CHAPTER I: ON THE NATURE AND VIRTUE OF THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS

Sacrifice taken generally is thus commonly defined: The external oblation of a sensible thing with its destruction or change, made to God alone through a legitimate Minister, in protestation of his supreme dominion.

1316. Principles. - I. The Mass is a true Sacrifice of the new law.

II. The Sacrifice of the Mass perfectly contains the characters of all the sacrifices of the old law, or it is latreutic, etc.

III. The unbloody Sacrifice of the Mass is certainly the same as the bloody Sacrifice of the Cross, not only because the same victim is offered, but also because the formal character of Sacrifice is the same, namely through protestation of the supreme dominion which God has over life and death. Wherefore the Sacrifice of the Altar differs from the Sacrifice of the Cross not indeed essentially, but only accidentally, namely as regards the manner of offering.

These principles are proved and more broadly explained in Dogmatic Theology.

1317. Questions. - Query 1° In what does the essence of the Sacrifice of the Mass consist?

Resp. It is controverted. Not a few hold that the essence of the Sacrifice consists in the Consecration and partially in the Consumption, because in the Consecration the victim is placed, and in the Consumption it is consumed. St. Alphonsus holds this opinion as the more probable.¹

Query 2° For whom can the Sacrifice of the Mass be offered?

It must be premised. In offering Sacrifice the priest acts in three ways, namely in the name of Christ, in the name of the Church, and in his own name. Those things which he does in the name of Christ comprise the essence of Sacrifice properly so called; but in the name of the Church he performs the ceremonies and pours forth the prayers which the Church prescribes for the celebration of this Sacrifice; but he acts in his own name insofar as the good and meritorious work which he places by sacrificing pertains to his person as such. - These things having been premised:

Resp. In general it can be offered for all for whom, at least as impetratory, it can be of profit. Hence:

1° Validly, at least in the name of Christ and in one's own name, it is offered for all, whether living or dead, except only the damned and infants dead without Baptism.

2° Validly and lawfully it is offered, and this in the threefold manner which we have described, for all living faithful, even for sinners not excommunicated, but for these only as regards the fruit of impetration.

3° As regards living excommunicated persons: a) Certainly it is lawful indirectly, even in the name of the Church, e.g. for their conversion, for the propagation of the Faith, etc., "insofar as their good results in the enlargement of the Church," as Lugo says. b) If there is question of the Sacrifice to be offered directly and in particular for some excommunicated person, distinguish between those to be avoided, or nominally excommunicated, and the tolerated. - For those to be avoided it is lawful in one's own name, but not in the name of Christ or of the Church.² - But for the tolerated, of itself, it is more probably lawful even in the name of the Church, because the faithful are permitted to communicate with them, even in divine things.³ I said: of itself; because, if there is question of heretics and schismatics, several Responses of the Holy See prove that in practice this is not lawful, by reason of scandal, etc.⁴

4° In the name of the Church, neither publicly (as is clear of itself and all admit) nor secretly (as almost all hold) is it lawful to offer for the dead to whom ecclesiastical burial is to be denied, for instance for notorious heretics and schismatics. For under the name of burial are understood whatever suffrages are customarily made by the Church for the dead; but among these, Masses celebrated in the name of the Church, even secretly, hold the first place.¹

Note. What has been said concerning tolerated excommunicated persons holds more probably also concerning unbelievers.² It is confirmed from the following Response of the Holy Office, which, to the proposed doubt: "Whether it is lawful for priests to celebrate Mass for the intention of Turks and other unbelievers, and to accept from them alms for the application of Mass?" on Wednesday, 12 July 1865, responded: "Affirmatively, provided that scandal is not present, and nothing is added specially in the Mass, and as regards the intention it is established that nothing of evil, or error, or superstition underlies the unbelievers offering the alms."³ (10) p. 418.

Query 3° Of how many kinds is the fruit of the Sacrifice of the Mass?

Resp. The fruit of the Mass is distinguished under a twofold head, namely on the part of the one offering and on the part of the victim.

