Theology of Satisfaction

THE THOMIST A SPECULATIVE QUARTERLY REVIEW OF THEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY EDITORS: THE DoMINICAN FATHERS OF THE PROVINCE OF ST. JosEPH Publishers: The Thomist Press, Washington 17, D. C. VoL. XXI JANUARY, 1958 No. 1 THEOLOGY OF SATISFACTION IN both traditional and contemporary theology of sin and penance one of the most elusive ideas is that of satisfaction / The term gives a juridical and anthropomorphic sound which easily arouses suspicion. Men today, and Catholics are no exception, do not rest content with words; they want to 1 Cf. P. Galtier, S. J., "Satisfaction," Dictionnaire de theologie catholique 14, 1 (1989), 1129-1210. The satisfaction for sin can be understood in more than one way, as noted by Fr. Galtier (art. cit., 1184). We may point especially to two meanings: reparation for sin in general as offense against God (in this sense it includes in a way all that is required of a repentant sinner to make good his sin, namely, the whole of his penance whether in or outside the sacrament), and the penitential works, whether sacramental or extra-sacramental, undertaken for already forgiven sins, in view, namely, of the remaining temporal punishments. In the course of this article we shall consider both of these meanings. P. Galtier (art. cit.) traces the history of the doctrine and practice of satisfaction especially in connection with the sacrament of penance. He generally does not go beyond the traditional formulas and ideas of the rather juridical conception of sin and satisfaction. 1 P. DELETTER get at reality. What does it mean to offer God satisfaction for sin? We are told and we believe that Christ worked our salvation by way of satisfaction: He satisfied for the sins of mankind .2 To His satisfaction we must join ours; our penitential works of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, united to Christ's satisfaction , atone for our forgiven sins.3 Further, as for ourselves so also for other people are we invited to offer satisfaction; we are called to share and imitate in our own small way the vicarious satisfaction of the Redeemer. This idea of vicarious satisfaction underlies the Catholic doctrine and practice of indulgences . It is central in one essential aspect of the devotion to the Sacred Heart, that of reparation.4 And it has suscitated the practice of the heroic act of charity by which one foregoes all satisfactory value of one's good works (and indulgences offered for one after death) in favor of the souls in purgatorya practice that meets With the approval of the Church.5 These few facts show if anything how basic the notion of satisfaction is in Catholic doctrine and practice. But that notion raises a number of difficulties. The very idea of offering God a compensation for sin is intriguing and seems to convey little meaning.6 God cannot be harmed by sin nor gain anything from the compensation we offer Him: what then does it mean to satisfy for the offense against God? And if after Trent we say that by our satisfaction, whether sacramental or extrasacramental , we pay off the debt of temporal punishment that may remain for forgiven sins/ then the question arises what this "reatus poenae temporali.