Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Sacrament of the Eucharist · Book VI: On the Sacrifice of the Mass (Second)
Chapter 5: The Objections of the Adversaries Are Resolved
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).
Now the objections are to be resolved which are wont to be made by the adversaries against the efficacy of the propitiatory and impetratory sacrifice. And first, the chief arguments of the heretics have already been resolved in the preceding book: for they confound all things.
One argument of Luther remains, from his book on the Babylonian Captivity: “The Baptism of one does not profit another, nor can one be baptized for another: therefore neither can the reception of the Eucharist be done by one for another. The Mass, therefore, is not a propitiatory sacrifice, because if it were so, the Mass and Communion of one would profit another.”
I answer: There is a great difference between the reception of a Sacrament and the oblation of a sacrifice. For the reception of a Sacrament is ordained to sanctify the receiver, and therefore does not sanctify any but the receiver: but the oblation of a sacrifice is ordained to obtain benefits for all those for whom it is offered. Wherefore the sacrifice, as we said above, is like prayer as regards its efficacy: for prayer profits not only him who prays, but also those for whom prayer is made. From these things we gather that the eating of the Eucharist which is done by the priest, as it is the reception of a Sacrament, profits only the receiver: but as it is the consummation of the sacrifice, profits all those for whom the sacrifice was offered.
Secondly, others object, and among them Kemnitz in the second part of the Examination, pages 105 and 861: “If the sacrifice of the Mass were propitiatory and remitted sins, it would be useful not to approach the Sacraments for receiving the remission of sins. For the remission of sins would be had, through one Mass said by another, without any labor and danger: but through the Sacraments it cannot be had except with labor and danger.”
I answer: If the Mass immediately remitted sins, the argument would conclude something. But this we do not teach, but only that through the sacrifice of the Mass the gift of penance is obtained, by which sinful men are moved to desire and seek the Sacraments, in which they are justified, as we said above.
Thirdly, someone could draw an argument against the solution given, from experience. For Masses are often said for sinners who yet do not receive the gift of penance: not therefore does the Mass, especially from the work worked, confer the gift of penance. And the same argument can be made against the power of this sacrifice for obtaining other benefits: for those things are not always obtained for which the sacrifice of the Mass is offered.
I answer: The sacrifice of the Mass, when it is offered for sinners, infallibly obtains a new and certain divine aid, by which sinners may be led to penance, but that aid works variously, according to the various disposition of men. For if he for whom the Mass is offered is disposed to contrition, contrition will be effected in him by the force of the new aid, which is properly the gift of penance: and this is what the Council of Trent and Saint Thomas cited above say; but if he is not disposed, a certain new disposition will be effected in that man, but one which without his own cooperation will be frustrated, if he by the liberty of his will reject the calling of God. And so it is no wonder if sinners are not always converted for whom the sacrifice of the Mass is offered, since yet without doubt they are always helped. Add that it is not necessary that the effect of the sacrifice exist immediately: but only that God give aid and grace when it shall seem opportune to Him. For even the sacrifice of the cross did not immediately have its effect: and the prayer of Saint Stephen obtained the conversion of Paul, but one to be at a time determined by God.
