Dist. 16, Part 1
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/16/q/bon-sent-IV-d16-p1-littera
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— …in each of these things, and let him perceive the measure of the crime, purging with tears every quality of the vice; let him bewail the virtue which in the meantime he lacked. For one must grieve, not only that he sinned, but that he deprived himself of virtue. Let him bewail also, since *offending in one he is made guilty of all*. For ungrateful he showed himself who, full of virtues, feared not God at all. For in this each sinner is made the more culpable, by which he is the more *acceptable* to God; for so Adam sinned the more, because he abounded in every good. In another way too, offending in one he is made guilty of all: because every *virtue* suffers detriment from a single vice ».

« Let him place himself wholly in the judgment and power of the priest, reserving nothing of himself to himself, so that, at his bidding, he be ready to do all things for the recovery of the life of the soul which he would do for avoiding the death of the body, and this with desire, because he recovers an infinite life. For with joy ought he to do, being about to be immortal, what he would do, being about to die, for the deferring of death: let him ever beseech God, let him offer to God his mind and the contrition of his heart, and then also what he can of his possession; then, if he offers anything, let him offer it secure: *The Lord had respect to Abel and to his gifts*; he says first to *Abel* than to his *gifts.* In the judgment of the heart, therefore, the alms of the giver are to be weighed; nor is it to be considered *how much,* but *with what mind, with what affection* he gives what he can. He therefore who wishes to redeem his sins by the offering of temporal things, let him first offer his mind. Let him beware, lest, led by shame, he divide his confession with himself, so as to wish to manifest different things to different priests. For some conceal from one what they keep to be manifested to another; which is to praise oneself and to tend to hypocrisy and ever to lack pardon, to which by *scraps* they think to attain. Let him beware also, lest he approach the Lord's body before a good conscience strengthen him; and let him grieve that he does not yet dare to take the saving food which he much desires. Let him also restrain himself from games, from the spectacles of the world, who wishes to obtain the perfect grace of remission. These are the worthy fruits of penance, snaring the captive soul and keeping it in freedom ». And below: « Let the soul seek *worthy fruits,* even if not worthy of penance. For there are worthy fruits of the virtues which do not suffice for penitents. For penance demands graver ones, that by grief and groans the dead may obtain life ». — From these things it is shown what are the *worthy fruits* of penance, by which true satisfaction is fulfilled, and that not all *worthy fruits* are *worthy fruits* of penance; which is understood of that penance which is of greater crimes. For those things do not suffice for those grievously offending which suffice for those sinning less or little.

### Chap. III. *What false satisfaction is.*

And just as there are *worthy* fruits of penance and *true* satisfaction, so also *unworthy* fruits and *false* satisfaction, that is false penance. Whence Gregory: « We call those penances false which are not imposed according to the authorities of the Saints in proportion to the quality of the crimes. And therefore a soldier, or a merchant, or one given over to some office which cannot be exercised without sin, if entangled in graver faults he comes to penance, or one who unjustly detains the goods of another, or one who bears hatred in his heart, let him recognize that he cannot accomplish true penance, unless he leave the business, or forsake the office, and dismiss the hatred from his heart, and restore the goods which he unjustly took away. Yet let him not despair; meanwhile, whatever good he can do, we exhort that he do it, that God may enlighten his heart to penance ». Since penance is interior and exterior, concerning each it sufficiently appears from the foregoing which is true, and which is false.

### Part II.

### Chap. IV. *On the three actions of penance.*

But to the foregoing it is to be added that penance is done in three ways: before baptism, namely, concerning prior sins; after baptism, concerning the graver sins which are committed afterward; there is also a daily penance of *venial* sins, which is even of the humble and of the perfect. Whence Augustine: « There are three actions of penance, which your learning recognizes along with me. One is that which brings forth the new man, until through baptism there be made the washing of all past sins; because no one, the arbiter of his own will, can begin a new life unless he repent of the old; from which infants are exempt when they are baptized, because they cannot yet use free will, to whom however for the remission of original sin the faith of those by whom they are offered profits ». « The second is the action of penance after baptism, which is made for those sins which the decalogue of the Law contains ». « Men therefore do penance before baptism concerning prior sins, yet so that they also be baptized, as Peter says: *Do penance, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of the Lord* etc. They do penance also, if after baptism they have so sinned that they deserve afterward to be excommunicated and reconciled ». « There is also a penance of the good and humble faithful, almost daily, in which we beat our breasts saying: *Forgive us our debts, as we also* etc. For neither do we wish those things to be forgiven us which we do not doubt were forgiven in baptism »,

### Chap. V. *On the multitude of venial sins, which weighs as one great sin.*

« But those which, though small, yet frequently creep upon human frailty, which, if they be gathered against us, will so weigh down and oppress us, as one single great sin. For what does it matter, as to shipwreck, whether the ship be covered and overwhelmed by one great wave, or whether water gradually creeping in fill the hold through the fault of the negligent, and it be submerged? Therefore let fasting and alms and prayers keep watch, in which, when we say: *Forgive us our debts* etc., we declare that we have something to be forgiven us; and in these words humbling our souls, we cease not to do daily penance ».

### Chap. VI. *On the satisfaction for venial sins.*

But what satisfaction is sufficient for venial sins, Augustine intimates, thus saying in the Enchiridion: « For the daily and brief and light sins, without which this life is not led, the daily prayer of the faithful makes satisfaction. For it is theirs to say: *Our Father, who art in heaven* etc. This prayer wholly blots out the least and daily sins; it blots out also those from which the life of the faithful, though wickedly led but by penitence changed for the better, departs, if, as it is truly said: *Forgive us our debts*; so also it be truly said: *as we also forgive our debtors,* that is, if there be done what is said; because alms itself is wholly to pardon those asking forgiveness ». — From these and the other foregoing things it is now easy to understand what satisfaction is to be exhibited for venial sins. For the Lord's prayer with some fasting and alms suffices, yet so that some little contrition precede, and confession be added, if there be opportunity; concerning which confession it will be treated afterward. But for graver sins these things also are to be applied in satisfaction, but much more vehemently and strictly, because, as Augustine says, for doing penance « it does not suffice to change one's morals for the better and to withdraw from evil deeds, unless also for those things which have been done satisfaction be made to the Lord by the grief of penance, by the groan of humility, by the sacrifice of a contrite heart, alms cooperating ».

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