Dist. 15, Part 1, Art. 1, Q. 3
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/4/d/15/q/bon-sent-IV-d15-p1-a1-q3
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### Question III. *Whether it is possible, outside of charity, while abstaining from sins, to make satisfaction to God.*

Thirdly it is asked whether, outside of charity, while abstaining from sins, it is possible to make satisfaction. And that it is, seems to be the case:

1. Luke eleven: *Give alms, and behold, all things are clean to you;* it is established that there he is speaking of sinners: therefore someone can make satisfaction by alms without grace. And this same thing Daniel said to Nabuchodonosor in Daniel four: *Redeem your sins by alms;* and it is established that he was a great sinner: therefore etc.

2. Likewise, Lamentations three: *They have caught me as in a hunt;* the Gloss: «Even if faith were lacking, the punishment would make satisfaction»; but where faith is lacking, there is no charity: therefore etc.

3. Likewise, it seems so *by reason:* because to no divine precept is a man bound out of charity — this is established, since, if someone honors his parents according to place and time, even without having charity, he does not sin: therefore much less is he bound out of charity to fulfill the priest's command. But satisfaction is the priest's command: therefore it can be done outside of charity.

4. Likewise, if one is bound out of charity to make satisfaction, since no one is certain whether he is worthy of love or of hatred, he is always in doubt: therefore he must always make satisfaction. If you say that the conclusion is true, because penance must always be continued until death; then suppose that a penance of giving a hundred marks were imposed on someone — it seems, according to this, that he is always bound to give; but this is impossible: therefore he is bound to the impossible.

**On the contrary:** 1. «God does not regard how much, but with how great [a disposition]»; but a will without charity does not please God: therefore neither does the work, therefore neither does the satisfaction.

2. Likewise, as long as a man is outside of charity, he is an enemy; but satisfaction is reconciliative: therefore such a one cannot make satisfaction.

3. Likewise, the Apostle, First Corinthians thirteen: *If I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, but have not charity, it profits me nothing:* therefore etc.

4. Likewise, no one is damned for a fault for which he makes satisfaction; and no one is damned except on account of a fault: therefore no one who makes satisfaction is damned. But no one escapes damnation except him who has charity: therefore no one makes satisfaction except him who is in charity.

> **Conclusion.** Without sanctifying grace no one can make satisfaction to God.

**I respond:** It must be said that to make satisfaction, as far as the force of the word goes, implies divine acceptance and reconciliation and friendship; and since without sanctifying grace and charity it is impossible for anyone to please God and for his works to be accepted: therefore neither is it possible to make satisfaction. Nevertheless a man can, before he has charity, prepare himself to have charity and to make satisfaction. And thus is to be understood the counsel of the Lord and the counsel of Daniel, that they should prepare themselves through alms for grace, which once received, by multiplying alms they would make satisfaction.

2. To the objection from the Gloss on Lamentations, it must be said that "faith" is there called the conscience of sin. For sometimes one having grace makes satisfaction through punishment for a fault of which he has no memory; whence it is as much as to say: *if faith be lacking,* as much as: *if conscience be lacking*.

3. 4. To the objection that no one is bound out of charity to fulfill the commands; it must be said that when a work of satisfaction is imposed by a man upon a man, he is not bound to do that work out of charity or in charity, since it is a precept; but he has need to do it in charity for this, that it may be emendatory and pleasing to God. And therefore I say that, once that enjoined work is completed, he is not bound to repeat it. But if he probably doubts that he has not made satisfaction to God, he ought not to cease from satisfaction until through probable signs he has certitude concerning the fault forgiven and the punishment. Whence, as has been said concerning the other Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, that it avails only to one having charity, yet no one is bound to approach out of charity according to truth, but to dispose himself probably; so too it must be said concerning satisfaction,

that he is bound to do the works enjoined for satisfaction, and is bound to dispose himself, as far as is in him; and thus he is absolved in the forum of the Church and from the punishment of his conscience, and in the forum of God he is absolved, so that he does not sin in doing this. But nevertheless by these works he is not absolved altogether; and therefore it is sound counsel that a man should always do penance. Yet it suffices to have done the enjoined penance with probable signs, nor is it necessary to repeat it. Whence if he has given a hundred, he ought not to repeat it, nor ought the priest to impose again except for some fault newly committed. For such a one has made satisfaction in the forum of the Church and of his conscience.

Whence it is to be noted that a twofold forum can be distinguished according to a twofold judgment, namely the forum of conscience and the forum of divine justice. The first is manifest, the second is hidden. If, then, anyone fulfills the imposed penance without remorse of conscience, but nevertheless outside of charity; he is not bound to make satisfaction further, neither by the judgment of the priest nor by his own; yet he is bound by the judgment of God, since God will still exact the punishment. But that forum is distinguished against the forum of the Church; whereas this is called the forum of the Church, which is in the face of the Church and according to public judgment.