Pars 6, Cap. 8
Breviloquium · Pars VI: De medicina sacramentali
Capitulum VIII. De integritate confirmationis.
De Sacramento confirmationis hoc tenendum est, quod ad ipsius integritatem requiritur forma vocalis, quae secundum morem magis communem haec est: Signo te signo crucis, confirmo te chrismate salutis, in nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus sancti. Amen. — Requiritur etiam chrisma, quod conficitur ex oleo olivarum et balsamo, de quo cum per manus episcopi signum crucis fronti imprimitur sub praedicta forma verborum confirmationis, suscipitur Sacramentum; per quod confirmatur homo ut pugil ad nomen Christi audacter et publice confitendum8.
Ratio autem ad intelligentiam praedictorum haec est: quia reparativum principium nostrum, Verbum scilicet incarnatum, sicut aeternaliter conceptum est in corde Patris et temporaliter in carne sensibiliter apparuit homini, sic neminem reparat, nisi ipsum et corde credendo concipiat et creditum exterius con- p. 273 fitendo depromat confessione debita; huiusmodi est confessio veridica veritate plena, quae non tantum est veritas speculativa, verum etiam practica. Haec autem est, in qua non tantum est « adaequatio intellectus, sermonis et rei1 », verum etiam, in qua totus homo veritati conformatur secundum intelligentiam rationis, secundum complacentiam voluntatis et secundum adhaerentiam virtutis, ut sit ex toto corde, tota anima et tota mente2, sit ex corde puro, conscientia bona et fide non ficta; et talis est confessio integra, placida et intrepida; ut sit integra ratione eius, de quo est; placida ratione eius, coram quo fit; intrepida ratione eius, a quo fieri habet illa confessio. Quoniam ergo ad hoc homo pusillanimis non est idoneus, nisi per manum supernae gratiae confirmetur; ideo ad hoc Sacramentum confirmationis fuit divinitus institutum tanquam immediate sequens baptismum.
Quia vero « finis imponit necessitatem his quae sunt ad finem3 »; ideo integrari debet hoc Sacramentum secundum exigentiam confessionis praedictae et suarum conditionum, trium videlicet praedictarum. Primo ergo, quoniam confessio haec debet esse integra; et integritas confessionis non est, nisi quis confiteatur Christum verum hominem pro hominibus crucifixum, eundemque verum Dei Filium incarnatum, in Trinitate Patri et Spiritui sancto per omnia coaequalem: hinc est, quod in forma vocali non tantum fit expressio actus confirmandi, verum etiam ipsius signi crucis et nominis beatissimae Trinitatis.
Amplius, quoniam confessio debet esse placida ratione eius, coram quo fit, et fieri habet coram Deo et hominibus4; et Deo non potest placere, nisi adsit lumen intelligentiae et nitor conscientiae, nec proximo, nisi adsit odor bonae famae et vitae honestae: ideo ad horum designationem in elemento exteriori commiscetur oleum olivarum, quod est nitidum, et balsamum, quod est odoriferum; ut per hoc significetur, quod confessio, ad quam hoc Sacramentum ordinat et disponit, coniunctum debet habere nitorem conscientiae et intelligentiae cum suavi odore tam vitae quam famae, ne contrarietas aliqua sit inter linguam et conscientiam, vel inter linguam et famam, propter quam talis confessio non acceptetur ab homine nec approbetur a Christo.
