt eius praecipue ministerio consecrati, scilicet sacerdotes: ideo omnibus in sacerdotali ordine constitutis et solis datur potestas duplicis clavis, scilicet clavis scientiae ad discernendum, et clavis, quae est potestas ligandi et solvendi, ad diiudicandum et absolutionis beneficium impendendum.
Quia vero propter confusionem vitandam non quilibet cuilibet est praelatus in Ecclesia militante, cum ipsa hierarchia ecclesiastica debeat esse secundum potestatem iudiciariam ordinata; ideo haec potestas ligandi et solvendi concessa est primo uni primo et summo sacerdoti, cui collata est tanquam summo capiti potestas universalis; et deinde secundum particulares Ecclesias dividitur in partes, ita quod primo in episcopos et deinde in presbyteros descendit a capite uno. Ideo, licet unusquisque sacerdos habeat ordinem et clavem, ad eos tamen usus clavis tantum se extendit, qui sibi ordinarie sunt subiecti, nisi sibi ab eo qui habet iurisdictionem ordinariam, committatur. Cum vero illa iurisdictio principaliter sit in capite summo et deinde in episcopo et postremo in sacerdote curato; potest quidem a quolibet horum committi alteri, sufficienter quidem ab infimo, magis a medio et maxime a supremo.
Et quia in Pontifice summo et etiam in episcopis est huiusmodi iurisdictio non tantum ad iudicandum inter Deum et hominem in occulto, verum etiam ad iudicandum inter hominem et hominem in aperto, tanquam in illis quibus commissum est Ecclesiae regimen et custodia, sicut sponso committitur sponsa; hinc est, quod gladium5 habent praelati, quo possunt percutere ad iuris defensionem in excommunicatione, et potestatem largiendi de thesauris meritorum Ecclesiae, quos habent repositos et commendatos tam a capite quam a membris, et hoc in relaxatione; ut sic tanquam veri Dei iudices ligandi et solvendi integram possideant potestatem, per quam impoenitentes feriant et compescant rebelles, et nihilominus absolvant et reconcilient Deo et sanctae matri Ecclesiae veraciter poenitentes.
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Chapter X. On the integrity of penance.
Concerning the Sacrament of penance this must be held: that it is « the second plank after shipwreck5 », to which one suffering shipwreck through mortal sin can have recourse, so long as he is in the state of the present life, whensoever and however often he shall have willed to implore the divine clemency. — Now its integral parts are contrition in mind, confession in word and satisfaction in deed. Out of which penance is then made entire, when the sinner both in deed forsakes and in word accuses and in mind detests every mortal fault he has perpetrated, purposing never to iterate the sin. — And when these concur in the due manner, together with the absolution made by him in whom there is order, key and jurisdiction; a man is absolved from sin and is reunited to the Church and reconciled to Christ, by the mediation of the priestly key; through whose judgment also there has to take place not only absolution, but also excommunication and relaxation, which properly has to be done by the bishop as by the spouse of the Church6.
Now the reason for the understanding of the aforesaid is this: since our reparative principle, the Word namely incarnate, by the very fact that he is the Word, is the fount of truth and of wisdom; and by the very fact that he is incarnate, is the fount of piety and of indulgence: therefore he ought to repair the human race through the medicines of the Sacraments, and especially against the chief disease, which namely is mortal sin; according as befits a devout pontiff, a skilled physician and an equitable judge; so that thus in our cure there may appear the supreme clemency, the supreme prudence and the supreme justice of the incarnate Word.
First then, since in our cure from mortal fault through penance there ought to appear the supreme clemency of Christ himself, the most devout pontiff; and the supreme clemency of the Pontiff exceeds all human sins, of whatever sort and of whatever magnitude they be and however often they have been perpetrated: hence it is that to receive sinners unto pardon belongs to that most clement Pontiff, not7 once nor twice, but as often as they shall have suppliantly implored the clemency of God. And because the divine clemency is then truly and suppliantly implored, when the lament of penance intervenes; and to this a man can convert himself, so long as he is in the state of the present life, since he is turnable to good and to evil: hence it is that however much and whenever and however often the sinner shall have sinned, he can have refuge to the Sacrament of penance, through which the remission of sins may be made to him.
p. 276 Again, because in our cure there ought to be manifested1 the supreme prudence of Christ himself, the most skilled physician; and the prudence of the physician lies in applying contrary remedies, through which not only is the disease taken away, but also the cause is cut off; since it is sinned against God by delight, by consent and by perpetration, namely in heart, in mouth and in deed: hence it is that the most prudent Physician instituted that, against the disorder of the sinner according to a threefold power — namely the affective, the interpretative and the operative, which comes about through the hidden complacency of delight — there should be the reformation of the penitent according to the aforesaid threefold power, through the penance of sorrow conceived2 in the heart by compunction, expressed in the mouth by confession, consummated in deed by satisfaction. And because all mortal sins turn away from the one God and are opposed to the one grace and pervert the one principal rectitude of man; hence it is that, for this, that the medicine of penance be sufficiently made entire out of its parts, it is necessary that penance be had concerning all sins, both as regards the past by displeasure over things perpetrated, and as regards the present by ceasing from things to be perpetrated, and as regards the future by the purpose of never relapsing either into the same or into another kind of sin3; so that thus, by withdrawing totally from fault through penance, the divine grace may be received, through which the pardon of all sins may be obtained.
