Article II. On The Secondary Effect Of Certain Sacraments, Or On The Character

44. Principle. It is Catholic doctrine that in the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and order not only is grace conferred, but a character is also imprinted upon the soul, that is, a certain spiritual and indelible sign, whence also these three sacraments cannot be repeated.¹⁶⁶

Three things, therefore, are to be believed with Catholic faith: 1. the character is a certain spiritual and indelible sign imprinted upon the soul; 2. this sign is imprinted by three sacraments: baptism, confirmation, and order; 3. these sacraments cannot be repeated. All other things which theologians subtly dispute concerning this matter are indeed useful, but do not at all pertain to the faith.

¹⁶⁶ Cf. Council of Trent, sess. 7, can. 9 on the sacraments in general (Denz., n. 852); Eugene IV, Instruction to the Armenians (Denz., n. 695), and Innocent III in c. 3, X 3, 42.

45. 1. The existence of the character is denied by Wycliffe and the Reformers.¹⁶⁷ Martin Chemnitz, moreover, calls the character an invention of Innocent III (thirteenth century) and a fiction of the Scholastics. On the contrary, certain Catholic theologians¹⁶⁸ admit a character not only in the three enumerated sacraments, but in addition posit a quasi-character in matrimony and extreme unction (since they are sacraments in a certain respect unrepeatable). Nevertheless, this quasi-character has no foundation either in Sacred Scripture or in the doctrine of the Church and the Holy Fathers; and therefore it is not to be admitted. The existence of the character in the three enumerated sacraments was in no way invented by Innocent III, since he already speaks of the character as of a matter known to all. Although the character is not clearly described in Sacred Scripture, it is nevertheless manifestly admitted by the Holy Fathers.

In Sacred Scripture three passages occur which can (although they need not) be understood concerning the sacramental character: "But He who confirms us with you in Christ, and who has anointed us, is God; who also has sealed (σφραγισάμενος) us and given the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts."¹⁶⁹ "Believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise."¹⁷⁰ "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you were sealed (ἐσφραγίσθητε) unto the day of redemption."¹⁷¹

The Holy Fathers spoke more clearly concerning the character; their testimonies can be seen, for example, in Billuart.¹⁷² It suffices to adduce the words of St. Augustine, who acknowledges that a character is imprinted even in baptism received unworthily: "Behold, a baptized man receives the sacrament of birth; he has the sacrament; ... nevertheless let him attend to the heart; ... let him see whether he has charity; ... but if he does not have it, he indeed has the character imposed, but wanders as a deserter."¹⁷³ In the thirteenth century, as the Angelic Doctor testifies, all theologians acknowledged that a character is imprinted in certain sacraments.¹⁷⁴

For the existence of the character St. Thomas gives this reason of congruity: Whoever is deputed to some great office is customarily marked for it by some distinctive sign, just as in ancient times enlisted soldiers were customarily distinguished by certain characters. But in the three enumerated sacraments the faithful are deputed to great offices of divine worship, as will be explained below. Therefore, it is very fitting that a character be imprinted in these sacraments.¹⁷⁵

¹⁶⁷ Cf. Harnack, Dogmengesch. III, 140.

¹⁶⁸ Oswald, Schwetz, Farine. This last author, in the booklet Der sakram. Charakter, Freiburg im Breisgau, 1904, thinks that the sacramental character is the Holy Spirit Himself; and he proposes other sufficiently singular opinions as well.

¹⁶⁹ 2 Cor. 1:21 sq.

¹⁷⁰ Eph. 1:13.

¹⁷¹ Eph. 4:30. Cf. S. theol. 3, q. 73, a. 1; Roman Catechism, P. 2, c. 1, q. 18.

¹⁷² De sacr., diss. 4, a. 1.

¹⁷³ On 1 John, tract. 5, n. 6 (Migne, Patr. lat. 35, 2015).

¹⁷⁴ IV Sent., dist. 4, q. 1, a. 1.

¹⁷⁵ S. theol. 3, q. 63, a. 1.

46. 2. Nature and qualities of the character. The character can be defined: a spiritual sign indelibly imprinted upon the soul, by which men are deputed in a special manner to divine worship and are distinguished from others.

It is said, first: a spiritual sign, in opposition to a sensible sign, such as the sacrament itself. For the character can be perceived by the mind alone.

