Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It would seem that no religious order may be established for preaching, or hearing confessions. For it is said (VII, qu. i ): "The monastic life is one of subjection and discipleship, not of teaching, authority, or pastoral care," and the same apparently applies to religious. Now preaching and hearing confessions are the actions of a pastor and teacher. Therefore a religious order should not be established for this purpose.

Objection 2: Further, the purpose for which a religious order is established would seem to be something most proper to the religious life, as stated above (Article 1). Now the aforesaid actions are not proper to religious but to bishops. Therefore a religious order should not be established for the purpose of such actions.

Objection 3: Further, it seems unfitting that the authority to preach and hear confessions should be committed to an unlimited number of men; and there is no fixed number of those who are received into a religious order. Therefore it is unfitting for a religious order to be established for the purpose of the aforesaid actions.

Objection 4: Further, preachers have a right to receive their livelihood from the faithful of Christ, according to 1 Cor. 9. If then the office of preaching be committed to a religious order established for that purpose, it follows that the faithful of Christ are bound to support an unlimited number of persons, which would be a heavy burden on them. Therefore a religious order should not be established for the exercise of these actions.

Objection 5: Further, the organization of the Church should be in accordance with Christ's institution. Now Christ sent first the twelve apostles to preach, as related in Luke 9, and afterwards He sent the seventy-two disciples, as stated in Luke 10. Moreover, according to the gloss of Bede on "And after these things" (Lk. 10:1), "the apostles are represented by the bishops, the seventy-two disciples by the lesser priests," i.e. the parish priests. Therefore in addition to bishops and parish priests, no religious order should be established for the purpose of preaching and hearing confessions.

On the contrary, In the Conferences of the Fathers (Coll. xiv, 4), Abbot Nesteros, speaking of the various kinds of religious orders, says: "Some choosing the care of the sick, others devoting themselves to the relief of the afflicted and oppressed, or applying themselves to teaching, or giving alms to the poor, have been most highly esteemed on account of their devotion and piety." Therefore just as a religious order may be established for the care of the sick, so also may one be established for teaching the people by preaching and like works.

I answer that, As stated above (Article 2), it is fitting for a religious order to be established for the works of the active life, in so far as they are directed to the good of our neighbor, the service of God, and the upkeep of divine worship. Now the good of our neighbor is advanced by things pertaining to the spiritual welfare of the soul rather than by things pertaining to the supplying of bodily needs, in proportion to the excellence of spiritual over corporal things. Hence it was stated above (Question 32, Article 3) that spiritual works of mercy surpass corporal works of mercy. Moreover this is more pertinent to the service of God, to Whom no sacrifice is more acceptable than zeal for souls, as Gregory says (Hom. xii in Ezech.). Furthermore, it is a greater thing to employ spiritual arms in defending the faithful against the errors of heretics and the temptations of the devil, than to protect the faithful by means of bodily weapons. Therefore it is most fitting for a religious order to be established for preaching and similar works pertaining to the salvation of souls.

Reply to Objection 1: He who works by virtue of another, acts as an instrument. And a minister is like an "animated instrument," as the Philosopher says (Polit. i, 2 ). Hence if a man preach or do something similar by the authority of his superiors, he does not rise above the degree of "discipleship" or "subjection," which is competent to religious.

Reply to Objection 2: Some religious orders are established for soldiering, to wage war, not indeed on their own authority, but on that of the sovereign or of the Church who are competent to wage war by virtue of their office, as stated above (Article 3, ad 4). In the same way certain religious orders are established for preaching and hearing confessions, not indeed by their own authority, but by the authority of the higher and lower superiors, to whom these things belong by virtue of their office. Consequently to assist one's superiors in such a ministry is proper to a religious order of this kind.

Reply to Objection 3: Bishops do not allow these religious severally and indiscriminately to preach or hear confessions, but according to the discretion of the religious superiors, or according to their own appointment.

Reply to Objection 4: The faithful are not bound by law to contribute to the support of other than their ordinary prelates, who receive the tithes and offerings of the faithful for that purpose, as well as other ecclesiastical revenues. But if some men are willing to minister to the faithful by exercising the aforesaid acts gratuitously, and without demanding payment as of right, the faithful are not burdened thereby because their temporal contributions can be liberally repaid by those men, nor are they bound by law to contribute, but by charity, and yet not so that they be burdened thereby and others eased, as stated in 2 Cor. 8:13. If, however, none be found to devote themselves gratuitously to services of this kind, the ordinary prelate is bound, if he cannot suffice by himself, to seek other suitable persons and support them himself.

Reply to Objection 5: The seventy-two disciples are represented not only by the parish priests, but by all those of lower order who in any way assist the bishops in their office. For we do not read that our Lord appointed the seventy-two disciples to certain fixed parishes, but that "He sent them two and two before His face into every city and place whither He Himself was to come." It was fitting, however, that in addition to the ordinary prelates others should be chosen for these duties on account of the multitude of the faithful, and the difficulty of finding a sufficient number of persons to be appointed to each locality, just as it was necessary to establish religious orders for military service, on account of the secular princes being unable to cope with unbelievers in certain countries.

Articulus 4

Argumentum 1

Ad quartum sic proceditur. Videtur quod nulla religio possit institui ad praedicandum vel confessiones audiendum.

Dicitur enim VII, qu. I, monachorum vita subiectionis habet verbum et discipulatus, non docendi vel praesidendi vel pascendi alios, et eadem ratio esse videtur de aliis religiosis. Sed praedicare et confessiones audire est pascere vel docere alios.

