-
When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said
"Repent", He called for the entire life of believers to be one of
repentance.
-
The word cannot be properly understood as referring
to the sacrament of penance, i.e. confession and satisfaction, as
administered by the clergy.
-
Yet its meaning is not restricted to repentance in
one's heart; for such repentance is null unless it produces outward
signs in various mortifications of the flesh.
-
As long as hatred of self abides (i.e. true inward
repentance) the penalty of sin abides, viz., until we enter the
kingdom of heaven.
-
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.
-
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.
-
God never remits guilt to anyone without, at the
same time, making him humbly submissive to the priest, His
representative.
-
The penitential canons apply only to men who are
still alive, and, according to the canons themselves, none applies to
the dead.
-
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.
-
It is a wrongful act, due to ignorance, when
priests retain the canonical penalties on the dead in purgatory.
-
When canonical penalties were changed and made to
apply to purgatory, surely it would seem that tares were sown while
the bishops were asleep.
-
In former days, the canonical penalties were
imposed, not after, but before absolution was pronounced; and were
intended to be tests of true contrition.
-
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.
-
Defective piety or love in a dying person is
necessarily accompanied by great fear, which is greatest where the
piety or love is least.
-
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.
-
There seems to be the same difference between hell,
purgatory, and heaven as between despair, uncertainty, and assurance.
-
Of a truth, the pains of souls in purgatory ought
to be abated, and charity ought to be proportionately increased.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Indeed, he cannot remit to souls in purgatory any
penalty which canon law declares should be suffered in the present
life.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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).
-
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.
-
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.
-
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).
-
No one is sure of the reality of his own
contrition, much less of receiving plenary forgiveness.
-
One who bona fide buys indulgence is a rare as a
bona fide penitent man, i.e. very rare indeed.
-
All those who believe themselves certain of their
own salvation by means of letters of indulgence, will be eternally
damned, together with their teachers.
-
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.
-
For the grace conveyed by these indulgences relates
simply to the penalties of the sacramental "satisfactions" decreed
merely by man.
-
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.
-
Any Christian whatsoever, who is truly repentant,
enjoys plenary remission from penalty and guilt, and this is given him
without letters of indulgence.
-
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.
-
Yet the pope's remission and dispensation are in no
way to be despised, for, as already said, they proclaim the divine
remission.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Christians should be taught that they purchase
indulgences voluntarily, and are not under obligation to do so.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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 from whom the
pardon-merchants conjure money.
-
It is vain to rely on salvation by letters of
indulgence, even if the commissary, or indeed the pope himself, were
to pledge his own soul for their validity.
-
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.
-
The word of God suffers injury if, in the same
sermon, an equal or longer time is devoted to indulgences than to that
word.
-
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.
-
The treasures of the church, out of which the pope
dispenses indulgences, are not sufficiently spoken of or known among
the people of Christ.
-
That these treasures are not temporal are clear
from the fact that many of the merchants do not grant them freely, but
only collect them.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
For it is clear that the power of the pope
suffices, by itself, for the remission of penalties and reserved
cases.
-
The true treasure of the church is the Holy gospel
of the glory and the grace of God.
-
It is right to regard this treasure as most odious,
for it makes the first to be the last.
-
On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences is
most acceptable, for it makes the last to be the first.
-
Therefore the treasures of the gospel are nets
which, in former times, they used to fish for men of wealth.
-
The treasures of the indulgences are the nets
to-day which they use to fish for men of wealth.
-
The indulgences, which the merchants extol as the
greatest of favors, are seen to be, in fact, a favorite means for
money-getting.
-
Nevertheless, they are not to be compared with the
grace of God and the compassion shown in the Cross.
-
Bishops and curates, in duty bound, must receive
the commissaries of the papal indulgences with all reverence.
-
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.
-
Let him be anathema and accursed who denies the
apostolic character of the indulgences.
-
On the other hand, let him be blessed who is on his
guard against the wantonness and license of the pardon-merchant's
words.
-
In the same way, the pope rightly excommunicates
those who make any plans to the detriment of the trade in indulgences.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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].
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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?
-
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.
-
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?
-
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?
-
Again: What does the pope remit or dispense to
people who, by their perfect repentance, have a right to plenary
remission or dispensation?
-
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.
-
What the pope seeks by indulgences is not money,
but rather the salvation of souls; why then does he suspend the
letters and indulgences formerly conceded, and still as efficacious as
ever?
-
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.
-
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.
-
Away, then, with those prophets who say to Christ's
people, "Peace, peace," where in there is no peace.
-
Hail, hail to all those prophets who say to
Christ's people, "The cross, the cross," where there is no cross.
-
Christians should be exhorted to be zealous to
follow Christ, their Head, through penalties, deaths, and hells.
-
And let them thus be more confident of entering
heaven through many tribulations rather than through a false assurance
of peace.
|