Article — Noldin, Summa of Moral Theology
Article First. On the Fruits of the Sacrifice of the Mass
168. The fruits of the sacrifice of the Mass can be understood in a broader and a stricter sense. In the broader sense are comprehended all the effects which the sacrifice of the Mass produces both with respect to God and with respect to men; in the stricter sense are signified the effects which the Mass produces in men, i.e., the goods which God confers on men in view of the sacrifice offered. These fruits of the Mass can be considered and divided under a threefold respect: a. by reason of the mode by which they are produced; b. by reason of the thing which is conferred; c. by reason of the persons upon whom the fruits are conferred.
1 Sporer-Bierbaum, III, pr. 2, n. 222 ss.; Lugo, disp. 19, sect. 9; Ballerini-Palmieri, IV, n. 994 ss.; Gihr, Das hl. Messopfer, p. 115 ff.
169. By reason of the mode by which they are produced, some fruits come from the work worked, others from the work of the one working. Fruits are said to come ex opere operato when they are conferred from the institution and offering of the sacrifice independently of the holiness and disposition of the offerer; fruits are said to come ex opere operantis when they are conferred in view of the dignity and merit of the offerer.
a. The fruits which come from the sacrifice of the Mass for the offerers and for those for whom the Mass is offered, insofar as they come from the fact that the Church offers and prays through her ministers, are said by some to come ex opere operato, by others ex opere operantis (n. 49). What the fruits are which come ex opere operato will be said below.
b. The effects which are caused through the sacrifice of the Mass ex opere operato follow infallibly, if in the subject in which they are caused there is found no obstacle: for what is produced ex opere operato follows infallibly when the obstacle is removed. Against this affirmation there does not stand: alpha. the fact that many sinners for whom the sacrifice of the Mass is offered are not converted: for by the force of the sacrifice offered, helps are conferred upon all by which they can be converted, if they will; nor beta. the fact that benefits which are sought through the sacrifice of the Mass are not always conceded: for even if those determinate goods which are sought are not conceded, especially temporal goods, nevertheless by the force of the sacrifice offered, some other good is always conceded in place of that which is sought, if it does not find an obstacle.
170. By reason of the thing which is conferred, the fruit of the Mass is fourfold:
a. Meritorious of grace and glory. Christ indeed through the eucharistic sacrifice merits nothing further and makes no satisfaction: for redemption was completed through the sacrifice of the cross; nor can the Church offering the sacrifice of the Mass merit anything: for merit supposes a personal action. But the priest as ministerial offerer and all the secondary offerers receive a meritorious fruit, if the conditions required for merit are present in them. The sacrifice of the Mass produces this fruit ex opere operantis.
For the offering of this sacrifice is a good work placed by the priest and the other offerers, which, when the due conditions exist, like every other good work, has meritorious, impetratory, and satisfactory value ex opere operantis.
b. Impetratory. The sacrifice of the Mass has power of obtaining goods both spiritual and even temporal, if they conduce to salvation. This fruit comes ex opere operato, since the sacrifice of the Mass by its institution has power of obtaining the goods which are asked, if they are expedient for the salvation of those asking.
The impetratory effect is produced by this, that Christ, offering His merits, asks the Father that because of these merits He will to concede to this or that man these or those goods, whether supernatural or natural. From this impetratory fruit must be distinguished the impetratory fruit which comes from the supplication of the Church, the efficacy of whose supplication is greater the more there are here and now in the Church faithful of eminent holiness. Finally, from both impetratory fruits must be distinguished the impetratory fruit which comes to the priest and the faithful offering with him ex opere operantis, because those offering the Mass place a salutary work.
c. Propitiatory or expiatory. The sacrifice of the Mass has power of placating God and remitting sins both mortal and venial.1 It does not remit sins immediately but mediately, insofar as it confers grace for eliciting pious acts by which the soul is disposed for obtaining remission. This effect also the Mass produces ex opere operato, insofar as through the sacrifice of the Mass the merits of Christ, acquired by the sacrifice of the cross, are represented to God the Father and move Him to mercy, so that He concedes the gift of penance.
alpha. The propitiatory fruit can be explained in this way. Because of sins God, justly indignant and averse, denies to the sinner at least richer helps by which he may be brought to penance; but when the sacrifice is offered, God is placated, and, having laid aside indignation, grants helps which, not placated, He would have denied. Therefore the sacrifice of the Mass confers helps for arriving at penance and for destroying sins in a twofold way: by obtaining directly and by propitiating or placating indirectly; for placation directly takes away the indignation which stood in the way of those helps being conceded.2
beta. All indeed concede that mortal sins are remitted through the sacrifice of the Mass only mediately, namely because the Mass obtains and confers upon the sinner helps of grace (not however always efficacious), by which he is moved to contrition or to receiving the sacrament with attrition. For the sacrifice was instituted immediately for the worship of God, but not as a sacrament for immediately justifying and sanctifying man. The Council of Trent indicates the same: by the offering of this sacrifice, the Lord, being placated and granting grace and the gift of penance, forgives crimes and sins.3
gamma. But concerning venial sins some teach that they are destroyed immediately in the just through the sacrifice of the Mass, with the disposition required for this supposed. Yet the truer opinion, which holds that even venial sins are destroyed only mediately, namely because the sacrifice of the Mass confers on the just helps for eliciting pious acts, in which at least virtual detestation of venial sins and the immediate cause of their remission is contained, seems to be preferred.4
d. Satisfactory. The sacrifice of the Mass has power of remitting, both for the living and for the dead, temporal punishment which is still owed for sins already remitted.5 This fruit is produced ex opere operato and indeed immediately (not only mediately by obtaining helps for eliciting satisfactory acts), insofar as by the offering of this sacrifice the satisfactions of Christ are applied to those for whom it is offered. Yet it does not remit all punishment at once, but a greater or lesser part according to the measure established by God and according to the disposition of the faithful.
