Moral Theology Part 138

2707. Duties of Parents, Pastors, Confessors in Reference to Communion.--(a) Parents.--The obligation of the Easter duty for boys under fourteen and for girls under twelve rests morally and juridically upon the consciences of those who are charged with their care, namely, parents, guardians, pastors, and confessors (see 2630, 2631). The parents are the best judges of the mental development, moral disposition and instruction of their children, and therefore of their fitness for First Communion (Canons 860, 854, n. 4).

(b) Confessors.--The decision or counsel about the fitness of children for First Communion, of penitents for frequent or daily Communion, about the frequency of the Viatic.u.m, is left by the Church to the prudence of the confessor (Canons 860, 863, 864, 858, n.2).

(c) Pastors.--The Code prescribes that pastors be especially zealous in the matter of holding Lenten cla.s.ses for the instruction of children in order that they may receive their First Communion worthily; it vests in the pastor the duty of seeing that no child approaches First Communion who has not the use of reason or proper dispositions, as well as of seeing that those children who are fit receive Communion without delay; it also requires that he provide for the fuller instruction in Christian doctrine of children who have made their First Communion (Canons 1330, 854, n. 5, 1331). Pastors should recommend to their people the practices of frequent Communion and of worthy Communion at every Ma.s.s they hear, and should take care that the dying receive the Viatic.u.m while they are in possession of their mental faculties (Canons 863, 865). On the duty of administering Communion see 2676.

2708. Reservation of the Blessed Sacrament.--Having considered the duties owed to the consecration and communion of the Eucharist, we shall conclude by mentioning those that are owed to the Sacrament in its permanency or to Christ dwelling in the tabernacle.

(a) The Duty of Custody.--The Blessed Sacrament must be reserved in cathedral, abbatial, parochial, and religious churches; and it may be reserved with due permission of the Ordinary in collegiate churches and in certain public oratories; but there must be someone in charge, and it is not allowed to reserve the Eucharist in private homes or to carry it about when travelling. Churches which have the Blessed Sacrament should be open at least a few hours daily to the faithful. It is not lawful to reserve the Sacrament habitually on more than one altar of the church, and that altar should be the one that is most honorable or most suited for worship, and it should be suitably decorated. The tabernacle should be as precious as possible and be carefully guarded, and the Hosts should be reserved inside in a solid pyx or ciborium.

Before the tabernacle should burn day and night a sanctuary lamp fed by olive or other oil (Canons 1265-1271).

(b) The Duty of Renewal of the Hosts.--The consecrated species kept for Communion and adoration should be frequently renewed, lest they be corrupted. It would be a serious sin of irreverence to neglect this duty for over one or two months, or even for a shorter time if the danger of corruption is great on account of local conditions, such as dampness (Canon 1272).

(c) The Duty of Worship.--Pastors and others in charge of religious instruction should encourage devotion to the Eucharist, and especially the practice of a.s.sistance at Ma.s.s even on weekdays and of visits to the Blessed Sacrament. Benediction may be given frequently, and at least once a year there should be held in every parish church the Devotion of the Forty Hours, or at least some more solemn exposition of the Blessed Sacrament for a number of hours (Canons 1273-1275).

2709. The Sacrifice of the Ma.s.s.--In the Eucharist is contained not only a Sacrament which confers the grace of spiritual nutrition on its recipients, but also a sacrifice which offers to G.o.d Christ's oblation as an act of adoration, thanksgiving, satisfaction and intercession. It is this sacrifice--which is one with the sacrifice of the cross, though offered unbloodily--that is known as the Ma.s.s. The chief persons who have duties in reference to the Ma.s.s are the celebrant and the a.s.sistants.

(a) The celebrant is the priest, who acts in the name and person of Christ. To say Ma.s.s validly one must have the power of Orders conferred in the presbyterate or priesthood, and must intend to consecrate (see 2701 b); to say Ma.s.s licitly one must be free from impediments which debar from Ma.s.s, such as suspension or irregularity. Strange priests who wish to say Ma.s.s are required to present a celebret or testimonial letter to the rector of the church (Canon 804), without prejudice, however, to their right to say Ma.s.s once or twice when they present themselves in clerical garb and sign the visiting priest's book.

