The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-12-13

could produce the effects of the Sac
without external ceremony.
While it is not absolutely impossible
for Christ to communicate this power
of excellence TO men, had He done SO .
they could not have possessed it with I
the same perfection of Christ, for, as t
Saint Thomas puts it, He would have /
remained the Head of the Church
principally, others secondarily." 1t is
a fact that Christ did not communicate /
this power. He did not communicate
it because He wished that men might
place their hope in God and not in
men and He did not wish to permit
the possibility of different Sacraments
giving rise to divisions in the Church.
While the Church, through the
Council of Trent, has defined that
Christ is the Author of a Sacrament it
does not define as a matter of faith
that the Sacraments were immediate
ly instituted by Christ A few theo-
logians hold that some of the Sacra-
ments were instituted by the Apostles,
using power that had been given to
them by Christ. While the Council
did not define as matter of faith
that the Sacraments were immediate
ly instituted by Christ, most theolo-
gians contend that it is theologically
certain that Christ Immediately in
stituted all the Sacramento of the
New Law.
In the decree condemning Modern
| ism Pope Plus x. condemned this
propositions: THE Sacraments had
their origin in this that the Apostles
persuaded and moved by circum-
stances and events interpreted some
idea and intention of Christ" 1t then
continues and condemned eleven prop
ositions which would deny that Christ
| Immediately instituted the Sacra-
mentS.
1t does not necessarily follow that
| Christ determined all the details of
| the sacred ceremonial or prescribed
infinitely all those things that relate
| to the matte" and form that is to be
used. Immediate institution by Christ
requires only that Christ determine
what special graces were to be con-
| ferred by means of external rite. 1t
| is true that in both Baptism and Eu-
| charist Christ determined infinitely
| the matter and form, but it is not so
certain that He determined so pre-
cisely the form to be observed in the
other Sacramento. He ordained that
| there should be an external ceremony
| by which special graceS were to be
conferred, but left to the Apostles or
to the Church the power to prescribe
and determine what He had not de-
| termined While the Council state
ment declared that the Church had
not the power to change the SUBJ
stance of the Sacramento, this would
not mean that the Church could not
use her divine authority to determine
| more precisely the matter and form
| in so far as they had not been deter
mined by Christ. This is not a new
theory and is not only perfectly con-
sistent with the DEGREES of the Coun-
Gil of Trent, but will help to solve
many difficulties relating to the Sac
raments, and particularly to the Sac
raments of Confirmation and Holy Or
tiers.s IT must not be understood that
Christ instituted one of the Sacra-
ments in an implicit state. The
Church does not admit that Christ
personally only instituted the two Sac
raments. Baptism and Eucharist, and
left the institution Of the other five
| to the Church. To accept the Catho-
| lie definition of a Sacrament it must
| mean hat the rite which confers
grace was instituted Immediately by
| Christ Himself. Et
Req. B. X OReiHD.