Section — Prümmer, Manuale Theologiae Moralis
§ 3. On the Necessity of Accepting and Fulfilling Satisfaction
399. 1. The penitent is bound to accept the satisfaction reasonably imposed upon him by the confessor.
The reason is that, just as the confessor is bound to impose a penance, so also the penitent ought to accept it. Moreover, satisfaction is at least an integral part of the sacrament of penance. Now the penitent no less than the confessor ought to furnish an integral part of the sacrament. But it is not necessary to accept an unreasonable satisfaction, that is, one which, in view of the present discipline of the Church, does not correspond to the capacity of the penitent. Therefore a person who has confessed can either ask the confessor for another penance, or depart without absolution, or indeed accept the satisfaction here and now, yet with the intention of afterward asking another confessor for a commutation. In general, in practice it is expedient that the confessor acquiesce in a penitent asking for a penance other than that imposed, unless, however, this petition is certainly unreasonable.
400. 2. The penitent must not only accept but also fulfill the satisfaction which has been legitimately imposed.
The reason is the same as for acceptance. Moreover, one who accepted a satisfaction which he afterward voluntarily failed to fulfill without an excusing cause would, as it were, bring the sacrament into mockery. Now the confessor is considered to enjoin satisfaction under grave obligation when a) mortal sins not yet remitted have been accused, and b) the matter imposed is grave. For the gravity of the obligation ordinarily corresponds to the gravity of the matter. If a grave satisfaction has been imposed for light sins, its fulfillment binds under light obligation. According to certain authors, the confessor can for a grave fault enjoin a grave penance which nevertheless binds only under light obligation. All rightly note, however, that this manner of acting is not expedient unless another penance under grave obligation has already been imposed.266
Therefore three conditions are required for the penitent to be bound under grave obligation to fulfill the satisfaction:
a) That the satisfaction be imposed for a grave guilt not yet directly remitted. For a penance binding gravely cannot be imposed for venial sins or for mortal sins already remitted.
b) That the matter of the satisfaction imposed be grave in itself. For light matter does not induce a grave obligation.
c) That the confessor have intended to bind gravely, which nevertheless in practice is always to be presumed in grave matter.
If these three conditions are present, and nevertheless the penitent through his own fault omits the satisfaction or a notable part of it, he sins gravely; in all other cases the neglect of satisfaction is a venial sin.
266 Cf. St. Alphonsus, l.c., n. 518.
401. If anyone has forgotten the satisfaction accepted, he is bound to approach the same confessor, if this can conveniently be done, in order to learn what satisfaction he must fulfill. The reason is that the fulfillment of such satisfaction is still morally possible, and therefore it must be performed. But if the penitent cannot conveniently return, he is not bound to confess again. For in this case sacramental satisfaction has become morally impossible for him. It is expedient, however, that he then voluntarily impose some suitable satisfaction upon himself. When, after the penitent's return, the confessor no longer remembers the satisfaction imposed nor even the sins heard, he is not bound to require a new confession, at least not a complete one, but it suffices that he be able to judge in some manner concerning the state of the penitent before imposing a new sacramental satisfaction.
The penitent himself, and not his representative, must fulfill the satisfaction imposed. For just as the penitent himself, and not a representative, committed and accused the sins, so also the penitent himself, and not one acting in his place, must make satisfaction for the sins committed.267
Concerning the time and manner of fulfilling the penance, the following things are to be noted:
267 Cf. proposition 15 condemned by Alexander VII, cited above at n. 397(e).
402. 1. The penance must be fulfilled at the time assigned, and if no time was assigned, as soon as this can morally be done.
It is not required that the penance be fulfilled before absolution or before Communion, as Peter of Osma, the Jansenists, and others wished.268 When the penance was not discharged at the time assigned, it must be performed afterward, because the time was assigned not to terminate but to urge the obligation. Hence, for example, one who received a penance of assisting at Mass for eight consecutive days, if on one or another day he neglected this obligation, must afterward hear the Masses omitted. To defer without sufficient reason a grave penance enjoined is a sin, and indeed a grave one if inability to fulfill it afterward is foreseen or if there is danger of forgetfulness. But what delay of a penance is of itself gravely sinful cannot be determined; hence, while certain authors think a delay of eight days to be grave, others, on the contrary, for example Diana, judge that a delay is not grave unless it is of one year.269 In practice the confessor should earnestly exhort penitents to discharge the satisfaction imposed immediately after confession, if this is possible.
It is a difficult question whether a penitent who discharges the work enjoined in the state of mortal sin satisfies the obligation. Theologians depart into various opinions. "The doctors agree that he does not sin mortally. Some ... say that he does not sin in any way, because, as they say, there is no fault in placing an obstacle only to the remission of punishment. Others, however, more probably hold that he sins venially, because placing an obstacle to a partial effect of the sacrament cannot be excused from every fault. But Wigandt, the Salmanticenses, and Antoine say that, when the obstacle ceases, the penance then has the effect of satisfaction, contrary to Scotus, Medina, Bonacina, and Vasquez, who judge that it has the effect when it is fulfilled." Thus St. Alphonsus.270 Nothing certain can be said concerning this matter. There are difficulties on every side. For it is difficult to understand how a good work performed in the state of mortal sin, since it is a dead work, can obtain from God the remission of temporal punishment, and this all the more because such a man is worthy of eternal punishment. Then it is still more difficult to understand how a dead work, which never lived, can revive when the obstacle has been removed. Whatever the case, one can conclude with Billuart:271 "It is probable that through a work in the state of mortal sin the precept of the confessor is satisfied, and that it need not be repeated, because it is satisfactory in some manner. It is at least the more common opinion and the common sense of the faithful, who are not accustomed to accuse themselves that they fulfilled satisfaction outside charity, and this seems to be the intention of confessors, especially when they impose penances to endure for a long time. Nevertheless, because it is not absolutely certain that God accepts these works for satisfaction, it is advisable that confessors always enjoin at least some part of the penance to be fulfilled immediately."
268 Cf. the condemned propositions in Denz., nn. 728, 1306, 1312, 1437, 1535.
269 Cf. St. Alphonsus, Theol. mor. l. 6, n. 525.
270 Ibid., n. 523.
271 De poenit., diss. 9, a. 7.
403. 2. The manner of discharging the penance ought to be conformed to the precept or intention of the confessor.
Hence, if the confessor commands prayers to be recited on bended knees or before a particular altar, these circumstances must be observed. Ordinarily, however, to neglect circumstances of this kind is not a grave sin, unless they render the performance of the work much more difficult. Unless the mind of the confessor is known, his intention is to be explained in the same manner as ecclesiastical laws. Hence, if the penitent must hear Mass each day as a satisfaction, he is not bound to hear two Masses on Sundays and feast days; if he must recite the Rosary, he can do this alternately with a companion or with the people; prayers to be recited as satisfaction can be said during a Mass of precept, and so forth. It is not required that the penitent, when performing the work enjoined, have an explicit intention of making satisfaction, provided, however, that he does not have a contrary intention.