Postremo, quoniam talis confessio debet esse intrepida, ut nec pudore nec timore dimittat quis dicere veritatem, nec5 tempore persecutionis ignominiosam mortem Christi in cruce confiteri publice formidet quis vel erubescat, praecipue horrens incidere in consimilem poenam et ignominiam passionis; et huiusmodi timor et pudor potissime apparet in facie et maxime in fronte: ideo ad omnem verecundiam et formidinem propulsandam et manus potestativa imponitur, quae confirmet, et crux fronti imprimitur, ut non erubescat eam publice confiteri nec formidet pro confessione nominis Christi, si opus fuerit, quantamcumque poenam vel ignominiam sustinere, tanquam verus pugil unctus ad proelium et tanquam miles strenuus, ferens in fronte regis sui signum et crucis eius triumphale vexillum, cum quo paratus sit penetrare hostium cuneos securus. Non enim potest crucis gloria libere praedicari, si crucis poena et ignominia formidetur, iuxta quod sanctus dicebat Andreas: « Ego, si crucis ignominiam expavescerem, crucis gloriam non praedicarem6 ».
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Chapter VIII. On the integrity of confirmation.
Concerning the Sacrament of confirmation this must be held: that for its integrity there is required a vocal form, which according to the more common usage is this: I sign thee with the sign of the cross, I confirm thee with the chrism of salvation, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. — There is required also chrism, which is compounded of the oil of olives and of balsam, with which, when through the hands of the bishop the sign of the cross is imprinted upon the forehead under the aforesaid form of the words of confirmation, the Sacrament is received; through which a man is confirmed as a champion for confessing the name of Christ boldly and publicly8.
Now the reason for the understanding of the aforesaid is this: since our reparative principle, the Word namely incarnate, just as it was eternally conceived in the heart of the Father and temporally appeared to man sensibly in the flesh, so repairs no one unless he both conceive it by believing with the heart and bring forth what he has believed outwardly by con- p. 273 fessing it with the confession that is due; and of this kind is a truthful confession full of truth, which is not only speculative truth but also practical. And this is that in which there is not only « the adequation of intellect, of speech and of the thing1 », but also that in which the whole man is conformed to truth according to the understanding of reason, according to the complacency of the will and according to the adherence of virtue, so that it be from the whole heart, the whole soul and the whole mind2, be from a pure heart, a good conscience and faith unfeigned; and such a confession is entire, pleasing and intrepid; so that it be entire by reason of that of which it is; pleasing by reason of him before whom it is made; intrepid by reason of him by whom that confession has to be made. Since therefore for this the pusillanimous man is not fit, unless he be confirmed through the hand of supernal grace; therefore for this the Sacrament of confirmation was divinely instituted as immediately following baptism.
But because « the end imposes necessity upon those things which are unto the end3 »; therefore this Sacrament ought to be made entire according to the exigency of the aforesaid confession and of its conditions, namely of the three aforesaid. First then, since this confession ought to be entire; and there is no integrity of confession unless one confess Christ as true man crucified for men, and the same as true Son of God incarnate, in the Trinity coequal in all things with the Father and with the Holy Spirit: hence it is that in the vocal form there is made not only the expression of the act of confirming, but also of the sign of the cross itself and of the name of the most blessed Trinity.
Further, since the confession ought to be pleasing by reason of him before whom it is made, and it has to be made before God and men4; and it cannot please God unless there be present the light of understanding and the brightness of conscience, nor the neighbour unless there be present the odor of good repute and of an honorable life: therefore for the designation of these there is mingled in the outward element the oil of olives, which is bright, and balsam, which is fragrant; that by this it may be signified that the confession, to which this Sacrament orders and disposes, ought to have joined to it the brightness of conscience and of understanding together with the sweet odor as much of life as of repute, lest there be any contrariety between the tongue and the conscience, or between the tongue and repute, on account of which such a confession would not be accepted by man nor approved by Christ.
