The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-04-20
SATISFACTION FOR SIN.

Sacramento satisfaction means rep
aration to God for sin. 1t is not
enough for us to be our own accusers
by confession; we must also be ready
to execute justice on ourselves by
making satisfaction. The catechism
tells us that satisfaction is the doing
of the penance given us by the priest.
1t means the punishment or penalty
of. some sort, which the priest, in his
capacity as judge, gives to us, for
the satisfaction of the justice of AL
mighty God, which is offended by
sin.
1t is absolutely necessary, in order
to receive pardon, that the penitent
should be ready to expect, and have
the will to perform, a penance. The
disposition to make amends goes nat
urally with sorrow for sin. Satisfac-
ton usually consists of some prayers,
some good works, fasting, or humilia-
ton, and should be performed as soon
as possible, or at the stated time.
The penitent himself is not at liberty
to change the penance he has receiV-
ed, even by substituting a greater
penance than the one imposed. No
matter how great be the penance
given to us, it bears but small pro-
portion to the malice of our sins. 1t
is advisable that the penitent should
not speak of the penance imposed
upon him in the confessional.
1t is very well for us to dwell fire.
quently upon the solemn warnings
that are contained in holy scripture,
that we may not lose sight of our
responsibilities. "The wages of sin
is DEATH" Behold l come quickly,
and my reward is with me to render
to every man according to his works"
(Apoc. XXI, 12.) By sin, we contract
debt to Almighty God. "One was
brought to him that owed him 10000
talents" (St Matt. XVIII, 24.) "A
certain man had two debtors, and one
owed him 500 pence, and the other
So" est. Luke VII, 41.) In the
Lords prayer we say, Forgive us
our trespasses" is, forgive us
our, debts, as we also forgive our
debtors.
as a debt, which they certainly have
to pay some day, they would not be
SO careless in contracting them. AL
mighty God regards sin as a debt due
to His justice to be satisfied some way
or other, not only when sinners are
His enemies, but also when they are
His friends. Moses and David both
CT hioI1 in hn 70 0f
and were especially privileged They
were both men according to Gods own
heart. When they sinned, however,
God acted toward them as toward
others, and in spite of the high favor
in which they stood, they had to pay
the penalty of their transgressions.
The Great Mystery of our Redemp-
tion should put plainly before us the
necessity of satisfying the justice of
God. We cannot therefore wonder
that in all His dealings with His crea-
lures, God should insist upon due sat
isfaction made in one way or another.
God has moreover given us the
power to make payment for ourselves,
by giving to our actions the value de-
l1NSu HUH IDS OoC1Cu 1uCllLS VI our
Redeemer. All that men could do
with their unassisted power would be
insufficient to make any satisfaction.
But God has given His supernatural
efficacy to what we do in Him and
with Him, so that we are able by His
grace to make real and true satisfac-
tion for sins by which His justice has
been outraged. He has borne His
cross, and He also expects us to take
up our cross and follow Him. Hence
we read in ST. Matt. XIV, "a, that ''if
any man will come after Me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross
and follow Me-" When sin has been
RENTED, the debt of punishment may
still remain, which we ourselves have
still to pay. The Council of Trent de-
clares that 1T is wholly false and for
eign from the words of God that the
guilt OF sin will never be RENTED by
Cod, without the whole punishment
being also pardaned.'
Throughout the whole Jewish re-
ligion will we find that WheneYer. sin