Chapter I. On the Precept of the Internal Act

I. The internal act of faith, that is, the act of believing God revealing, is necessary by necessity of precept. This is clear first from the fact that it is necessary by necessity of means, as we explained above (n. 488). Then, one who does not admit revelation sufficiently proposed does supreme injury to the authority of God. Add these texts of Sacred Scripture: "He who does not believe shall be condemned."¹ - "And this is His commandment: that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ."²

II. The internal act of faith, considered according to necessity of precept, must be explicit, not only as regards things to be believed by necessity of means, but also as regards other things which must be known either for thinking rightly, or for living rightly, or for duly using the helps to salvation.³ Hence, by explicit faith there must be believed, besides those things to be believed by necessity of means: 1. the things contained in the Apostles' Creed; 2. the things contained in the Decalogue; 3. the most necessary Sacraments, namely Baptism, Penance, the Eucharist, and, according to many, Confirmation; the others, when someone is about to receive them soon; 4. probably the things contained in the Lord's Prayer, since it involves all the things which Christ taught us to ask for (St. Alphonsus, II, 3). Besides this, note:

1. Besides things to be believed, many other things must be known, such as the precepts of the Church and the duties of each one's proper state. Likewise, at least, it is altogether fitting to know the sign of the Cross, and to retain in memory the Lord's Prayer, the Angelic Salutation, and the Creed (cf. St. Alphonsus, II, 3).

2. As regards the mode of knowing those things which must be believed or known, generally knowledge as to substance suffices, or that which is contained in some concept, however confused and rough. I said generally, because some, considering their state and condition, must possess a more perfect knowledge.

3. One who certainly or probably is ignorant of things to be believed by necessity of means should, before he is absolved, be instructed in the manner in which this can conveniently be done here and now; nevertheless he should be warned that afterward he must try to acquire a more perfect and broader knowledge. One who is ignorant of things to be believed or known only by necessity of precept can be absolved, with the obligation imposed of afterward obtaining the required knowledge (St. Alphonsus, II, 3; Praxis Confessarii, n. 22).

III. The internal act of faith obliges sometimes by reason of the precept of faith itself, sometimes by reason of the precept of another virtue. Therefore note proposition 1 condemned by Alexander VII: "At no time in his life is a man bound to elicit an act of faith, hope, and charity, by force of the divine precepts pertaining to those virtues";⁴ proposition 16 condemned by Innocent XI: "Faith is not considered to fall under a special precept and according to itself";⁵ and proposition 17 condemned by the same: "It is enough to elicit an act of faith once in life."⁶ Now the internal act of faith obliges:

1. By reason of the precept of faith itself:

a) When someone first has knowledge of revelation made. Hence the following are bound to elicit an act of faith: a) children educated among the faithful, who, having attained the use of reason, apprehend the truths of faith as revealed by God; b) non-Catholic adults to whom the true faith is proposed and becomes known as true (St. Alphonsus, II, 5).

b) Several times in life. Thus St. Alphonsus and many others against some. And indeed, the homage to be rendered to God seems to require that acts of the virtues which immediately regard God be elicited more often in life. Then it is gathered from proposition 17, condemned by Innocent XI and cited above. Finally, it seems to have to be deduced from the fact that, according to what will be said in n. 519, an act of charity must be elicited several times in life. For since faith and charity have almost the same necessity, almost the same thing seems to have to be said of the obligation of each (St. Alphonsus, II, 5, 6, 7).

Objection. The precept of faith obliges indirectly, that is, by reason of another virtue, so often in life that Christ is not considered to have imposed it directly.

Response. That the precept of faith obliges indirectly so often does not prevent the homage to be rendered to God revealing also from requiring that an act of faith be elicited several times in life. Hence Christ is considered to have imposed an act of faith also on account of that motive, that is, directly.

c) In the article of death. Thus many, on account of the reasons adduced under b), which they judge must also be applied to the article of death.

d) When a new definition of faith is proposed, insofar as one who in this case did not elicit an act of faith would at least practically either deny an article of faith, or call it into doubt, or expose himself to the danger of doing so.

e) When someone has fallen into heresy or apostasy; in which case the injury done to the authority of God seems to carry with it the obligation of repairing it by an act of faith at least not long delayed.

f) When a temptation against faith presses, whether against faith in common or against a particular mystery, which someone judges he cannot conquer except by an elicited act of faith. Yet this will rarely have place; rather, ordinarily, it is preferable to fight temptations of this sort by turning away to other things (St. Alphonsus, II, 5; Praxis Confessarii, n. 238).

g) When an external profession of faith must be made (St. Alphonsus, cited place, n. 490).

2. By reason of the precept of another virtue:

a) When someone is bound to place an act of another virtue which cannot be placed without an act of faith (St. Alphonsus, II, 5).

b) When a temptation against another virtue presses, which someone seems to himself unable to overcome without an act of faith (St. Alphonsus, cited place).

c) When an act of virtue is freely placed which cannot be placed in the due manner without an act of faith, such as sacramental confession or the reception of the Holy Eucharist.

Corollary I. One who neglects an act of faith imposed by reason of another virtue sins against that other virtue, but not against faith.

Corollary II. A man living Christianly should not doubt that he has fulfilled the obligation of eliciting an act of faith from time to time, since so often, both by reason of faith itself and by reason of another virtue or good work, he elicits an act of faith, now in an act signified, now in an act exercised (St. Alphonsus, II, 7).

¹ Mark 16:16.

² 1 John 3:23.

³ Waffelaert, Annotationes in tractatum de virtutibus theologicis, n. 178.

⁴ Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 1101.

⁵ Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 1166.

⁶ Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 1167.