Article — Noldin, Summa of Moral Theology
Article I. On the Nature of Satisfaction.
296. Definition. Satisfaction generally is compensation of an injury inflicted upon another; and satisfaction for sins is compensation of the injury inflicted upon God through sins. Hence satisfaction is made by a voluntary punishment of oneself, by which the sinner intends to repair the injury inflicted upon God through sin and to move God so that, content with this punishment, he may not punish. Satisfaction for sins is of two kinds: one sacramental, which is imposed by the confessor in the sacrament of penance; the other non-sacramental, which the penitent either assumes himself or voluntarily accepts as sent by God. Sacramental satisfaction is usually defined: a penal work imposed by the confessor in the sacrament of penance for compensating the injury inflicted upon God through sins.
Penal: by this alone can we compensate and avenge the offense and injury inflicted upon God through sin, namely that we perform some good work, indeed pleasing to God, but troublesome and afflictive to us: for sacramental satisfaction by its nature is chastisement. But every good work of fallen nature is in fact penal and laborious. Imposed by the confessor: for although other works of penance, which are assumed by one's own will or sent by God, have satisfactory merit, nevertheless they are not sacramental satisfactions, and therefore they do not produce the proper effect of these.
297. Division of sacramental satisfaction. 1. Satisfaction is distinguished into satisfaction in desire, which is the will of accepting and fulfilling the penance to be enjoined by the confessor; and satisfaction in reality, which is the actual execution of the enjoined penance.
The former is an essential part of the sacrament, or at least a necessary disposition of the penitent; it must precede absolution, and, if it were lacking, it would render the sacrament invalid. The latter is an integral part of the sacrament, is usually subsequent to absolution, and, if lacking, does not render the sacrament invalid, but only integrally imperfect and incomplete.
- Satisfaction is divided into vindicative, which tends to punishing sins, and medicinal, which tends to preventing relapses. Sacramental satisfaction always intends both ends: it must punish sins themselves and heal them; nevertheless its proper and primary end is punishment or expiation of sins.
Because satisfaction by its nature is vindicative, it must contain at least some chastisement for sins committed; and because it is medicinal, it must contain a suitable remedy against relapse. In reality every good work which is enjoined conduces in some way to obtaining both ends: for every good work is not only penal and therefore vindicative, but also meritorious of graces and therefore medicinal.
298. Effects of satisfaction. 1. Sacramental satisfaction produces the remission of temporal punishment owed for remitted sins ex opere operato: for satisfaction is an integral part of the sacrament of penance instituted by Christ, so that through the sacrament sin may be remitted fully also as to punishment. Therefore the Council of Trent teaches that it is by the institution of Christ that temporal punishment is pardoned.1
Therefore works of sacramental penance obtain a twofold satisfactory effect: one ex opere operato, which comes to them by force of sacramental absolution; the other ex opere operantis, which they have equally with the other good works of a just man.
- In order that sacramental satisfaction produce its effect, it must be performed by the penitent in the state of grace: for in the state of sin man is not capable of receiving remission of temporal punishment. Nevertheless the penitent who fulfills the satisfaction enjoined on him by the confessor in the state of sin satisfies the precept, because he places the whole work enjoined upon him, although he does not attain its end.
a. If the penitent who performed the penance in the state of sin afterward recovered the state of grace, it is not improbably held that, with the obstacle removed, he obtains the effect itself, because sacramental penance produces its effect not from the merits of the penitent, but ex opere operato.2
b. To fulfill penance in the state of sin is, by the agreement of all, not a grave sin; indeed most affirm that it is no sin, because to place an obstacle only to the remission of punishments without fault seems to lack fault.
c. He who in paying the penance commits venial sin, for example by voluntary distraction, does not by that very fact impede the effect of sacramental satisfaction, because venial sin does not impede the remission of temporal punishment owed on account of other sins already remitted.
1 Cf. sess. 14, c. 8 and can. 15.
2 Suarez, disp. 38, sect. 8, n. 5.