(b) The a.s.sistants are all those who hear Ma.s.s. Their duties were already explained in the question on the first precept of the Church (2576 sqq.). We shall confine ourselves here, therefore, to the duties of the celebrant.

2710. The Obligation of Saying Ma.s.s.--(a) The Obligation by reason of Orders or Priesthood.--Divine law imposes on priests as a body a grave obligation of celebrating Ma.s.s with such frequency that the memory of Christ's pa.s.sion be kept alive, which is the purpose of the priesthood, according to the words: "Do this in commemoration of Me." Divine law also imposes on each individual priest the obligation of saying Ma.s.s at frequent intervals (i.e., at least, it would seem, on the greater feasts and at dates not more than six months apart); for a priest is ordained primarily to give glory to G.o.d and to impart blessings to man by the Sacrifice of the Ma.s.s (Heb., v. 1). It seems, therefore, that a priest receives grace in vain or neglects the sacrifice (II Cor., vi.

1, II Mach., iv. 14) if he omits Ma.s.s on the most solemn occasions of the year when nearly all the faithful are accustomed to receive Communion, or if he omits it for such a notable period as more than six months. It seems that the sin is _per se_ venial, as being opposed to fervor rather than to charity; but it may be mortal _per accidens_, as when serious scandal is given. There is no sin, however, if a priest has no opportunity to celebrate, or is lawfully impeded (e.g., on account of humility, scrupulosity, illness, or censure). The law of the Church recalls this obligation in Canon 805, and calls on bishops and religious superiors to exhort their subjects to say Ma.s.s at least on all Sundays and holydays. Daily Ma.s.s is quite customary today, and there might be serious scandal if without reason Ma.s.s were said only exceptionally.

(b) The Obligation by Reason of Special Offices or Duties.--Pastors are bound to say or provide Ma.s.s for their people on days of obligation as a duty of justice, and it seems on other days also as a duty of charity if there is a great need or demand and no reasonable impediment. There is an obligation of justice to celebrate Ma.s.s, if one has contracted to do so; an obligation of fidelity, if one has freely promised; an obligation of religion, if one has vowed; an obligation of obedience, if one has been lawfully commanded by one's superior.

2711. Dispositions for the Celebration of Ma.s.s.--(a) Dispositions of Soul.--The celebrant must be in the state of grace, and must go to confession before Ma.s.s if he has a serious sin on his conscience (see 2701 c). He must have the intention and attention which the validity of the consecration requires (2701 b), and the reverence and devotion which is due the prayers of the Ma.s.s (2153 sqq.), Voluntary and fully deliberate distractions entertained for a considerable time during the Canon seem to be seriously sinful. It is most suitable, though apparently not commanded by the Church, that Matins and Lauds be said before Ma.s.s. There is, however, a duty of religion and of charity to self to make a suitable preparation and thanksgiving; but negligence here is a light sin, unless there be contempt or serious scandal.

Fifteen minutes or a half-hour is recommended by ascetical writers, and the prayers may be taken from those given in the Breviary and Missal, Internal prayer, however, is more important than external recitation (Canon 810).

(b) Dispositions of Body.--The Eucharistic or natural fast is of grave obligation for the celebration of Ma.s.s (Canon 808). The only excuses are necessity according to divine law or exemption by ecclesiastical law. Necessity occurs when one must complete the sacrifice (e.g., when after the Communion the priest notices that he consecrated one species invalidly), or must avoid scandal (e.g., when a priest remembers after going to the altar that he is not fasting), or must consecrate for the Viatic.u.m (e.g., when there is no consecrated host for a dying person).