This power of the sacrifice is gathered from the Council of Trent, which teaches in the cited place that souls detained in purgatory are most greatly aided by the sacrifice of the altar; but this would not be true if the Mass did not have power of remitting immediately for the dead temporal punishments, which have the character of an indulgence; for they would not be most greatly aided through the sacrifice of the Mass. But if the sacrifice of the Mass has power of remitting temporal punishments for the dead, there is no reason to deny the same power with respect to the living.
Note. 1. Those who distinguish the propitiatory fruit from the expiatory call propitiatory the fruit which conduces to obtaining remission of mortal sins, but expiatory that which conduces to destroying venial sins. Each remission of sins it produces only mediately and in the manner of impetration.
- The division by which the sacrifice of the Mass by reason of its end is called latreutic, eucharistic, impetratory, and satisfactory must be called adequate, because under the impetratory end is also contained the propitiatory or expiatory: for the sacrifice is propitiatory (expiatory) insofar as, by God being placated through the sacrifice itself, it obtains graces and helps by which the sinner is moved to conversion.
1 Council of Trent, sess. 22, c. 2 and can. 3.
2 Cf. Lugo, disp. 19, n. 141.
4 Cf. Laymann, l. 5, tr. 5, c. 1, n. 4; Sporer-Bierbaum, III, pr. 2, n. 242.
5 Council of Trent, sess. 25, De purgat.
171. By reason of the persons to whom the fruits come, a fourfold fruit of the Mass is distinguished: general, special, most special, and ministerial.
It is clear that here the discussion is not of the meritorious fruit, of which the offerers themselves and those assisting are made participants because they exercise a supernatural act of religion, but of the fruits which the Mass produces ex opere operato, insofar as it is a sacrifice offered by Christ and by the Church to God, namely of the impetratory and satisfactory fruit.
a. General is that in which the whole Church participates, namely all the faithful, living and dead, provided they place no obstacle. The faithful, both living and dead, receive this general fruit without application of the celebrant, from the will of the Church, which always intends to offer for all her members living and dead. But the priest cannot apply this general fruit otherwise, because by divine law he himself is constituted by God to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people.1
Therefore all the faithful receive from any Mass the impetratory and propitiatory fruit; but whether they also receive the satisfactory fruit is not established: for to many theologians it seems incredible that each just person would receive remission of punishment from so many thousands of sacrifices offered daily.2
b. Special comes to those who in a peculiar way concur in the sacrifice (secondary offerers). This fruit also is independent of the intention of the celebrant, who cannot apply it otherwise, since it comes to those upon whom it is conferred from the institution of Christ and from the will of the Church, and in a more intense degree the more closely they are joined with the celebrating priest.
Many authors (Coninck, Gobat, Sporer, and others) think that this fruit can be given and applied by the secondary offerers to others, because in the canon concerning them it is said: who offer to Thee for themselves and for all their own. Therefore the faithful can both hear Mass for another in a twofold sense, both because they intend to give him the fruit to be perceived ex opere operantis, and because they give to him the special fruit produced ex opere operato.
He who assists at several sacred actions at the same time participates in the fruits of all: for since the due presence and attention, which is the condition on which participation in the fruit depends, can be exhibited simultaneously to several sacred actions, there is no reason to deny that fruits are also received from individual sacred actions.
c. Most special or personal is that of the offering priest himself: for just as he is properly the offerer, so also he offers especially for himself. This fruit is received by the celebrant, even if he does not think about it nor intend to acquire it for himself. From the fact that the offering priest in the sacred ministry approaches so near to Christ and is so closely joined with Him, it is rightly inferred that this fruit in degree is not much inferior to the ministerial fruit.
Most theologians with St. Thomas, Suarez, de Lugo, and others deny that this fruit can be applied to others; nevertheless some affirm this and add besides that the priest can accept a stipend for the application of this fruit. But this doctrine has been condemned by the Church.3 The reason for the condemnation is not that it is plainly certain that this fruit cannot be applied, but that it is uncertain whether it can be applied: for in exchange for an uncertain solution it is not licit to accept a certain stipend, or to satisfy a certain obligation of justice by an uncertain solution.
d. Ministerial is that which comes to those for whom the sacrifice is offered in particular and to whom it is applied by the celebrant. This fruit is satisfactory for punishments owed, propitiatory for sins, and impetratory of spiritual and temporal goods; but in order that it may come to certain persons, it is necessary that it be applied by the celebrant.
1 Cf. Hebr. 5:1.
2 Cf. Sporer-Bierbaum, III, pr. 2, n. 247.
3 Cf. proposition 8 of Alexander VII: A priest can licitly accept a double stipend for the same Mass by applying, to the one asking, also the most special part of the fruit corresponding to the celebrant himself.