Lastly, since such a confession ought to be intrepid, so that neither by shame nor by fear may anyone forbear to speak the truth, nor5 in the time of persecution may anyone dread or blush to confess publicly the ignominious death of Christ upon the cross, chiefly shuddering to fall into a like penalty and ignominy of the passion; and fear and shame of this kind appear most of all in the face and most especially on the forehead: therefore for the driving away of all bashfulness and dread a potestative hand also is imposed, which may confirm, and the cross is imprinted upon the forehead, that he may not blush to confess it publicly nor dread, for the confession of the name of Christ, to sustain, if there be need, however great a penalty or ignominy, as a true champion anointed for the battle and as a strenuous soldier, bearing on his forehead the sign of his king and the triumphal standard of his cross, with which he may be ready to penetrate the wedges of the enemy in security. For the glory of the cross cannot freely be preached if the penalty and ignominy of the cross be dreaded, according to what Saint Andrew said: « I, if I dreaded the ignominy of the cross, would not preach the glory of the cross6 ».
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- 8Vide IV. Sent. d. 7. per totam. — Aliquanto superius pro requiritur E exigitur, et pro communem A G K Q communis. — Forma illa indicata habetur in Pontificali Romano. Post crucis aliqui codd. addunt et.See IV Sent. d. 7 throughout. — Somewhat above, for requiritur, E reads exigitur, and for communem, A, G, K, Q read communis. — That form which is here set down is found in the Roman Pontifical. After crucis some codices add et.
- 1De hac veritatis definitione cfr. tom. I. pag. 707, nota 5.On this definition of truth cf. tom. I, p. 707, note 5.
- 2Marc. 12, 30. — Seq. locus est I. Tim. 1, 5. — Pro ut sit 1, 2 cum pluribus codd. ut sic. Immediate post pro sit plures codd. et 2 sic.Mark 12:30. — The following passage is I Timothy 1:5. — For ut sit, editions 1 and 2 with several codices read ut sic. Immediately after, for sit, several codices and edition 2 read sic.
- 3Secundum Aristot., II. Phys. text. 88. seqq. (c. 9.). — Inferius plures codd., inter quos E L M, omittunt in Trinitate.According to Aristotle, Physics II, text 88 ff. (c. 9). — Below, several codices, among them E, L, M, omit in Trinitate.
- 4Cfr. Matth. 10, 32. — De significatione olei et balsami cfr. verba Hug. a S. Vict. et Innocent. III. allegata tom. IV. pag. 167, nota 1. et pag. 593, nota 2. seq.Cf. Matthew 10:32. — On the signification of oil and of balsam cf. the words of Hugh of St. Victor and of Innocent III adduced in tom. IV, p. 167, note 1, and p. 593, note 2 f.
- 5Ita I K L M, sed edd. cum aliis codd. et, qui paulo inferius post publice prosequuntur formidat et erubescit (C O formidet et erubescat). Subinde pro propulsandam I M O V propellendam, L repellendam, et pro potestativa P episcopi, W pontificum.So I, K, L, M; but the editions with the other codices read et, and these, a little below, after publice continue formidat et erubescit (C, O formidet et erubescat). Thereafter, for propulsandam, I, M, O, V read propellendam, L repellendam, and for potestativa, P reads episcopi, W pontificum.
- 6Passio S. Andreae, apud Surium, Histor. seu vit. Sanctor., tom. XI. pag. 745, § 4; et apud Galland. Biblioth. (tom. I. pag. 155, c. 4.). Edd. cum paucis codd.: Ego, si crucem expavescerem... minime praedicarem. D H cum Surio crucis patibulum. — Superius respicitur 3. ant. I. Noct. festi S. Martini (11. Nov.): Hostium cuneos penetrabo securus (ex libro, cui titulus Liber responsalis, inter opera S. Gregorii).The Passion of St. Andrew, in Surius, Histories or Lives of the Saints, tom. XI, p. 745, § 4; and in Galland, Bibliotheca (tom. I, p. 155, c. 4). The editions with a few codices read: Ego, si crucem expavescerem... minime praedicarem [I, if I dreaded the cross... I would by no means preach]. D, H with Surius read crucis patibulum. — Above, reference is had to the third antiphon of the first Nocturn of the feast of St. Martin (11 November): "I shall penetrate the wedges of the enemy in security" (from the book entitled Liber responsalis, among the works of St. Gregory). ---