Since the law is ecclesiastical, the Church could dispense for a grave reason (e.g., to enable a sickly priest to say Ma.s.ses on Sunday at widely separated points of his missions). It is clear that the celebration of Ma.s.s calls for cleanness of body, suitableness of dress, neatness and rubrical correctness of vestments (Canon 811). The omission of a princ.i.p.al vestment (i.e., blessed alb, stole or chasuble) is a serious sin, except in grave necessity; the omission of minor vestments (e.g., amice) is a venial sin, unless there is a just reason.

The color of the day is not gravely obligatory, except by reason of scandal, and a good reason makes it lawful to use another color.

2712. Gravity of Regulations Concerning Circ.u.mstances of Ma.s.s.--Serious disrespect or serious scandal is caused by disregard of important regulations concerning the circ.u.mstances of the Ma.s.s. Hence, the following rules oblige under grave sin, though exceptions are permitted for cases of grave or very grave necessity.

(a) The Time of Ma.s.s.--Ma.s.s may not be said on Good Friday, nor private Ma.s.ses on Holy Thursday and Holy Sat.u.r.day. Only one Ma.s.s may be said a day, except on Christmas Day and All Souls' Day, and on other days when there is reason for bination or trination allowed by the Church.

Ordinarily the hour for beginning Ma.s.s should not be earlier than one hour before dawn (i.e., in the lat.i.tude of New York from about 1:27 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., according to the season), nor later than one hour after noon. But the time is to be understood morally, and it is not a grave sin in being earlier or later than the times fixed, unless there is a difference of an entire hour (e.g., if one began Ma.s.s at 2:00 p.m.) and not just excuse or dispensation. The Holy See has extended to local Ordinaries the power to permit the daily celebration of Ma.s.s after noon, if the spiritual good of a considerable number of the faithful demands it (_Sacram Communionem_). The Holy See has also granted permission to Ordinaries to allow the celebration of an evening Ma.s.s on Palm Sunday accompanied by the blessing of palms and procession. On Holy Thursday the Ma.s.s of the Lord's Supper must be celebrated at the most convenient hour, but not before 4:00 p.m. and not after 9:00 p.m.; Ordinaries may grant permission for one or even two low Ma.s.ses (besides the princ.i.p.al Ma.s.s) to be celebrated in churches and public oratories, and for one in semi-public oratories within the same hours, 4:00-9:00 p.m. The proper hour for the Easter Vigil is that which permits the Ma.s.s of the Easter Vigil to be started around midnight. Permission may be granted to conduct the vigil at a time not before sunset (Dispositions and Regulations concerning the Holy Week Liturgy, Feb. 1, 1957, Sacred Congregation of Rites). One Christmas may be said at midnight. It is a serious sin to say Ma.s.s in less than a quarter of an hour, and a private Ma.s.s should not be prolonged beyond a half-hour.

(b) Place.--Ma.s.s may not be celebrated regularly except in a church or oratory that is at least blessed and is not polluted, execrated or interdicted. It must be said on an altar, and it would be a serious sin, except in grave or very grave necessity, to celebrate without at least one altar cloth or one lighted wax candle, or without a rubrical chalice, paten, or corporal (Canons 822, 823).

(c) Rites.--The princ.i.p.al rubrics of the Ma.s.s are gravely obligatory, for example, to use an acolyte unless excused by dispensation or necessity, to say each prayer of the Canon, and each part outside the Canon that occurs in every Ma.s.s (e.g., the prayers at the foot of the altar, the Gospel), to perform the main liturgical actions (e.g., the Offertory, the breaking of the host, the purification of the chalice).

The secondary rubrics oblige under venial sin (see Canons 803, 812-819).

2713. Is it Lawful to Discontinue a Ma.s.s?--(a) To terminate Ma.s.s before the end has been reached is unlawful unless there be a serious reason; otherwise, disrespect is shown the Holy Sacrifice. A grave reason (e.g., sudden sickness) suffices if Ma.s.s be discontinued before the Consecration; a most grave reason (i.e., danger of death or of profanation of the Sacrament) if Ma.s.s be discontinued between the Consecration and the Communion. But a Ma.s.s that is broken off after the Consecration and before the Communion must be completed by the celebrant or another, at least if this can be done within an hour from the time of cessation; else the sacrifice is mutilated.

