Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It seems that not God alone, but also the minister, works inwardly unto the sacramental effect. For the inward sacramental effect is to cleanse man from sin and enlighten him by grace. But it belongs to the ministers of the Church "to cleanse, enlighten and perfect," as Dionysius explains (Coel. Hier. v). Therefore it seems that the sacramental effect is the work not only of God, but also of the ministers of the Church.

Objection 2: Further, certain prayers are offered up in conferring the sacraments. But the prayers of the righteous are more acceptable to God than those of any other, according to Jn. 9:31: "If a man be a server of God, and doth His will, him He heareth." Therefore it stems that a man obtains a greater sacramental effect if he receive it from a good minister. Consequently, the interior effect is partly the work of the minister and not of God alone.

Objection 3: Further, man is of greater account than an inanimate thing. But an inanimate thing contributes something to the interior effect: since "water touches the body and cleanses the soul," as Augustine says (Tract. lxxx in Joan.). Therefore the interior sacramental effect is partly the work of man and not of God alone.

On the contrary, It is written (Rm. 8:33): "God that justifieth." Since, then, the inward effect of all the sacraments is justification, it seems that God alone works the interior sacramental effect.

I answer that, There are two ways of producing an effect; first, as a principal agent; secondly, as an instrument. In the former way the interior sacramental effect is the work of God alone: first, because God alone can enter the soul wherein the sacramental effect takes place; and no agent can operate immediately where it is not: secondly, because grace which is an interior sacramental effect is from God alone, as we have established in the 1.2, Question 112, Article 1; while the character which is the interior effect of certain sacraments, is an instrumental power which flows from the principal agent, which is God. In the second way, however, the interior sacramental effect can be the work of man, in so far as he works as a minister. For a minister is of the nature of an instrument, since the action of both is applied to something extrinsic, while the interior effect is produced through the power of the principal agent, which is God.

Reply to Objection 1: Cleansing in so far as it is attributed to the ministers of the Church is not a washing from sin: deacons are said to "cleanse," inasmuch as they remove the unclean from the body of the faithful, or prepare them by their pious admonitions for the reception of the sacraments. In like manner also priests are said to "enlighten" God's people, not indeed by giving them grace, but by conferring on them the sacraments of grace; as Dionysius explains (Coel. Hier. v).

Reply to Objection 2: The prayers which are said in giving the sacraments, are offered to God, not on the part of the individual, but on the part of the whole Church, whose prayers are acceptable to God, according to Mt. 18:19: "If two of you shall consent upon earth, concerning anything whatsoever they shall ask, it shall be done to them by My Father." Nor is there any reason why the devotion of a just man should not contribute to this effect. But that which is the sacramental effect is not impetrated by the prayer of the Church or of the minister, but through the merit of Christ's Passion, the power of which operates in the sacraments, as stated above (Question 62, Article 5). Wherefore the sacramental effect is made no better by a better minister. And yet something in addition may be impetrated for the receiver of the sacrament through the devotion of the minister: but this is not the work of the minister, but the work of God Who hears the minister's prayer.

Reply to Objection 3: Inanimate things do not produce the sacramental effect, except instrumentally, as stated above. In like manner neither do men produce the sacramental effect, except ministerially, as also stated above.

Articulus 1

Argumentum 1

Ad primum sic proceditur. Videtur quod non solus deus, sed etiam minister, interius operetur ad effectum sacramenti. Interior enim effectus sacramenti est ut homo purgetur a peccatis, et illuminetur per gratiam. Sed ad ministros ecclesiae pertinet purgare, illuminare et perficere, ut patet per dionysium, in V cap. Coel. Hier..

Ergo videtur quod non solus deus, sed etiam ministri ecclesiae operentur ad sacramenti effectum.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, in collatione sacramentorum quaedam orationum suffragia proponuntur. Sed orationes iustorum sunt magis apud deum exaudibiles quam quorumcumque, secundum illud Ioan. IX, si quis dei cultor est, et voluntatem dei facit, hunc deus exaudit.

Ergo videtur quod maiorem effectum sacramenti consequitur ille qui recipit illum a bono ministro. Sic ergo minister operatur aliquid ad interiorem effectum, et non solus deus.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, dignior est homo quam res inanimata. Sed res inanimata aliquid operatur ad effectum interiorem, nam aqua corpus tangit et cor abluit, ut Augustinus dicit, super Ioan..

Ergo homo aliquid operatur ad interiorem effectum sacramenti, et non solus deus.

Sed Contra

Sed contra est quod dicitur Rom. VIII, deus qui iustificat.

Cum igitur interior effectus omnium sacramentorum sit iustificatio, videtur quod solus deus operetur interiorem effectum sacramenti.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod operari aliquem effectum contingit dupliciter, uno modo, per modum principalis agentis; alio modo, per modum instrumenti. Primo igitur modo solus deus operatur interiorem effectum sacramenti. Tum quia solus deus illabitur animae, in qua sacramenti effectus consistit. Non autem potest aliquid immediate operari ubi non est. Tum quia gratia, quae est interior sacramenti effectus, est a solo deo, ut in secunda parte habitum est.

Character etiam, qui est interior quorundam sacramentorum effectus, est virtus instrumentalis, quae manat a principali agente, quod est deus. Secundo autem modo homo potest operari ad interiorem effectum sacramenti, inquantum operatur per modum ministri. Nam eadem ratio est ministri et instrumenti, utriusque enim actio exterius adhibetur, sed sortitur effectum interiorem ex virtute principalis agentis, quod est deus.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod purgatio, secundum quod attribuitur ministris ecclesiae, non est a peccato, sed dicuntur diaconi purgare, inquantum vel immundos eiiciunt a coetu fidelium, vel eos sacris admonitionibus disponunt ad sacramentorum receptionem.

Similiter etiam sacerdotes illuminare dicuntur sacrum populum, non quidem gratiam infundendo, sed sacramenta gratiae tradendo, ut patet per dionysium ibidem.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod orationes quae dicuntur in sacramentorum collatione, proponuntur deo non ex parte singularis personae, sed ex parte totius ecclesiae, cuius preces sunt apud deum exaudibiles, secundum illud Matth. XVIII, si duo ex vobis consenserint super terram de omni re quamcumque petierint, fiet eis a patre meo.

Nihil tamen prohibet quin devotio viri iusti ad hoc aliquid operetur. Illud tamen quod est sacramenti effectus, non impetratur oratione ecclesiae vel ministri, sed ex merito passionis christi, cuius virtus operatur in sacramentis, ut dictum est.

Unde effectus sacramenti non datur melior per meliorem ministrum. Aliquid tamen annexum impetrari potest recipienti sacramentum per devotionem ministri, nec tamen minister operatur illud, sed impetrat operandum a deo.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod res inanimatae non operantur ad interiorem effectum nisi instrumentaliter, ut dictum est.

Et similiter homines non operantur ad sacramentorum effectum nisi per modum ministerii, ut dictum est.