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Objection 1: It would seem that when a man has recovered charity his
previous satisfaction begins to avail, because a gloss on Lev.
25:25, "If thy brother being impoverished," etc., says that
"the fruit of a man's good works should be counted from the time when
he sinned." But they would not be counted, unless they derived some
efficacy from his subsequent charity. Therefore they begin to avail
after he recovers charity.
Objection 2: Further, as the efficacy of satisfaction is hindered
by sin, so the efficacy of Baptism is hindered by insincerity. Now
Baptism begins to avail when insincerity ceases. Therefore
satisfaction begins to avail when sin is taken away.
Objection 3: Further, if a man is given as a penance for the sins
he has committed, to fast for several days, and then, after falling
again into sin, he completes his penance, he is not told, when he
goes to confession a second time, to fast once again. But he would be
told to do so, if he did not fulfill his duty of satisfaction by them.
Therefore his previous works become valid unto satisfaction, through
his subsequent repentance.
On the contrary, Works done without charity were not satisfactory,
through being dead works. But they are not quickened by penance.
Therefore they do not begin to be satisfactory.
Further, charity does not quicken a work, unless in some way that
work proceeds therefrom. But works cannot be acceptable to God, and
therefore cannot be satisfactory, unless they be quickened by charity.
Since then the works done without charity, in no way proceeded from
charity, nor ever can proceed therefrom, they can by no means count
towards satisfaction.
I answer that, Some have said that works done while in a state of
charity, which are called living works, are meritorious in respect of
eternal life, and satisfactory in respect of paying off the debt of
punishment; and that by subsequent charity, works done without charity
are quickened so as to be satisfactory, but not so as to be meritorious
of eternal life. But this is impossible, because works done in
charity produce both these effects for the same reason, viz. because
they are pleasing to God: wherefore just as charity by its advent
cannot make works done without charity to be pleasing in one respect,
so neither can it make them pleasing in the other respect.
Reply to Objection 1: This means that the fruits are reckoned, not
from the time when he was first in sin, but from the time when he
ceased to sin, when, to wit, he was last in sin; unless he was
contrite as soon as he had sinned, and did many good actions before he
confessed. Or we may say that the greater the contrition the more it
alleviates the punishment, and the more good actions a man does while
in sin, the more he disposes himself to the grace of contrition, so
that it is probable that he owes a smaller debt of punishment. For
this reason the priest should use discretion in taking them into
account, so as to give him a lighter penance, according as he finds
him better disposed.
Reply to Objection 2: Baptism imprints a character on the soul,
whereas satisfaction does not. Hence on the advent of charity, which
removes both insincerity and sin, it causes Baptism to have its
effect, whereas it does not do this for satisfaction. Moreover
Baptism confers justification in virtue of the deed [ex opere
operato] which is not man's deed but God's, wherefore it does not
become a lifeless deed as satisfaction does, which is a deed of man.
Reply to Objection 3: Sometimes satisfaction is such as to leave an
effect in the person who makes satisfaction, even after the act of
satisfaction has been done; thus fasting leaves the body weak, and
almsdeeds result in a diminution of a person's substance, and so on.
In such cases there is no need to repeat the works of satisfaction if
they have been done while in a state of sin, because through penance
they are acceptable to God in the result they leave behind. But when
a work of satisfaction leaves behind no effect in the person that does
satisfaction, it needs to be repeated, as in the case of prayer and so
forth. Interior works, since they pass away altogether, are nowise
quickened, and must be repeated.
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