(b) To interrupt Ma.s.s is also unlawful without serious cause. Thus, a grave reason excuses an interruption outside the Canon, for example, to preach a sermon after the Gospel or Communion; but only a very grave reason excuses an interruption during the Canon, for example, a sick call to give a necessary Sacrament (Baptism, Penance, Extreme Unction, or Viatic.u.m) to a dying person.

2714. Application of the Ma.s.s.--All the faithful, especially those who are present and also the celebrant himself, benefit by the Ma.s.s, but there is a special fruit reserved to those for whose intention the Ma.s.s is offered by the priest; for the Ma.s.s is a sacrifice of intercession, propitiation, and satisfaction, and since the priest acts in the person of Christ he may apply its benefits specially to some particular person or persons. In the following cases the celebrant is bound to make this application of the ministerial fruit of the Ma.s.s.

(a) In virtue of their office, pastors are seriously obliged to say Ma.s.s for their flocks. There is a natural obligation on account of the relationship between the pastor and the people, and there is also a divine obligation, inasmuch as the priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin (Heb., v, 1). The details of this duty, as to the time, place and person, are prescribed in Canons 306, 339, 466.

There is a grave duty of saying for the people the number of Ma.s.ses which the Church orders; but the non-observance of the circ.u.mstances is not a mortal sin, unless it happens frequently and without reason.

(b) In virtue of justice, a priest who has received a stipend is bound to apply the Ma.s.s for the intention of the donor, and to observe the conditions of the agreement (i.e., the time, place, and kind of Ma.s.s specified by the donor). The duty of application is a grave one, because the loss inflicted on the donor by non-application of the Ma.s.s to his intention is serious; the duty of observance of the accidental conditions, however, is not generally grave, but it becomes grave if its neglect inflicts serious harm (e.g., if the donor makes the date of the Ma.s.s a _conditio sine qua non_, or if the Ma.s.s must be said at once on account of an urgent and immediate necessity). Rest.i.tution is obligatory if the Ma.s.s is not applied, or if essential conditions are not complied with; it is obligatory _sub gravi_, if the stipend equals what is relatively grave matter in theft.

(c) In virtue of obedience, subjects are held to apply Ma.s.ses for the intention of their prelates, secular or religious, though bishops are counselled to exact this most rarely. The obligation is grave or light according to the intention of the superior, but if the application is also due in justice to the giver of the stipend, there is a serious duty.

(d) In virtue of religion or fidelity, there is an obligation of application when a priest has vowed this to G.o.d, or freely promised it to man. The duty is grave or light according to the intention of the vower or promisor (see 2210, 2407). But if there is an onerous promise (e.g., in a society of priests whose members agree to say Ma.s.s for fellow-members who have died), the duty is one of justice. One Ma.s.s satisfies several free promises, if distinct Ma.s.ses were not promised.

2715. Duties of the Priest as to the Application of Ma.s.s.--(a) For Whom May Ma.s.s Be Applied?--Ma.s.s may be offered for all objects not forbidden. From the divine law it is forbidden to offer Ma.s.s for those who are incapable of receiving its benefits (e.g., the demons, infants who died without Baptism, the Saints), or for intentions that are displeasing to G.o.d (e.g., for success in evil). From the ecclesiastical law certain restrictions are made on the application of Ma.s.s in order to safeguard reverence and prevent scandal. Thus, Ma.s.s may be said only privately (that is, without publicity or special liturgical solemnity) and prudently (that is, with avoidance of scandal, for example, by the declaration that Ma.s.s is said for the faithful departed with the purpose of aiding also a departed unbeliever, if this is pleasing to G.o.d) for the living and dead outside the Church, such as infidels, heretics, schismatics, and the excommunicated. Moreover, for a _vitandus_ Ma.s.s may be applied only when the intention is his conversion (Canon 809).

