Chapter 3

6. The Church, aware of these truths ever since its origins, formulated and undertook various ways of applying the fruits of the Lord's redemption to the individual faithful and of leading them to cooperate in the salvation of their brothers, so that the entire body of the Church might be prepared in justice and sanctity for the complete realization of the kingdom of God, when he will be all things to all men.

The Apostles themselves, in fact, exhorted their disciples to pray for the salvation of sinners.(23) This very ancient usage of the Church has blessedly persevered,(24) particularly in the practice of penitents invoking the intercession of the entire commu-nity, (25) and when the dead are assisted with suffrages, particularly through the offering of the Eucharistic Sacrifice.(26) Good works, particularly those which human frailty finds difficult, were also offered to God for the salvation of sinners from the Church's most ancient times.(27) And since the sufferings of the martyrs for the faith and for the law of God were considered of great value, penitents used to turn to the martyrs, to be helped by their merits to obtain from the bishops a more speedy reconciliation.(28) Indeed the prayer and good works of the upright were considered to be of so great value that it could be asserted the penitent was washed, cleansed and redeemed with the help of the entire Christian people.(29)

It was not believed, however, that the individual faithful by their own merits alone worked for the remission of sins of their brothers, but that the entire Church as a single body united to Christ its Head was bringing about satisfaction.(30)

The Church of the Fathers was fully convinced that it was pursuing the work of salvation in community, and under the authority of the pastors established by the Holy Spirit as bishops to govern the Church of God.(31)

The bishops, therefore, prudently assessing these matters, established the manner and the measure of the satisfaction to be made and indeed permitted canonical penances to be replaced by other possibly easier works, which would be useful to the common good and suitable for fostering piety, to be performed by the penitents themselves and sometimes by others among the faithful.(32)

-------------

23. Cf. James 5:16; 1 John 5:16.

24. Cf. Clement of Rome, "To The Corinthians" 56, 1: "Oremus igitur...et perfecta" (Funk, Apostolic Fathers 1, p. 171). Cf. The Martyrdom of St. Polycarp 8, 1: "Cum autem...catholicae ecclesiae (Funk, Apostolic Fathers 1, p. 321, 323).

25. Cf. Sozomenus, "Church History" 7, 16: In public penance, after the solemn celebration of Masses, the penitents in the Roman Church "cum gemitu...eos dimittit" (PG 67, 1462).

26. Cf. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechesis 24 (mystag. 5), 9; 10: "Deinde et pro...jacet victima." After he confirms this by the example of the crown which used to be offered to the emperor in order that he might grant indulgence to the exiles, the Holy Doctor concludes his discourse: "Ad eundem modum...propitiate satagentes", (PG 33, 1115; 1118). Cf. Augustine, Confessions 9, 12, 32 (PL 32, 777) and 9, 11, 27 (PL 32, 775); Sermones 172, 2 (PL 38, 936); "De cura pro mortuis gerenda" 1, 3 (PL 40, 593).

27. Cf. Clement of Alexandria, Lib. "Quis Dives salvetur" 42: (St. John the Apostle on the conversion of the young thief) "Exinde partim....gremio admovisset..." (CGS 17, p. 189-190; PG 9, 651).

28. Cf. Tertullian, Ad martyras 1, 6: "Quam, pacem...exorare consueverunt" (CCL 1, p. 3, PL 1, 695). Cf. Cyprian, letter 18 (alias: 12), 1: "Occurrendum puto...factis desideraverunt" (CSEL 3, p. 523-524; PL 4, 265; cf. Idem, Letter 19 [alias: 131, 2, CSEL 311, p. 525; Pl, 4, 267). Cf. Eusebius of Caesaria, "Ecclesiastical History" 1, 6, 42 (CGS Eus. 2, 2, 610; PG 20, 614-615).

29. Cf. Ambrose, De paenitentia 1, 15: velut enim omnes redimerentur" (PL 16, 511).

30. Cf. Tertullian. De paenitentia 10, 5-6, "Non potest...filius postulat" (CCL 1, p. 337; PL 1, 1356). Cf. Augustine, exposition on Psalm 85, 1 (CCL 39, p. 1176-1177; PL 37, 1082).

31. Cf. Acts, 20, 28. Also cf. Council of Trent, Session 23, Decree "On the Sacrament of Order," ch. 4 (DS 1768); Vatican I, Session 4, Dogmatic Constitution Pastor Aeternus on the Church, ch. 3 (DS 3061 ); Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium on the Nature of the Church, n. 20 (A.A.S. 57, 1965, p. 23). Cf. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Smyrnaeos 8, 1: "Separatim ab episcopo nemo quidquam faciat eortim, quae ad ecclesiam spectant..." (Funk, Apostolic Fathers 1, p 283).

32. Cf. Council of Nicea 1, can. 12: "...quicumque enim...de eis statuere...." (Mansi, SS. Conciliorum collectio 2, 674). Cf. Council of Neocaesaria, can. 3 (loc. cit.. 540). Cf. Innocent I, letter 25, 7, 10 (PL 20, 559). Cf. Leo the Great, letter 159, 6 (PL 54, 1138). Cf. Basil the Great, letter 217 (canonica 3), 74: "Quod si...misericordiam consequi" (PG 32. 803). Cf. Ambrose, De paenitentia 1, 15 (see above, in note 29).