But as regards temporal benefits, there can be many causes why they are not immediately obtained, though the efficacy of the sacrifice is infallible. For either God does not bestow them, because He understands them not to be useful for eternal salvation, or He defers, that He may grant them at a more opportune time, or finally those for whom the sacrifice is offered are unworthy to receive those temporal benefits, and on the contrary most worthy to be most severely chastised. For even though the sacrifice is offered to appease God even for the unworthy, yet sometimes the demerits of men are greater than that God can be appeased by one or another sacrifice: since, as we said, the value of the Mass is finite and limited.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT Y. Solvuntur objectiones ad versar iorum. Nunc objectiones diluenda sunt, qua ab adversariis contra efficaciam sacrificii propi- Jiatorii, et impetratorii fieri solent. Ac pri¬ mum argumenta hareticorum pracipua , jam soluta sunt in libro superiore : illi enim omnia confundunt. Unum superest Lutheri argumentum ex lib. de Captio. Babyl. : «Baptismus unius non prodest alteri, nec potest unus pro alio ba¬ ptizari : ergo nec sumptio Eucharistia potest ab uno pro alio fieri. Non igitur Missa est sa¬ crificium propitiatorium, quia si ita esset, Mis¬ sa et Communio unius, alteri prodesset, n Respondeo : Multum interest inter Sacra¬ menti susceptionem, et sacrificii oblationem. Susceptio enim Sacramenti ad sanctifican¬ dum suscipientem ordinatur, et ideo non sanctificat, nisi suscipientem : at oblatio sa¬ crificii ordinatur ad impetrandum beneficia iis omnibus, pro quibus offertur. Quare sa¬ crificium, ut supra diximus, simile est ora tioni, quod attinet ad efficientiam : oratio enim non solum prodest oranti, sed etiam iis, pro quibus oratur. Ex his colligimus, man¬ ducationem Eucharistia?, qua? fit a Sacerdote ut est Sacramenti susceptio, soli sumenti prodesse : ut autem est sacrificii consumma¬ tio, prodesse illis omnibus, pro quibus obla¬ tum est sacrificium. Secundo objiciunt alii, atque inter eos Kemnitius in ii. par. Examinis, pag. 105. et 861 : « Si Missa? sacrificium propitiatorium esset, ac peccata remitteret : utile esset non accedere ad Sacramenta pro remissione pec¬ catorum percipienda. Nam remissio pecca¬ torum per unam Missam ab alio dictam sine ullo labore, et periculo haberetur : per Sacra¬ menta autem non nisi cum labore, et pericu¬ lo haberi potest. Respondeo : Si Missa immediate peccata remitteret, argumentum aliquid concluderet. At non hoc docemus, sed tantum per Missa; sacrificium impetrari donum poenitentia?, quo homines peccatores moveantur ad Sa¬ cramenta desideranda, et quaerenda, in qui¬ bus justificentur, ut supra diximus. Tertio, posset aliquis contra solutionem datam ab experimento argumentum ducere. Nam ssepe dicuntur Missa? pro peccatoribus, qui tamen non recipiunt donum poenitentia? : non igitur Missa pra?sertim ex opere operato, confert donum poenitentia?. Et idem argu¬ mentum fieri potest contra vim hujus sacri¬ ficii ad ca?tera beneficia obtinenda : non enim semper obtinentur ea, pro quibus Missa? sacrificium offertur. Respondeo : Missa? sacrificium cum pro peccatoribus offertur infallibiliter impetrat novum, ac certum auxilium divinum, quo peccatores ad poenitentiam perducantur, sed illud auxilium varie operatur, pro varia ho¬ minum dispositione. Nam siis, pro quo Missa offertur, dispositus est ad contritionem, effi¬ cietur in illo vi novi auxilii contritio, qua? proprie donum poenitentia? est : et hoc est, quod dicunt Concilium Tridentinum , et S. Thomas supra citati ; si vero non sit dis¬ positus, efficietur in illo homine nova qua?- CAPUT VI. dam dispositio, sed quae sine suo frustrabitur, si ille ex arbitrii libertate vocationem Dei rejiciat. Itaque non est mirum, si peccatores non semper convertantur, pro quibus Missae sacrificium offertur, cum tamen sine dubio semper juventur. Adde, quod non est neces¬ sarium, ut effectus sacrificii continuo oxi- stat : sed solum ut Deus auxilium, et gra¬ tiam det, quando ipsi opportunum videbitur. Nam etiam sacrificium crucis non continuo habuit suum effectum : et oratio S. Stephani. Pauli conversionem impetravit , sed futuram tempore a Deo determinato. Quod autem attinet ad temporalia bene¬ ficia, multae possunt esse causae, cur non continuo obtineantur, licet infallibilis sit efficacia sacrificii. Nam vel ea Deus non largitur, quia non esse utilia ad salutem aeternam intelligit, vel differt, ut opportu¬ niore tempore illa concedat, vel denique in¬ digni sunt pro quibus sacrificium offertur, ut temporalia illabencficia accipiant, et con¬ tra dignissimi, qui severissime castigentur. Nam etiamsi sacrificium offeratur ad Deum placandum etiam indignis, tamen aliquando majora sunt hominum demerita, quam ut Deus uno, vel altero sacrificio placari possit: siquidem, ut diximus, finitus ac limitatus est Missa; valor.