Lastly, because in our cure there ought to be manifested the right justice of Christ himself the judge; and it does not belong to him in his own person to judge before the last and final judgment: therefore he had to constitute judges for particular judgments before the end4. And because these judges are as it were intermediaries between the offended God and the offending man, as those near to Christ and set over the people; and to the Lord those especially are near and familiar by reason of office who are especially consecrated to his ministry, namely priests: therefore to all those constituted in the priestly order, and to them alone, is given the power of the twofold key, namely of the key of knowledge for discerning, and of the key which is the power of binding and loosing, for adjudging and for bestowing the benefit of absolution.
But because, for avoiding confusion, not everyone is set over everyone in the Church militant, since the ecclesiastical hierarchy itself ought to be ordered according to the judiciary power; therefore this power of binding and loosing was granted first to one first and supreme priest, upon whom, as upon the supreme head, universal power was conferred; and thereafter it is divided into parts according to particular Churches, so that it descends from the one head first upon bishops and then upon presbyters. Therefore, although each and every priest has order and key, yet the use of the key extends only to those who are ordinarily subject to him, unless it be committed to him by one who has ordinary jurisdiction. But since that jurisdiction is principally in the supreme head and thereafter in the bishop and lastly in the priest having a cure; it can indeed be committed by any one of these to another, sufficiently indeed by the lowest, more by the middle and most of all by the supreme.
And because in the supreme Pontiff and also in the bishops this kind of jurisdiction is not only for judging between God and man in secret, but also for judging between man and man in the open, as in those to whom the governance and custody of the Church has been committed, as the bride is committed to the bridegroom; hence it is that prelates have the sword5, with which they can strike for the defense of right in excommunication, and the power of bestowing from the treasures of the merits of the Church, which they have laid up and commended both from the head and from the members, and this in relaxation; so that thus, as true judges of God, they may possess the entire power of binding and loosing, through which they may strike the impenitent and restrain the rebellious, and nonetheless may absolve and reconcile to God and to holy mother Church those who are truly penitent.
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- 5Hieron., Epist. 130. (alias 8.) n. 9.Jerome, Letter 130 (alias 8), n. 9.
- 6De Sacramento poenitentiae agitur IV. Sent. d. 14-22. — Pro habet A habent; voci episcopo F praefigit solo, qui etiam superius cum pluribus aliis codd. pro reunitur substituit restituitur, K R et 2 remittitur.The Sacrament of penance is treated in IV Sent. d. 14–22. — For habet, A reads habent; before the word episcopo, F prefixes solo; and F also, above, together with several other codices, substitutes restituitur for reunitur, while K, R and edition 2 read remittitur.
- 7A addit tantum, Vat., 1 et 3 solum; P autem subiungit tantum post bis. Inferius pro vertibilis edd., excepta 2, convertibilis.A adds tantum; the Vatican edition and editions 1 and 3 read solum; P, however, subjoins tantum after bis. Below, for vertibilis, the editions, edition 2 excepted, read convertibilis.
- 1Vat., 1 et 3 praefigunt apparere et. Inferius ante cum peccetur fide codd. communiter et 2 omisimus et.The Vatican edition and editions 1 and 3 prefix apparere et. Below, before cum peccetur, on the faith of the codices generally and of edition 2, we have omitted et.
- 2Vat., 1 et 3 dolorem poenitentiae conceptum; 1 insuper mox pro expressam et consummatam substituit expressum et consummatum. Superius post delectationis D E F addunt complementum et.The Vatican edition and editions 1 and 3 read dolorem poenitentiae conceptum; edition 1 moreover, presently, substitutes expressum et consummatum for expressam et consummatam. Above, after delectationis, D, E, F add complementum et.
- 3Cfr. IV. Sent. d. 14. p. 1. dub. 4, ubi sub hoc triplici respectu explicantur diversae definitiones poenitentiae. — Superius pro medicamentum I K L M O U V et 1 Sacramentum.Cf. IV Sent. d. 14, p. I, dub. 4, where under this threefold respect the various definitions of penance are explained. — Above, for medicamentum, I, K, L, M, O, U, V and edition 1 read Sacramentum.
- 4M iudices constituit, qui etiam aliquanto inferius pro diiudicandum cum pluribus aliis codd. iudicandum.M reads iudices constituit; and it also, somewhat below, together with several other codices, reads iudicandum for diiudicandum.
- 5Cfr. tom. IV. pag. 486, nota 5. — Inferius pro quos habent repositos E quos habet [ita etiam G M] reconditos.Cf. tom. IV, p. 486, note 5. — Below, for quos habent repositos, E reads quos habet [so also G, M] reconditos. ---