Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Sacrament of the Eucharist · Book VI: On the Sacrifice of the Mass (Second)
Chapter 1: The Controversy Is Proposed: Whether the Mass Is a Propitiatory Sacrifice
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. IV, De Sacramento Eucharistiae, Book VI: On the Sacrifice of the Mass (Second Book). The Latin source text is public domain; this English rendering is released with the site. Scripture quotations follow Bellarmine's Vulgate citations, rendered in Douay-Rheims wording where he quotes exactly. Click “Show the Latin” for the original (raw OCR of the scan; scanning errors remain — the scan itself is the authority).
[Preface to Book VI, the second book on the Sacrifice of the Mass.]
The primary controversy being dispatched, others follow, much shorter indeed and easier, but yet in which we agree less with the adversaries than in the first. The second controversy, therefore, is this: Of what kind is the sacrifice of the Mass, only Eucharistic and honorary, or also propitiatory and impetratory? For, as was explained at the beginning of the preceding book, there are three kinds of sacrifices; or rather four, since the last of the three is divided into two kinds. One is that which in Scripture is called a holocaust; which can also be called [latreutic] and honorary, whose end is the worship and honor of God alone. Another is called in Scripture a sacrifice for sin, which is also called propitiatory; whose end is, besides the worship of God, the propitiation of the angry God and the remission of sins. The third is named in Scripture a peace-offering, and this is twofold: one Eucharistic, that is, offered to give thanks for a benefit received; the other which by a common word can be called impetratory, whose end is the obtaining of a benefit.
The adversaries easily grant that the Mass is a [eucharistic] and [latreutic] sacrifice, not indeed that they will have it to be a sacrifice properly so called, but improperly and in a broad manner, as was demonstrated above. For the very distribution and eating of the Eucharist is done for the honor of God, and in thanksgiving for the benefit of the passion of Christ received: for these things could befit the Eucharist, even if it were nothing else but a Sacrament. But that it is propitiatory and impetratory, especially for others than those who receive it, they by no reason admit, nor can they admit, unless they confess that the Eucharist is not only a Sacrament, but also a sacrifice properly so called; for Sacraments do not profit others than those who receive them. See Luther in his book on the Babylonian Captivity, chapter 1; the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, in the article on the Mass; the Wirtemberg Confession, chapter 16, which is on the Eucharist; Calvin, Book 4 of the Institutes, chapter 18, § 13, 14, 15, and 16; and Kemnitz in the second part of the Examination of the Council of Trent, session 22, chapter on the Mass.
The Catholic Church of Christ teaches, and always taught, the contrary; and the Synod of Trent, that it might thoroughly declare the whole matter, session 22, canon 2, openly taught that the sacrifice of the Mass is not only propitiatory for punishments, but also for faults, and not only for light faults, but also for grave, and even mortal ones: for this it signifies when it says: “It forgives crimes and sins, even great ones.” Moreover that it is impetratory not only of spiritual benefits, but also of temporal, and therefore can be offered for sins, for punishments, and for all other necessities whatsoever. Which opinion, that we may in order defend and explain it, we shall prove first that the sacrifice of the Mass is propitiatory. Secondly, that it is impetratory. Thirdly, we shall show that each befits it from the work worked (ex opere operato), and shall briefly explain what is the proper efficacy of the sacrifice. Fourthly, we shall resolve the objections of the heretics.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT PRIMUM. Ponitur controversia: An Missa sit pro¬ pitiatorium sacrificium . Expedita primaria controversia, sequuntur alia; multo quidem, et breviores, et facilio¬ res, sed tamen in quibus minus, quam in prima, cum adversariis convenimus. Est igi¬ tur secunda controversia : Quale sacrificium Missa sit, Eucharisticum tantum, et honora¬ rium, an etiam propitiatorium, et impetrato¬ rium. Nam ut in principio libri superioris explicatum est, tria sunt genera sacrificio¬ rum ; seu potius quatuor, cum postremum ex tribus in duo genera, dividatur. Unum est, quod in Scriptura dicitur holocaustum ; quod etiam Xaxpsuxtxdv, et honorarium dici potest, cujus finis est solus Dei cultus, atque honor. Alterum dicitur in Scriptura sacrifi¬ cium pro peccato, qod etiam propitiatorium appellatur : cu jus finis est praeter Dei cultum, propitiatio irati Dei et peccatorum remissio. Tertium, in Scriptura nominatur pacificum, ot hoc est duplex ; alterum Eucharisticum, id est, oblatum ad agendas gratias pro bene¬ ficio accepto ; alterum quod communi voca¬ bulo impetratorium dici potest, cujus finis est impetratio beneficii. Adversarii facile concedunt Missam esse sacrificium eu/ytpi<jx»tdv et /.axpiuxtx.dv, non quidem quod velint esse sacrificium proprie dictum, sed improprie, et largo modo, ut supra demonstratum est. Nam ipsa Eucha¬ ristia; distributio et manducatio, ad honorem Dei fit, et in gratiarum actionem pro bcnc- Tom. I\\ : ficio accepto passionis Christi : ista enim convenire possent Eucharistiae, etiamsi non esset aliud, nisi Sacramentum. At esse pro¬ pitiatorium, et impetratorium, praesertim aliis, quam ipsis sumentibus, nulla ratione admittunt, nec possunt admittere, nisi fa¬ teantur Eucharistiam non solum esse Sacra¬ mentum, sed etiam sacrificium proprie di¬ ctum ; non enim Sacramenta prosunt aliis, quam sumentibus. Yide Lutherum in libro de captiv. Babyl.cap. l.Apologiam Confess. Augustanae, in art. de Missa. Confessionem Wirtembergenscm, cap. 16. quod est de Eu¬ charistia. Calvinum lib. iv. Institut. cap. 18. §. 13. 14, 15 et 16, et Kemnitium in ii. parte Examinis Trident. Cone. sess. xxn cap. de Missa. Contrarium docet, ac docuit semper Ca¬ tholica Christi Ecclesia; et Synodus Triden- tina, ut rem totam penitus declararet, sess. xxn. canon. 2. aperte docuit, sacrificium Missae non solum propitiatorium esse pro pomis, sed etiam pro culpis, nec solum pro culpis levibus, sed etiam pro gravibus, at¬ que adeo mortalibus : id enim significat, cum ait : «Crimina, et peccata, et etiam in¬ gentia dimittit. » Praeterea non solum impe¬ tratorium esso spiritualium beneficiorum, sed etiam temporalium, et idcirco offerri posse pro peccatis, pro pomis, et pro quibuscum- que aliis necessitatibus. Quam sententiam, ut ordine defendamus, et explicemus, pro¬ babimus primum, sacrificium Missa; propi- tiatorium esse. Secundo, esse impetratorium. Tertio, ostendemus utrumque illi convenire ex opere operato, et breviter explicabimus, quaesit propria efficientia sacrificii. Quarto, solvemus objectiones haereticorum, 370 LIBEIl Vi.