(b) How Ma.s.s Must Be Applied.--The intention must be formed by the priest, since he represents Christ. But since his application does not produce but only bestows the fruits, it suffices that his applicatory intention be habitual and implicit, as when the celebrant has forgotten the intention formed before Ma.s.s, or applies according to the mind of his superior. The person or purpose to which Ma.s.s is applied must be at least implicitly determined, and the application must be made at least before the second consecration. If there are two conflicting intentions, the stronger prevails (2667), and, if it is doubtful which one was stronger, Ma.s.s should be next offered for the intention which G.o.d knows was not satisfied. It is unlawful to apply Ma.s.s by antic.i.p.ation for the next person who will offer a stipend.

2716. Ma.s.s Stipends.--It is not unlawful to receive a stipend for the application of Ma.s.s, but irreligion, injustice, avarice, scandal and disobedience must be avoided. (a) Irreligion is committed if the stipend is offered or taken as the price of the Ma.s.s, or if Ma.s.s is said only because of the stipend, or is requested only for the sake of human favor (see 2333); (b) injustice is committed, if an excessive stipend is exacted; (c) avarice is committed when one is over-anxious about large stipends; (d) scandal is given when there is commercialism or the appearance of it in dealing with stipends; (e) disobedience is incurred when the laws of the Church on the amount of a stipend, the number of stipends that may be taken, their distribution, satisfaction, etc., are violated (see Canons 824-844). It is forbidden to require two stipends for one Ma.s.s, or one stipend for mere celebration and another for application.

Art. 3: REPENTANCE; PENANCE; EXTREME UNCTION

(_Summa Theologica_, III, qq. 84-90; Supplement, qq. 1-33.)

2717. Penance is the name both of a virtue and of a Sacrament of the New Law. The virtue was at all times necessary; the Sacrament is necessary since its inst.i.tution by Christ. Having considered in the previous Article how the spiritual life is begotten, matured and preserved through the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist, we shall consider in the present Article how spiritual death and infirmity are overcome by the remedies of Penance and Extreme Unction. But first we shall speak of the virtue of penance or repentance which is a requisite for the fruitful reception of the Sacrament of Penance and of its complement, Extreme Unction.

2718. The Virtue of Repentance.--This virtue is a gift of G.o.d and a permanent habit of the soul, but there are certain acts by which man coperates with G.o.d and prepares himself for the gift. Sometimes a sinner is converted through consideration of G.o.d's goodness or of the rewards of heaven; but usually those who have been drawn by sinful delights are first deterred from them by the thought of G.o.d's justice, and amendment begins from fear. Faith, hope, fear and love, at least virtually, are always found in the process of turning to G.o.d, and usually they follow one another in that process in the order here given. (a) The beginning of conversion is with G.o.d who draws the heart: "Convert us to Thee, O Lord, and we shall be converted" (Lament, v.

21). (b) Then follows the movement of faith, for he that would come to G.o.d must first believe that He is (Heb., xi. 6). (c) Next follow servile fear, which removes one from sin, and hope, which leads one to G.o.d, for faith holds out both threats of punishment and promises of mercy. (d) Then come the movements of love, which detests sin for its own sake, and of filial fear, which offers satisfaction to G.o.d out of reverence.

2719. Repentance.--Repentance may be defined as "a moral virtue that inclines the will of one who is subject to sin to grieve over it and to make reparation to G.o.d for the injury it does to His rights."

(a) Thus, repentance has its remote subject in one who is subject to sin, that is, in a person who has sinned or who is able to sin. Hence, it is not in Christ, who is impeccable, nor in the holy Angels, whose wills are fixed in good; but it is found in the Saints, inasmuch as their former sin is displeasing to them and their former contrition and satisfaction pleasing.

(b) The proximate subject of repentance is the will, for its acts of regret, resolution, and reparation belong to the higher appet.i.tive faculty, Hence, repentance does not consist in emotional sorrow, and it does not need to be sensibly felt or joined with tears.

