Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 13.djvu/350

 SACRAMENTS

304

SACRAMENTS

VII. Recipient of the Sacraments.— When all conditions required by Di\Tne and ecclesiastical law are complied mth, the sacrament is received validly and licitly. If all conditions required for the essential rite are observed, on the part of the minister, the re- cipient, the matter and form, but some non-essential condition is not complied with by the recipient, the sacrament is received validly but not hcitly ; and if the condition wilfully neglected be grave, grace is not then conferred by the ceremony. Thus baptized persons contracting "matrimony whilst they are in the state of mortal sin would be validly (i. e. really) married, but would not then receive sanctifying grace.

(1) Conditions for Valid Reception —{a) The pre- vious reception of baptism (by water) is an essential condition for the valid reception of any other sacra- ment. Only citizens and members of the Church can come under her influence as such; baptism is the door by which we enter the Church and thereby be- come members of a mystical bodj^ united to Christ our head (Catech. Trid., de bapt., nn. 5, 52). (b) In adults, for the valid reception of any sacrament ex- cept the Eucharist, it is necessary that they have the intention of receiving it. The sacraments impose obligations and confer grace: Christ does not wish to impose those obligations or confer grace without the consent of man. The Eucharist is excepted because, in whatever state the recipient may be, it is always the body and blood of Christ (see Intention; cf. Pourrat,* op. cit., 392). (c) For attention, see supra, VI, 6. By the intention man submits himself to the opera- tion of the sacraments which produce their effects ex opere operato, hence attention is not necessary for the valid reception of the sacraments. One who might be distracted, even voluntarily, during the con- ferring, e. g. of baptism, would receive the sacrament validly. It must be carefully noted, however, that in the case of matrimony the contracting parties are the ministers as well as the recipients of the sacra- ments; and in the sacrament of Penance, the acts of the penitent, contrition, confession, and willingness to accept a penance in satisfaction, constitute the proximate matter of the sacraments, according to the commonly received opinion. Hence in those cases Buch attention is required as is necessary for the valid apphcation of the matter and form.

(2) Conditions for the Licit Reception. — (a) For the licit reception, besides the intention and the atten- tion, in adults there is required (1) for the sacraments of the dead, supernatural attrition, which presupposes acts of faith, hope, and repentence (see Attrition and Justification); (2) for the sacraments of the living the state of grace. Knowingly to receive a sacrament of the living whilst one is in the state of mortal sin would be a sacrilege, (b) For the licit re- ception it is also necessary to observe all that is pre- scribed by Divine or ecclesiastical law, e. g. as to time, place, the minister, etc. As the Church alone has the care of the sacraments and generally her duly appointed agents alone have the right to administer them, except baptism in some cases, and matrimony (supra VI, 2), it is a general law that application for the sacraments should be ma<^ie to worthy and duly appointed ministers. (For exceptions see Excom- munication.)

(3) Reviviscence of the Sacraments. — Much atten- tion has been given by theologians, especially recently, to the revival of efTects which were impeded at the time when a sacrament was received. The question arises whenever a sacrament is received validly but unworthily, i. e. with an obstacle which prevents the infusion of I>ivine grace. The obstacle (mortal sin) is positive, when it is known and voluntary, or nega- tive, when it is involuntary by reascjn of ignorance or good faith. One who thus receives a sacrament is said to receive it feigncdly, or falsely (ficte), because by the very act of receiving it he pretends to be prop-

erly disposed; and the sacrament is said to be validum sed informe, — valid, but lacking its proper form, i. e. grace or charity (see Love). Can such a person re- cover or receive the effects of the sacraments ? The term reviviscence (reviviscentia) is not used by St. Thomas in reference to the sacraments and it is not strictly correct because the effects in question being impeded by the obstacle, were not once "living" (cf. Billot, op. cit., 98, note). The expression which he uses (III, Q, Ixix, a. 10), viz., obtaining the effects after the obstacle has been removed, is more accurate, though not so convenient as the newer term.

(a) Theologians generally hold that the question does not apply to penance and the Holy Eucharist. If the penitent be not sufficiently disposed to receive grace at the time he confesses his sins the sacrament is not validly received because the acts of the penitent are a necessary part of the matter of this sacrament, or a necessary condition for its reception. One who unworthily receives the Eucharist can derive no bene- fit from that sacrament unless, perhaps, he repent of his sins and sacrilege before the sacred species have been destroyed. Cases that may occur relate to the five other sacraments, (b) It is certain and admitted by all, that if baptism be received by an adult who is in the state of mortal sin, he can afterwards receive the graces of the sacrament, viz. when the obstacle is removed by contrition or by the sacrament of Penance. On the one hand the sacraments always produce grace unless there be an obstacle ; on the other hand those graces are necessary, and yet the sacra- ment can not be repeated. St. Thomas (III. Q, Ixix, a. 10) and theologians find a special reason for the con- ferring of the effects of baptism (when the "fiction" has been removed) in the permanent character which is impressed by the sacrament validly administered. Reasoning from analogy thoy hold the same with regard to confirmation and Holy orders, noting how- ever that the graces to be received are not so necessary as those conferred by baptism.

(c) The doctrine is not so certain when applied to matrimony and extreme unction. But since the graces impeded are very important though not strictly necessary, and since matrimony cannot be received again whilst both contracting parti(>s are living, and extreme unction cannot be rejx^atcd whilst the same danger of death lasts, tlieologiaiis adoj)! as more prob- able the opinion which liolds that (iod will frrant the graces of those sacraments wIkmi tlie l:)sta('le is re- moved. The "revivi.scence" of the effects of sacra- ments received validly but with an obstacle to grace at the time of their reception, is urged as a strong argument against the system of the physical causality of grace (supra, V, 2), especially by Billot (op. cit., thesis, VII, 116, 126). For his own system he claims the merit of establishing an invariable mode of caus- ality, namely, that in every case by the sacrament validlv received there is conferred a "title exigent of grace . If there be no obstacle the grace is conferred then and there: if there be an obstacle the "title" remains calling for the grace which will be conferred as soon as t lie ohst aclc is removed (op. cit., th. VI, VII). To this his oi)pn('n(s reply that exceptional cases might well call for an exceptional mode of causality. In the case of three sacraments the character suffi- ciently explains the revival of effects (cf. St. Thomas, III, Q. 66, a. 1; Q. 3, Q. 66, a. Ixix, aa. 9, 10). The doctrine as applied to extreme unction and matri- mony, is not certain enough to furnish a strong argu- ment for or against any system (see "Irish. Theol. Record"; "Amer. Eccl. Review", cited above V, 2). Future efforts of theologians may dispel the obscurity and uncertainty now prevailing in this interesting chapter.

Literature on the sacranrientg is very extensive: we can give only a few of the most important or most interesting works on the sacraments in general. (For each sacrament sec special