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When
our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said "Repent", He called for
the entire life of believers to be one of penitence.
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The
word cannot be properly understood as referring to the sacrament
of penance, i.e. confession and satisfaction, as administered by
the clergy.
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Yet
its meaning is not restricted to penitence in one's heart; for such
penitence is null unless it produces outward signs in various mortifications
of the flesh.
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As long
as hatred of self abides (i.e. true inward penitence) the penalty
of sin abides, viz., until we enter the kingdom of heaven.
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The
pope has neither the will nor the power to remit any penalties beyond
those imposed either at his own discretion or by canon law.
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The
pope himself cannot remit guilt, but only declare and confirm that
it has been remitted by God; or, at most, he can remit it in cases
reserved to his discretion. Except for these cases, the guilt remains
untouched.
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God
never remits guilt to anyone without, at the same time, making humbly
submissive to the priest, His representative.
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The
penitential canons apply only to men who are still alive, and, according
to the canons themselves, none applies to the dead.
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Accordingly,
the Holy Spirit, acting in the person of the pope, manifests grace
to us, by the fact that the papal regulations always cease to apply
at death, or in any hard case.
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It is
a wrongful act, due to ignorance, when priests retain the canonical
penalties on the dead in purgatory.
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When
canonical penalties were changed and made to apply to purgatory,
surely it would seem that tares were sown while the bishops were
asleep.
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In former
days, the canonical penalties were imposed, not after, but before
absolution was pronounced; and were intended to be tests of true
contrition.
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Death
puts and end to all the claims of the Church; even the dying are
already dead to the canon laws, and are no longer bound by them.
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Defective
piety or love in a dying person is necessarily accompanied by great
fear, which is greatest where the piety or love is least.
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This
fear or horror is sufficient in itself, whatever else might be said,
to constitute the pain of purgatory, since it approaches very closely
to the horror of despair.
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There
seems to be the same difference between hell, purgatory, and heaven
as between despair, uncertainty, and assurance.
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Of a
truth, the pains of souls in purgatory ought to be abated, and charity
ought to be proportionately increased.
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Moreover,
it does not seem proved, on any grounds of reason or Scripture,
that these souls are outside the state of merit, or unable to grow
in grace.
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Nor
does it seem proved to be always the case that they are certain
and assured of salvation, even if we are very certain ourselves.
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Therefore
the pope, in speaking of the plenary remission of all penalties,
does not mean "all" in the strict sense, but only those imposed
by himself.
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Hence
those who preach indulgences are in error when they say that a man
is absolved and saved from every penalty by the pope's indulgences.
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Indeed,
he cannot remit to souls in purgatory any penalty which canon law
declares should be suffered in the present life.
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If plenary
remission could be granted to anyone at all, it would be only in
the cases of the most perfect, i.e. to very few.
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It must
therefore be the case that the major part of the people are deceived
by that indiscriminate and high-sounding promise of relief from
penalty.
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The
same power as the pope exercises in general over purgatory is exercised
in particular by every single bishop in his bishopric and priest
in his parish.
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The
pope does excellently when he grants remission to the souls in purgatory
on account of intercessions made on their behalf, and not by the
power of the keys (which he cannot exercise for them).
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There
is no divine authority for preaching that the soul flies out of
the purgatory immediately the money clinks in the bottom of the
chest.
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It is
certainly possible that when the money clinks in the bottom of the
chest avarice and greed increase; but when the church offers intercession,
all depends in the will of God.
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Who
knows whether all souls in purgatory wish to be redeemed in view
of what is said of St. Severinus and St. Pascal? (Note: Paschal
I, pope 817-24. The legend is that he and Severinus were willing
to endure the pains of purgatory for the benefit of the faithful).
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No one
is sure if the reality of his own contrition, much less of receiving
plenary forgiveness.
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One
who _bona fide_ buys indulgence is a rare as a _bona fide_ penitent
man, i.e. very rare indeed.
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All
those who believe themselves certain of their own salvation by means
if letters of indulgence, will be eternally damned, together with
their teachers.
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We should
be most carefully on our guard against those who say that the papal
indulgences are an inestimable divine gift, and that a man is reconciled
to God by them.
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For
the grace conveyed by these indulgences relates simply to the penalties
of the sacramental "satisfactions" decreed merely by man.