It is said, second: indelibly imprinted upon the soul. The character is imprinted not in the essence of the soul (as Vasquez, Suarez, Lugo, and others hold), but in one of its powers, and indeed not in the will, as the Scotists hold, but in the practical intellect. For the character is a spiritual supernatural power ordered to divine worship, as will be said below. But worship consists in a certain external profession of faith. Therefore, the character is fittingly placed in the same power of the soul in which faith is.¹⁷⁶

The character is altogether indelible, not indeed as though it could not be erased by divine omnipotence (for thus even the immortal soul itself can be erased), but because in fact it will never be erased either in this life or in the other. That the character is not erased in this life was defined by the Council of Trent;¹⁷⁷ but that it is not erased in the other life is the common doctrine of theologians. Hence St. Thomas¹⁷⁸ teaches: "After this life the character remains, both in the good for their glory and in the evil for their ignominy; just as also the military character remains in soldiers after victory has been obtained, both in those who have conquered for glory and in those who have been conquered for punishment."

From this complete indelibility it follows that, for example, a priest who was raised after death would not again have to be baptized, confirmed, or ordained; for he remains a priest forever. On the contrary, spouses who had died and were raised, if they wished to continue matrimony, would have to be joined again, since the conjugal bond is dissolved by death.¹⁷⁹ The reason why the sacramental character is indelible is, besides the will of God so determining, the very nature of the character, which does not depend upon the free will of man, as sanctifying grace does, but upon God alone, whose instrument it is. In addition, sanctifying grace has something contrary to itself, namely, mortal sin, by which it can consequently be expelled; but the character has neither sin nor anything else contrary to it, and therefore it always remains.

It is said, third: by which men are deputed in a special manner to divine worship. There is principally a twofold effect and office of the character: 1. to distinguish men marked by it from others, whence this is expressed at the end of the definition given above; 2. to render men fit either to receive or to exercise divine worship. Thus in baptism man is rendered fit and capable of receiving the sacraments and all the benefits of religion; in confirmation, however, he receives the character of a soldier of Christ, who is able courageously to profess the faith by mouth and work; finally, in order a man is rendered fit for confecting the sacraments and performing the other works of divine worship.

Since the whole rite of the Christian religion is derived from the priesthood of Christ, St. Thomas teaches that the sacramental character is nothing other than a participation in the priesthood of Christ derived from Christ Himself.¹⁸⁰ For in two ways man can and ought to be configured to Christ: a) according to nature, and this is produced by sanctifying grace, which renders men partakers of the divine nature¹⁸¹ and coheirs of Christ; b) according to office, and this is effected through the sacramental character, insofar as man, imitating the example of Christ, ought to glorify the Father, that is, worship God.

Through baptism and confirmation all, even laypeople, receive this participation in the priesthood of Christ. In this sense St. Peter says: "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people, that you may declare His virtues, who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."¹⁸² The character is a certain power, as was said above. "But just as the baptized person receives the spiritual power to profess the faith through the reception of the other sacraments, so the confirmed person receives the power publicly to profess the faith of Christ in words, as though by office."¹⁸³

Besides the general priesthood which is conferred upon all in baptism and confirmation, there is a special priesthood, which is a still more perfect configuration with the priesthood of Christ and which bestows upon a man the power of administering all the sacraments and performing the special offices of divine worship. This special priesthood, flowing from a special character, is conferred in the sacrament of order.

From what has been said concerning the nature of the character it follows that three qualities, or rather three offices, belong to the character, which ancient theologians customarily expressed thus:

1. the character signifies and distinguishes;
2. the character disposes (namely, for special worship to be rendered to God);
3. the character assimilates (namely, to the priesthood of Christ).

¹⁷⁶ L.c., a. 4 ad 3.

¹⁷⁷ Ibid.

¹⁷⁸ L.c., a. 5 ad 3.

¹⁷⁹ Cf. 1 Cor. 7:39.

¹⁸⁰ S. theol. 3, q. 63, a. 1.

¹⁸¹ 2 Pet. 1:4.

¹⁸² 1 Pet. 2:9.

¹⁸³ S. theol. 3, q. 72, a. 5 ad 2.

47. Scholion. Concerning the nature of the sacramental character there formerly existed many controversies among theologians. Thus Durandus thought that the character is a purely extrinsic denomination or relation of reason, as when someone is deputed by a king to some ministry.¹⁸⁴ This opinion is rash, since the Council of Trent defines the character as a spiritual and indelible sign imprinted upon the soul.¹⁸⁵ Therefore, it is not something extrinsic. Several other theologians before the Council of Trent thought the character to be a real relation. But this opinion also cannot be sustained, since a relation (even a real one) does not give power to receive or act, as the character in fact does. Hence the sacramental character is better called a certain supernatural physical power imprinted upon the practical intellect.¹⁸⁶

¹⁸⁴ IV Sent., dist. 4, q. 1, n. 11.

¹⁸⁵ Sess. 7, can. 9 on the sacraments in general (Denz., n. 852).

¹⁸⁶ See more concerning this matter in Billuart, De sacr., diss. 4, a. 1, who faithfully drew his doctrine from S. theol. 3, q. 63.