I. On the part of the one offering. Since the one offering is twofold, namely Christ and the priest, hence there is a twofold kind of fruit of the Mass on the part of the one offering. The first comes from Christ offering, and is said to be ex opere operato, because it is received in view of the merits of Christ and his promise. The other comes from the priest offering, insofar as it is received in view of the merit and devotion of the priest celebrating, and is called fruit ex opere operantis. - Hence it happens that a Sacrifice offered by a holy priest, insofar as it is considered ex opere operato, is not of more profit than if it were offered by an unworthy Minister; because the Sacrifice, considered thus, is the work of Christ, and fruit flows only from the merits of Christ. Wherefore in this sense it can rightly be said that the Mass of a bad priest is worth as much as the Mass of a good priest. But otherwise it must be said if the merit ex opere operantis is considered; for the worthier the priest is and the greater the devotion with which he is endowed, by so much the greater does the fruit of the Mass become.

II. On the part of the victim. Under this head a threefold fruit of the Sacrifice is distinguished, namely general, special, most special.

1° The general fruit is that which corresponds to the Sacrifice insofar as it is a work placed by the priest, according as he operates in the name of the whole Church. And indeed all the Faithful, both living and dwelling in purgatory, perceive this fruit; but it is assigned to them only by way of impetration (by force of which contrition and thus also remission of sins can be obtained), not however, as it seems, by way of satisfaction, because from the thousands of Sacrifices which are offered daily, any just man, even unknowingly, would obtain the remission of immense punishment, which appears incredible. - Those assisting at the Sacrifice, and a fortiori those cooperating in it, e.g. those serving the priest, etc., participate in this general fruit in a more abundant or more special manner. But this fruit, as being ex opere operantis, is the more abundant, the greater the devotion and holiness of those assisting and cooperating. Thus Gury; but St. Alphonsus calls the fruit accruing to those assisting and cooperating special (others call it middle or ministerial), nor does he distinguish between opus operatum and operantis. - But, as ministerial:

2° The special fruit is that which comes to him or to those to whom the priest specially applies the Sacrifice. These participate ex opere operato in the Sacrifice as it is impetratory and propitiatory; indeed also, provided nothing stands in the way, as it is satisfactory.

3° The most special fruit is that which comes to the priest offering, insofar as he is a private person offering. For if any cooperators perceive from the Sacrifice a fruit entirely special, much more ought the priest who sacrifices to perceive this. But whether the priest can apply this fruit to others is uncertain.¹

Query 4° Is the value of the Sacrifice of the Mass infinite?

Resp. 1° It is certainly infinite if it is considered in itself, or in the thing offered and in the excellence of the dignity of Christ offering. For Christ himself in this Sacrifice is at the same time the victim and the principal one offering. Wherefore the Mass is the oblation of a victim of infinite price, made by Christ as primary offerer, who has infinite merit.

Resp. 2° It cannot be infinite as regards the application made to individual men, or as regards the effect or fruit. The reason is because creatures are not capable of perceiving infinite fruit; but the application can be greater or lesser, according as the disposition or capacity of him to whom it is applied has been greater or lesser.

But it is controverted whether the application of the fruit of the Sacrifice is restricted to a certain degree, or is made indefinitely according to the capacity of those for whom it is offered.

The sentence today, says St. Alphonsus, most common, and which speculatively seems more probable, contends that the application is made indefinitely according to the capacity of the faithful for whom it is offered. - The reason is because the value of the Sacrifice is in itself infinite; hence of itself it can be applied to innumerable men, without being able to be exhausted. Otherwise the holy Doctor teaches in the work contro gli eretici pretesi riform., where he teaches that the fruit, from the will of Christ, is restricted to a certain degree.¹

Query 5° Is the Mass of profit to the dead from an infallible promise of Christ?

Resp. Affirmatively. For Mass is usefully offered for the dead, as is established from Trent.² Moreover this cannot be done except from the promise of Christ, which is related in Matthew:³ This is my Blood ... which shall be poured out for many unto the remission of sins. It is established also from the words of the form in the conferral of Order: Receive the power of offering Sacrifice to God, and of celebrating Masses both for the living and for the dead, in the name of the Lord. Amen. - Nevertheless temporal punishment is not remitted to the dead by a certain law, but it is of profit to them only by way of suffrage, according as it shall have pleased God to accept it. - See Perrone.⁴

Query 6° Is a Mass of Requiem of more profit to the dead than a Mass of the Saints?

Resp. Negatively as regards the substance, or on the part of the Sacrifice; but certainly as regards accidentals, or on the part of the prayers, whose defect devotion can supply. - St. Alphonsus,⁵ after St. Thomas.⁶

It must be noted here that a Mass of Requiem and in black can be applied for a living person, provided that he who gives the alms has not expressly declared the opposite.⁷