Third Part: On the Parts of Penance

S. Th. III, q. 90.

471. Notions. - When, in theology, discourse is undertaken concerning the parts of Penance, there are not understood parts of the essence, or elements, which constitute the sacrament according to its totality, namely matter and form, concerning which we spoke above; but parts of one element, namely of the matter alone, which are commonly called integral according to an analogy with material things. Just as in man many parts are distinguished from which the whole human body is made: brain, heart, breast, arms, legs; so in the sacrament of Penance the whole material element is had, and thus the perfection of Penance is integrated from many acts (a. 1 and 2).

But just as in man, among the integral parts, some are also essential, without which human substance cannot be (e.g., heart, brain), and others are merely integral, without which man would be but would not be complete (arms, legs, nose), so in the sacrament of Penance there are two parts without which it cannot be: contrition and confession; and a third without which it would not be whole: satisfaction.¹

¹ Yet there is always supposed a disposition of soul toward satisfying, which is included in contrition, and without which there would not be true contrition.

472. There are three integral parts of the sacrament of Penance. - This is certain. It is proved:

1° From the doctrine of the Church: Council of Florence, decree for the Armenians; and Trent, sess. 14, c. 3 and can. 4.

2° From theological reason: Penance intends recompensation for sin, not insofar as this is the restoration of the wounded order and the reintegration of the equality of justice (as vindictive justice does), but insofar as it is the reconciliation of friendship between God and man; whence in it recompensation for the offense is made according to the will of the one offending and of the one offended, i.e., according to spontaneous offering on the part of the offending sinner and according to the judgment of the offended God.

But for such recompensation three things are required: 1° the will of making recompense, which is done through contrition; 2° subjection made to the judgment of the priest, who remits sin in the place of God, which is done in confession; 3° recompensation according to the judgment of the minister of God, which is done in satisfaction.

And therefore contrition, confession, and satisfaction are the integral parts of Penance (a. 2).

473. Observations. - 1. Contrition, confession, and satisfaction are parts of Penance insofar as it is a sacrament, not insofar as it is a virtue.

For the acts of the penitent, which are multiplied, are not parts of the habit, from which, namely, the habit is constituted, but its effects. "Whence it remains that parts are assigned to Penance insofar as it is a sacrament, to which human acts are compared as proximate matter" (a. 1, ad 2). And therefore, although contrition is the more principal act of penance as it is a virtue, and the more principal disposition of the penitent, nevertheless confession has principality insofar as it is a part of the sacrament or sensible sign, because it is sensible of itself, while contrition is not of itself sensible, but "virtually, insofar as it implies the purpose of confessing and satisfying" (a. 2, ad 1). Whence St. Thomas: "Penance, insofar as it is a sacrament, is perfected chiefly in confession, because through it a man subjects himself to the ministers of the Church, who are dispensers of the sacraments" (Suppl., q. 10, a. 1).

2. They are not subjective parts (as species are), in which the whole power of Penance would be equally present; - nor potential parts, in which the whole essence would be present but not the whole power (as the essence of the soul in each of the powers); - but they are rightly called integral, because neither the whole essence nor the whole power is present in each one,² but in all together from which Penance is integrated (q. 90, a. 3).

² In contrition alone, however, the whole of penance is contained according to power, although not according to essence: "for the foundation in a certain way contains the whole building in power, and in this way contrition contains the whole of penance in power" (a. 3, ad 2).

3. They are not only parts because they are ordered to one another (according to the order of power and of time), and thus united dispose for absolution as form, but besides this they are dispositions for receiving sacramental grace; indeed, together with the form, absolution, they are the sign and cause of grace.