Quotes from Joseph Pohle

It is certain that no man can be firmly and honestly convinced of the non-existence of God. For, in the first place, no human being enjoying the full use of reason can find a really conclusive argument for the thesis that there is no God.

Alterations in the formula of Baptism may or may not affect its substance. Substantial changes render the Sacrament invalid ; purely accidental changes do not. It would be a substantial change, for instance, to omit all reference to the act performed, or to neglect to invoke the Three Persons of the Trinity.

St. Thomas, following his master Albert, proves the necessity of a right intention on the part of the minister from the proposition that every free instru mental cause must voluntarily accommodate itself to the principal cause,— in this case Christ, the author and chief administrator of the Sacraments. " There is required on the part of the minister that intention by which he subjects himself to the principal agent, i. e. intends to do what Christ does and the Church.

Christ, in whom godhead and manhood are so inti mately united, is as it were a living Sacrament — the personal and visible embodiment of uncreated grace. Similarly His Church, as the mystical image of the Hypostatic Union, is the visible medium of supernatural life, and therefore preeminently a sacramental institu tion.

The confectio of a Sacrament, i. e. the combina tion of matter and form into the sacramental sign, is not necessarily of itself a sacramental act, but indifferent and ambiguous, inasmuch as the minister, being a free agent, may act with any one of a number of different purposes, e. g., to practice, to play a joke, to make a mockery of religious ceremonies, etc. It depends entirely on his free will whether what he does is intended as a

Alexander III decided that it would render Bap tism invalid to omit the words : " I baptize thee," and simply to say : " In the name of the Father," etc. 53 As all Three Divine Persons must be expressly mentioned, it would likewise be invalid to baptize " in the name of the Most Holy Trinity.

sacramental rite or not. Hence the necessity of a proper intention.

Baptism has for its general effect the regeneration of the soul, 1 and hence belongs to the " Sacraments of the dead." Its specific effects are three, viz.: (i) the grace of jus tification (iustificatio prima) ; (2) forgiveness of all the penalties of sin; and (3) the sacramental character.

The effect of this Sacrament [Baptism] is the remission of every sin, original and ac tual.

Innocent III demanded of the Waldenses that they sub scribe to a profession of faith containing these words in regard to the Holy Mass: " For which celebration three things are necessary, as we believe, namely, a certain person, i. e. the priest, . . . those solemn words [of institution], . . . and the honest intention of the one who pronounces them.

Though Baptism completely blots out the guilt of original sin (reatus culpae), there still remains concu piscence (fomes peccati, concupiscentia), which, however, no longer partakes of the nature of guilt, but is merely a consequence of original sin. 4 This teaching was em phasized by St. Augustine.

The remission of punishments called an indulgence is not an unconditional amnesty, but postulates in the re cipient a moral disposition or worthiness, as well as the performance of certain prescribed acts. For this reason the moral worthiness of the recipient is not endangered by an indulgence, but rather partly taken for granted and partly effected. Charity or the love of God is the font and well-spring as well as the gauge and a necessary con dition of the whole system of indulgences.

Bap tism also effects the supernatural concomitants of sanc tifying grace, viz.: the three divine virtues of faith, hope, and charity, the infused moral virtues, and the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost, including His personal indwell-

An indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishments which a penitent, whose sins are forgiven, has yet to undergo, either here or in purgatory; this remission is granted by the Church, through the power of the keys, from the treasury of the superabundant merits of Christ and His saints.

Tertullian speaks the mind of the Latin Fa thers when he says: "The guilt being removed, the penalty is removed also. Thus man is re stored to God according to the likeness of him [i. e. Adam] who in days gone by had been [created] to the image of God.

St. Thomas 29 recommends Christian rulers, " for the honor of the Sacrament," to remit capital punishment to convicted pagans who ask for Baptism, and the Roman Catechism repeats the recommendation.

Augustine observes: " The womb does not repeat its births," 34 and with the latter analogy in mind St. Chrysostom says: " As there is no second crucifixion for Christ, so there can be no such a thing as rebaptism." 35

The question arises: How can the Lord's Blood be truly shed in the Chalice? Such an unbloody shedding of blood seems to involve a contradiction. It is possible and necessary to distinguish a twofold

the baptismal character, as a signum configurativum, incorporates the recipient into Christ's own family, bestows upon him the Saviour's coat-of-arms, and thus renders him a Christian, i. e. one who is like unto Christ. Cfr. Gal. Ill, 27: "As many of you as have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ." 41

under certain conditions, the place of Baptism by water (baptismus fiuminis) may be supplied by Baptism of desire (baptismus flaminis) or by Baptism of blood (baptismus sanguinis).

Does the external sign receive from God a peculiar super natural power enabling it physically to produce sanctify ing grace in the soul, either by a quality inherent in the rite, as Billuart and the Thomists contended, or by an external stimulation of the potentia obedientialis in the soul, as Suarez held?

All the Sacraments, as acts of their invis ible author and chief minister, Jesus Christ, by vir tue of their immanent dignity, move God to the (physical) production of grace, and hence exert at least a moral causality.

If the desire for Baptism is accompanied by perfect con trition, we have the so-called baptismus ftaminis, which forthwith justifies the sinner, provided, of course, that the desire is a true votum sacramenti, i. e. y that it implies a firm resolve to receive the Sacrament as soon as opportunity offers.

Since, however, God has ordained Baptism as a necessary means of salva tion, 26 perfect contrition, in order to obtain forgiveness of sins, must include the desire of the Sacrament.