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It is
not in accordance with Christian doctrines to preach and teach that
those who buy off souls, or purchase confessional licenses, have
no need to repent of their own sins.
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Any
Christian whatsoever, who is truly repentant, enjoys plenary remission
from penalty and guilt, and this is given him without letters of
indulgence.
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Any
true Christian whatsoever, living or dead, participates in all the
benefits of Christ and the Church; and this participation is granted
to him by God without letters of indulgence.
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Yet
the pope's remission and dispensation are in no way to be despised,
form as already said, they proclaim the divine remission.
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It is
very difficult, even for the most learned theologians, to extol
to the people the great bounty contained in the indulgences, while,
at the same time, praising contrition as a virtue.
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A truly
contrite sinner seeks out, and loves to pay, the penalties of his
sins; whereas the very multitude of indulgences dulls men's consciences,
and tends to make them hate the penalties.
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Papal
indulgences should only be preached with caution, lest people gain
a wrong understanding, and think that they are preferable to other
good works: those of love.
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Christians
should be taught that the pope does not at all intend that the purchase
of indulgences should be understood as at all comparable with the
works of mercy.
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Christians
should be taught that one who gives to the poor, or lends to the
needy, does a better action than if he purchases indulgences.
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Because,
by works of love, love grows and a man becomes a better man; whereas,
by indulgences, he does not become a better man, but only escapes
certain penalties.
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Christians
should be taught that he who sees a needy person, but passes him
by although he gives money for indulgences, gains no benefit from
the pope's pardon, but only incurs the wrath of God.
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Christians
should be taught that, unless they have more than they need, they
are bound to retain what is only necessary for the upkeep of their
home, and should in no way squander it on indulgences.
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Christians
should be taught that they purchase indulgences voluntarily, and
are not under obligation to do so.
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Christians
should be taught that, in granting indulgences, the pope has more
need, and more desire, for devout prayer on his own behalf than
for ready money.
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Christians
should be taught that the pope's indulgences are useful only if
one does not rely on them, but most harmful if one loses the fear
of God through them.
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Christians
should be taught that, if the pope knew the exactions of the indulgence-preachers,
he would rather the church of St. Peter were reduced to ashes than
be built with the skin, flesh, and bones of the sheep.
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Christians
should be taught that the pope would be willing, as he ought if
necessity should arise, to sell the church of St. Peter, and give,
too, his own money to many of those whom the pardon-merchants conjure
money.
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It is
vain to rely on salvation by letters if indulgence, even if the
commissary, or indeed the pope himself, were to pledge his own soul
for their validity.
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Those
are enemies of Christ and the pope who forbid the word of God to
be preached at all in some churches, in order that indulgences may
be preached in others.
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The
word of God suffers injury if, in the same sermon, an equal or longer
time is devoted to indulgences than to that word.
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The
pope cannot help taking the view that if indulgences (very small
matters) are celebrated by one bell, one pageant, or one ceremony,
the gospel (a very great matter) should be preached to the accompaniment
of a hundred bells, a hundred processions, a hundred ceremonies.
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The
treasures of the church, out of which the pope dispenses indulgences,
are not sufficiently spoken of or known among the people of Christ.
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That
these treasures are note temporal are clear from the fact that many
of the merchants do not grant them freely, but only collect them.
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Nor
are they the merits of Christ and the saints, because, even apart
from the pope, these merits are always working grace in the inner
man, and working the cross, death, and hell in the outer man.
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St.
Laurence said that the poor were the treasures of the church, but
he used the term in accordance with the custom of his own time.
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We do
not speak rashly in saying that the treasures of the church are
the keys of the church, and are bestowed by the merits of Christ.
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For
it is clear that the power of the pope suffices, by itself, for
the remission of penalties and reserved cases.
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The
true treasure of the church is the Holy gospel of the glory and
the grace of God.
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It is
right to regard this treasure as most odious, for it makes the first
to be the last.
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On the
other hand, the treasure of indulgences is most acceptable, for
it makes the last to be the first.
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Therefore
the treasures of the gospel are nets which, in former times, they
used to fish for men of wealth.
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The
treasures of the indulgences are the nets to-day which they use
to fish for men of wealth.