(c) The formal object or motive of repentance is reparation to Goal for the injury done Him by one's own personal sin. Sin may be considered as opposed to the divine goodness, and in this respect it is detested by charity; or as opposed to the good of man himself, and so hope detests it; or as opposed to the moral goodness of some particular virtue, and in this respect it is hated by that virtue, as temperance shuns intemperance; or as opposed to the right which belongs to G.o.d, the Last End, that all actions be done for Him, and in this respect sin is considered by repentance. One may regret original sin or sins done by others, but one is not properly said to repent of them.

(d) The material object or subject-matter of repentance is the acts by which reparation is made to G.o.d, namely, grief over sin and its accompaniments, hatred of moral wickedness in the present, regrets for the past, and good resolutions for the future. Thus, repentance differs from religion, for religion looks upon G.o.d as Lord and Benefactor and offers Him worship, while repentance considers Him as the Last End who has been offended and offers Him satisfaction. The difference between filial fear and repentance is seen in this, that the former falls back upon its own littleness, whereas the latter throws itself at the feet of G.o.d.

2720. The Character of Repentance.--(a) It is a virtue, since it is commanded ("Do penance," Matt., iii. 2), and also since it moderates according to reason the sorrow felt for sin, keeping it from the extreme of despair, lest it become the remorse of a Cain or a Judas.

(b) It is a moral virtue, since its direct object is the human acts by which reparation is made to G.o.d, and its office the regulation of those acts within the bounds of moderation.

(c) It belongs to justice, being a compensation offered for injury to another's right; but it is only a potential part of justice, as there is not perfect justice between an inferior and the superior to whose power the former is subject (2142). It is cla.s.sed under commutative justice on account of the return that is offered for the offense;

2721. The Excellence of Repentance.--(a) Its Dignity.--Repentance ranks below other virtues, for, while they are naturally advantageous to man, repentance is beneficial only hypothetically, namely, in the supposition of sin. In one respect, however, it holds a certain preminence, for the infused virtues are bestowed only in justification, whereas the acts of repentance that prepare for justification come before those virtues.

(b) Its Necessity.--In the actual providence of G.o.d no mortal sin is remitted unless it be first repented of, and hence it is said: "Unless you do penance, you shall all likewise perish" (Luke, xiii. 5). This is reasonable, since it is fitting that he who has turned away from G.o.d by his own act, should also return to G.o.d by his own act. As to venial sin, since it consists in an inordinate cleaving to created things and must be removed by its contrary, there is need of an actual rejection of the exaggerated attachment, and hence need of repentance; moreover, since one should be restored to G.o.d's friendship before being restored to His familiarity, penitence in regard to a venial sin does not avail, unless the penitent is in the state of grace. The act of repentance need not be formal (i.e., one in which a person expressly thinks of his sins and expressly detests them), but a virtual act suffices, that is, an act of love of G.o.d which implicitly includes repentance, though the latter is not expressly taken into consideration.

2722. Is Repentance Necessary as a Means or as a Precept?--(a) It is necessary as a means of salvation because, if it be omitted, salvation cannot be attained. G.o.d desires that the sinner a.s.sist in and consent to his own forgiveness, and repentance, as we saw, is the most suitable way in which the sinner can do this. (b) It is also necessary as a precept. The natural law requires that those who have done an injury, make reparation; the divine law calls on sinners to repent and be converted to G.o.d (Acts, ii. 38, iii. 19, viii. 22), and the church law prescribes annual confession.

2723. How Soon Does the Precept of Repentance Oblige?--(a) It obliges at once (i.e., without any delay), when there is immediate necessity for it. This happens _per se_, when one is in grave danger of death, for at that moment one is bound to prepare immediately to meet G.o.d, which supposes repentance. It happens _per accidens_, when by reason of some urgent precept distinct from that of repentance one is obligated here and now to rid oneself of sin (e.g., when one is called on to administer a Sacrament and must have a pure conscience, or when one is gravely tempted and will surely fall unless one repents of the past).