Non ergo ad hoc aliqua religio potest institui.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, illud ad quod religio instituitur, videtur esse maxime proprium religioni, ut supra dictum est.

Sed praedicti actus non sunt proprii religiosorum, sed potius praelatorum.

Non ergo ad huiusmodi actus potest aliqua religio institui.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, inconveniens videtur quod auctoritas praedicandi et confessiones audiendi infinitis hominibus committatur. Sed non est certus numerus eorum qui in religione aliqua recipiuntur.

Ergo inconveniens est quod aliqua religio instituatur ad actus praedictos.

Argumentum 4

Praeterea, praedicatoribus debetur victus a fidelibus christi, ut patet I ad Cor. IX.

Si ergo committitur praedicationis officium alicui religioni ad hoc institutae, sequetur quod fideles christi teneantur ad exhibendum sumptus infinitis personis, quod cedit in magnum eorum gravamen. Non ergo debet aliqua religio institui ad huiusmodi actus exercendos.

Argumentum 5

Praeterea, institutio ecclesiae debet sequi institutionem christi.

Sed christus primo misit ad praedicandum duodecim apostolos, ut habetur Luc. IX; et postea misit septuagintaduos discipulos, ut habetur Luc. X; et sicut Glossa ibidem dicit, apostolorum formam tenent episcopi, septuagintaduorum discipulorum minores presbyteri, scilicet curati. Ergo, praeter episcopos et presbyteros parochiales, non debet aliqua religio institui ad praedicandum vel ad confessiones audiendum.

Sed Contra

Sed contra est quod in collationibus patrum, abbas Nesteros, de diversitate religionum loquens, dicit, quidam eligentes aegrotantium curam, alii intercessionem quae pro miseris atque oppressis impenditur exequentes, aut doctrinae instantes, aut eleemosynas pauperibus largientes, inter magnos ac summos viros, pro affectu suo ac pietate, viguerunt.

Ergo, sicut ad aegrotantium curam aliqua religio potest institui, ita etiam ad docendum populum per praedicationem et alia huiusmodi opera.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod, sicut dictum est, convenienter religio institui potest ad opera vitae activae, secundum quod ordinantur ad utilitatem proximorum, et ad obsequium dei, et conservationem divini cultus. Magis autem procuratur utilitas proximorum per ea quae pertinent ad spiritualem animae salutem, quam per ea quae pertinent ad subveniendum corporali necessitati, quanto spiritualia corporalibus sunt potiora, unde supra dictum est quod eleemosynae spirituales sunt corporalibus potiores.

Hoc etiam magis pertinet ad obsequium dei, cui nullum sacrificium est magis acceptum quam zelus animarum, ut Gregorius dicit, super Ezech..

Maius etiam est spiritualibus armis contra errores haereticorum et tentationes Daemonum fideles defendere, quam corporalibus armis populum fidelem tueri. Et ideo convenientissimum est ad praedicandum, et ad alia quae pertinent ad salutem animarum, aliquam religionem institui.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod ille qui operatur ex virtute alterius, agit per modum instrumenti.

Minister autem est sicut instrumentum animatum, ut philosophus dicit, in I polit..

Unde quod aliquis auctoritate praelatorum praedicet, vel alia huiusmodi faciat, non supergreditur discipulatus vel subiectionis gradum, qui competit religiosis.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod, sicut religiones aliquae instituuntur ad militandum, non quidem ut militent auctoritate propria, sed auctoritate principum vel ecclesiae, quibus ex officio competit, sicut dictum est; ita etiam religiones instituuntur ad praedicandum et confessiones audiendum, non quidem propria auctoritate, sed auctoritate praelatorum superiorum et inferiorum, ad quos ex officio pertinet. Et ita subvenire praelatis in tali ministerio est huiusmodi religionis proprium.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod a praelatis non conceditur talibus religiosis ut quilibet indifferenter possit praedicare vel confessiones audire, sed secundum moderationem eorum qui huiusmodi religionibus praeficiuntur; vel secundum taxationem ipsorum praelatorum.

Ad 4

Ad quartum dicendum quod plebs fidelis non tenetur ex debito iuris ad sumptus ministrandos nisi ordinariis praelatis, qui propter hoc decimas et oblationes fidelium recipiunt et alios ecclesiasticos reditus. Sed si aliqui gratis in huiusmodi actibus velint fidelibus ministrare, non potestative ab eis sumptus exigentes, non propter hoc gravantur fideles, quia et ipsi possunt liberaliter recompensare temporalem subventionem, ad quam, etsi non teneantur ex debito iuris, tenentur tamen ex debito caritatis; non autem ita quod eis sit tribulatio, aliis autem remissio, ut dicitur II ad Cor. VIII.

Si tamen non invenirentur qui gratis se huiusmodi obsequiis manciparent, tenerentur ordinarii praelati, si ipsi non sufficerent alios ad hoc idoneos quaerere, quibus sumptus ipsi ministrarent.

Ad 5

Ad quintum dicendum quod formam septuagintaduorum discipulorum non solum tenent presbyteri curati, sed quicumque alii minoris ordinis episcopis in eorum officio subserviant. Non enim legitur quod septuagintaduobus discipulis dominus aliquas determinatas parochias assignaret, sed quod mittebat eos ante faciem suam in omnem civitatem et locum quo erat ipse venturus.

Opportunum autem fuit ut, praeter ordinarios praelatos, alii assumerentur ad huiusmodi officia, propter multitudinem fidelis populi, et difficultatem inveniendi sufficientes personas distribuendas singulis plebibus. Sicut etiam et religiones ad militandum necesse fuit institui, propter defectum saecularium principum ad resistendum infidelibus in aliquibus terris.