Pars 6, Cap. 10
by St. Bonaventure
Source text: Public Domain Mark 1.0. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://bonaventure.wrootpress.com/browse/5/d/6/q/bon-brev-p6-c10
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### Chapter X. *On the integrity of penance.*

Concerning the Sacrament of *penance* this must be held: that it is « the second plank after shipwreck », to which one suffering shipwreck through mortal sin can have recourse, so long as he is in the state of the present life, whensoever and however often he shall have willed to implore the divine clemency. — Now its integral parts are *contrition* in mind, *confession* in word and *satisfaction* in deed. Out of which penance is then made entire, when the sinner both in deed forsakes and in word accuses and in mind detests every mortal fault he has perpetrated, purposing never to iterate the sin. — And when these concur in the due manner, together with the absolution made by him in whom there is order, key and jurisdiction; a man is absolved from sin and is reunited to the Church and reconciled to Christ, by the mediation of the priestly key; through whose judgment also there has to take place not only *absolution*, but also *excommunication* and *relaxation*, which properly has to be done by the bishop as by the spouse of the Church.

Now the reason for the understanding of the aforesaid is this: since our reparative principle, the Word namely incarnate, by the very fact that he is the Word, is the fount of *truth* and of *wisdom*; and by the very fact that he is incarnate, is the fount of *piety* and of *indulgence*: therefore he ought to repair the human race through the medicines of the Sacraments, and especially against the chief disease, which namely is mortal sin; according as befits a devout *pontiff*, a skilled *physician* and an equitable *judge*; so that thus in our cure there may appear the supreme *clemency*, the supreme *prudence* and the supreme *justice* of the incarnate Word.

First then, since in our cure from mortal fault through penance there ought to appear the supreme *clemency* of Christ himself, the most devout *pontiff*; and the supreme clemency of the Pontiff exceeds all human sins, of whatever sort and of whatever magnitude they be and however often they have been perpetrated: hence it is that to receive sinners unto pardon belongs to that most clement Pontiff, not once nor twice, but as often as they shall have suppliantly implored the clemency of God. And because the divine clemency is then truly and suppliantly implored, when the lament of penance intervenes; and to this a man can convert himself, so long as he is in the state of the present life, since he is turnable to good and to evil: hence it is that however much and whenever and however often the sinner shall have sinned, he can have refuge to the Sacrament of penance, through which the remission of sins may be made to him.

Again, because in our cure there ought to be manifested the supreme *prudence* of Christ himself, the most skilled *physician*; and the prudence of the physician lies in applying contrary remedies, through which not only is the disease taken away, but also the cause is cut off; since it is sinned against God by delight, by consent and by perpetration, namely in heart, in mouth and in deed: hence it is that the most prudent Physician instituted that, against the disorder of the sinner according to a threefold power — namely the affective, the interpretative and the operative, which comes about through the hidden *complacency of delight* — there should be the reformation of the penitent according to the aforesaid threefold power, through *the penance of sorrow* conceived in the heart by *compunction*, expressed in the mouth by *confession*, consummated in deed by *satisfaction*. And because all mortal sins turn away from the one God and are opposed to the one grace and pervert the one principal rectitude of man; hence it is that, for this, that the medicine of penance be sufficiently made entire out of its parts, it is necessary that penance be had concerning all sins, both as regards the *past* by displeasure over things perpetrated, and as regards the *present* by ceasing from things to be perpetrated, and as regards the *future* by the purpose of never relapsing either into the same or into another kind of sin; so that thus, by withdrawing totally from fault through penance, the divine grace may be received, through which the pardon of all sins may be obtained.

Lastly, because in our cure there ought to be manifested the *right justice* of Christ himself the *judge*; and it does not belong to him in his own person to judge before the last and final judgment: therefore he had to constitute judges for particular judgments before the end. And because these judges are as it were intermediaries between the offended God and the offending man, as those near to Christ and set over the people; and to the Lord those especially are near and familiar by reason of office who are especially consecrated to his ministry, namely priests: therefore to *all* those constituted in the priestly order, and to them *alone*, is given the power of the twofold key, namely of the key of *knowledge* for discerning, and of the key which is *the power of binding and loosing*, for adjudging and for bestowing the benefit of absolution.

But because, for avoiding confusion, not everyone is set over everyone in the Church militant, since the ecclesiastical hierarchy itself ought to be ordered according to the judiciary power; therefore this power of *binding* and *loosing* was granted first to *one* first and supreme priest, upon whom, as upon the supreme head, universal power was conferred; and thereafter it is divided into parts according to particular Churches, so that it descends from the one head first upon bishops and then upon presbyters. Therefore, although each and every priest has order and key, yet the use of the key extends only to those who are ordinarily subject to him, unless it be committed to him by one who has ordinary jurisdiction. But since that jurisdiction is principally in the supreme head and thereafter in the bishop and lastly in the priest having a cure; it can indeed be committed by any one of these to another, sufficiently indeed by the lowest, more by the middle and most of all by the supreme.

And because in the supreme Pontiff and also in the bishops this kind of jurisdiction is not only for judging between God and man in secret, but also for judging between man and man in the open, as in those to whom the governance and custody of the Church has been committed, as the bride is committed to the bridegroom; hence it is that prelates have the *sword*, with which they can strike for the defense of right in *excommunication*, and *the power of bestowing* from the treasures of the merits of the Church, which they have laid up and commended both from the head and from the members, and this in *relaxation*; so that thus, as true judges of God, they may possess the entire power of binding and loosing, through which they may strike the impenitent and restrain the rebellious, and nonetheless may absolve and reconcile to God and to holy mother Church those who are truly penitent.

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