|
Objection 1: It would seem unlawful for religious to teach,
preach, and the like. For it is said (VII, qu. i, can. Hoc
nequaquam) in an ordinance of a synod of Constantinople [Pseudosynod
held by Photius in 879]: "The monastic life is one of subjection
and discipleship, not of teaching, authority, or pastoral care."
And Jerome says (ad Ripar. et Desider. [Contra Vigilant.
xvi]): "A monk's duty is not to teach but to lament." Again
Pope Leo [Leo I, Ep. cxx ad Theodoret., 6, cf. XVI,
qu. i, can. Adjicimus]: says "Let none dare to preach save the
priests of the Lord, be he monk or layman, and no matter what
knowledge he may boast of having." Now it is not lawful to exceed the
bounds of one's office or transgress the ordinance of the Church.
Therefore seemingly it is unlawful for religious to teach, preach,
and the like.
Objection 2: Further, in an ordinance of the Council of Nicea
(cf. XVI, qu. i, can. Placuit) it is laid down as follows:
"It is our absolute and peremptory command addressed to all that monks
shall not hear confessions except of one another, as is right, that
they shall not bury the dead except those dwelling with them in the
monastery, or if by chance a brother happen to die while on a visit."
But just as the above belong to the duty of clerics, so also do
preaching and teaching. Therefore since "the business of a monk
differs from that of a cleric," as Jerome says (Ep. xiv ad
Heliod.), it would seem unlawful for religious to preach, teach,
and the like.
Objection 3: Further, Gregory says (Regist. v, Ep. 1):
"No man can fulfil ecclesiastical duties, and keep consistently to
the monastic rule": and this is quoted XVI, qu. i, can. Nemo
potest. Now monks are bound to keep consistently to the monastic
rule. Therefore it would seem that they cannot fulfil ecclesiastical
duties, whereof teaching and preaching are a part. Therefore
seemingly it is unlawful for them to preach, teach, and do similar
things.
On the contrary, Gregory is quoted (XVI, qu. i, can. Ex
auctoritate) as saying: "By authority of this decree framed in
virtue of our apostolic power and the duty of our office, be it lawful
to monk priests who are configured to the apostles, to preach,
baptize, give communion, pray for sinners, impose penance, and
absolve from sin."
I answer that, A thing is declared to be unlawful to a person in two
ways. First, because there is something in him contrary to that which
is declared unlawful to him: thus to no man is it lawful to sin,
because each man has in himself reason and an obligation to God's
law, to which things sin is contrary. And in this way it is said to
be unlawful for a person to preach, teach, or do like things, because
there is in him something incompatible with these things, either by
reason of a precept---thus those who are irregular by ordinance of
the Church may not be raised to the sacred orders---or by reason of
sin, according to Ps. 49:16, "But to the sinner God hath
said: Why dost thou declare My justice?"
In this way it is not unlawful for religious to preach, teach, and do
like things, both because they are bound neither by vow nor by precept
of their rule to abstain from these things, and because they are not
rendered less apt for these things by any sin committed, but on the
contrary they are the more apt through having taken upon themselves the
practice of holiness. For it is foolish to say that a man is rendered
less fit for spiritual duties through advancing himself in holiness;
and consequently it is foolish to declare that the religious state is an
obstacle to the fulfilment of such like duties. This error is rejected
by Pope Boniface [Boniface IV] for the reasons given above. His
words which are quoted (XVI, qu. i, can. Sunt. nonnulli) are
these: "There are some who without any dogmatic proof, and with
extreme daring, inspired with a zeal rather of bitterness than of
love, assert that monks though they be dead to the world and live to
God, are unworthy of the power of the priestly office, and that they
cannot confer penance, nor christen, nor absolve in virtue of the
power divinely bestowed on them in the priestly office. But they are
altogether wrong." He proves this first because it is not contrary to
the rule; thus he continues: "For neither did the Blessed Benedict
the saintly teacher of monks forbid this in any way," nor is it
forbidden in other rules. Secondly, he refutes the above error from
the usefulness of the monks, when he adds at the end of the same
chapter: "The more perfect a man is, the more effective is he in
these, namely in spiritual works."
Secondly, a thing is said to be unlawful for a man, not on account of
there being in him something contrary thereto, but because he lacks
that which enables him to do it: thus it is unlawful for a deacon to
say mass, because he is not in priestly orders; and it is unlawful for
a priest to deliver judgment because he lacks the episcopal authority.
Here, however, a distinction must be made. Because those things
which are a matter of an order, cannot be deputed to one who has not
the order, whereas matters of jurisdiction can be deputed to those who
have not ordinary jurisdiction: thus the delivery of a judgment is
deputed by the bishop to a simple priest. In this sense it is said to
be unlawful for monks and other religious to preach, teach, and so
forth, because the religious state does not give them the power to do
these things. They can, however, do them if they receive orders, or
ordinary jurisdiction, or if matters of jurisdiction be delegated to
them.
Reply to Objection 1: It results from the words quoted that the
fact of their being monks does not give monks the power to do these
things, yet it does not involve in them anything contrary to the
performance of these acts.
Reply to Objection 2: Again, this ordinance of the Council of
Nicea forbids monks to claim the power of exercising those acts on the
ground of their being monks, but it does not forbid those acts being
delegated to them.
Reply to Objection 3: These two things are incompatible, namely,
the ordinary cure of ecclesiastical duties, and the observance of the
monastic rule in a monastery. But this does not prevent monks and
other religious from being sometimes occupied with ecclesiastical duties
through being deputed thereto by superiors having ordinary cure;
especially members of religious orders that are especially instituted
for that purpose, as we shall say further on (Question 188,
Article 4).
|
|