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The
indulgences, which the merchants extol as the greatest of favors,
are seen to be, in fact, a favorite means for money-getting.
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Nevertheless,
they are not to be compared with the grace of God and the compassion
shown in the Cross.
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Bishops
and curates, in duty bound, must receive the commissaries of the
papal indulgences with all reverence.
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But
they are under a much greater obligation to watch closely and attend
carefully lest these men preach their own fancies instead of what
the pope commissioned.
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Let
him be anathema and accursed who denies the apostolic character
of the indulgences.
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On the
other hand, let him be blessed who is on his guard against the wantonness
and license of the pardon-merchant's words.
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In the
same way, the pope rightly excommunicates those who make any plans
to the detriment of the trade in indulgences.
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It is
much more in keeping with his views to excommunicate those who use
the pretext of indulgences to plot anything to the detriment of
holy love and truth.
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It is
foolish to think that papal indulgences have so much power that
they can absolve a man even if he has done the impossible and violated
the mother of God.
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We assert
the contrary, and say that the pope's pardons are not able to remove
the least venial of sins as far as their guilt is concerned.
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When
it is said that not even St. Peter, if he were now pope, could grant
a greater grace, it is blasphemy against St. Peter and the pope.
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We assert
the contrary, and say that he, and any pope whatever, possesses
greater graces, viz., the gospel, spiritual powers, gifts of healing,
etc., as is declared in I Corinthians 12 [:28].
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It is
blasphemy to say that the insignia of the cross with the papal arms
are of equal value to the cross on which Christ died.
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The
bishops, curates, and theologians, who permit assertions of that
kind to be made to the people without let or hindrance, will have
to answer for it.
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This
unbridled preaching of indulgences makes it difficult for learned
men to guard the respect due to the pope against false accusations,
or at least from the keen criticisms of the laity.
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They
ask, e.g.: Why does not the pope liberate everyone from purgatory
for the sake of love (a most holy thing) and because of the supreme
necessity of their souls? This would be morally the best of all
reasons. Meanwhile he redeems innumerable souls for money, a most
perishable thing, with which to build St. Peter's church, a very
minor purpose.
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Again:
Why should funeral and anniversary masses for the dead continue
to be said? And why does not the pope repay, or permit to be repaid,
the benefactions instituted for these purposes, since it is wrong
to pray for those souls who are now redeemed?
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Again:
Surely this is a new sort of compassion, on the part of God and
the pope, when an impious man, an enemy of God, is allowed to pay
money to redeem a devout soul, a friend of God; while yet that devout
and beloved soul is not allowed to be redeemed without payment,
for love's sake, and just because of its need of redemption.
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Again:
Why are the penitential canon laws, which in fact, if not in practice,
have long been obsolete and dead in themselves,-why are they, to-day,
still used in imposing fines in money, through the granting of indulgences,
as if all the penitential canons were fully operative?
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Again:
since the pope's income to-day is larger than that of the wealthiest
of wealthy men, why does he not build this one church of St. Peter
with his own money, rather than with the money of indigent believers?
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Again:
What does the pope remit or dispense to people who, by their perfect
penitence, have a right to plenary remission or dispensation?
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Again:
Surely a greater good could be done to the church if the pope were
to bestow these remissions and dispensations, not once, as now,
but a hundred times a day, for the benefit of any believer whatever.
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What
the pope seeks by indulgences is not money, but rather the salvation
of souls; why then does he not suspend the letters and indulgences
formerly conceded, and still as efficacious as ever?
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These
questions are serious matters of conscience to the laity. To suppress
them by force alone, and not to refute them by giving reasons, is
to expose the church and the pope to the ridicule of their enemies,
and to make Christian people unhappy.
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If therefore,
indulgences were preached in accordance with the spirit and mind
of the pope, all these difficulties would be easily overcome, and
indeed, cease to exist.
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Away,
then, with those prophets who say to Christ's people, "Peace, peace,"
where in there is no peace.
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Hail,
hail to all those prophets who say to Christ's people, "The cross,
the cross," where there is no cross.
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Christians
should be exhorted to be zealous to follow Christ, their Head, through
penalties, deaths, and hells.
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And
let them thus be more confident of entering heaven through many
tribulations rather than through a false assurance of peace.
