Folia Canonica 11. (2008)
PROCEEDINGS OF TENTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE. "Questioni attuali intorno al Battesimo" Budapest, 4th February 2008 - Michael Carragher: Intention of the Minister as Substantive Element of Baptism
214 MICHAEL CARRAGHER causality on the part of the recipient. Nothing more is required than the removal of any obstacles; obstacles, that is to say, which consist in opposition of the will to either of the two things mentioned. IV Sent., dist.6, q. 1, a. 3 sol. 1 ad 316 17 states the positive terms. The soul cannot be submitted to anything unless it be willing. The purpose of the act of the will, the intention, is therefore that man should submit himself to the sacrament; but the purpose of faith is that he should submit himself as he ought. Consequently, faith is required only for the reception of the grace of the sacrament, but the intention is required for the reception of the sacrament itself. 3. Moral act, truthful'7 Truth can take a number of different forms; prototype or original; things in reality; ideas in the mind; words spoken or written. What is common to each is a correspondence or conformity between two items, events, performances, activities. A phenomenon or thing is true to type when it has the essential characteristics of its type in reality and not merely in appearance. If a thing has not those essential traits but merely bears a superficial resemblance to the prototype it is freak (natural) or counterfeit (man-made). An idea in the mind is a true one ifit corresponds faithfully to the objective reality that it is supposed to represent. It is not necessary that it represent every detail of the reality but what is does represent should really exist in the phenomenon represented. It that is not the case then the idea is mistaken, false or erroneous. That may or may not be the fault of the person who has the idea. A person’s word is true if the accepted meaning of what he says is in conformity with his ideas or intentions, i.e. ifit expresses them faithfully. If the lack of that conformity is deliberately intended, we have a lie or falsehood. We are concerned with truth in the third sense, i.e. with the duty to speak the truth or to be truthful. The whole matter hinges on the correct use of language not in the grammatical or literary sense but as a means of communicating one’s ideas and intentions to others. The invention of language — spoken and written — for that purpose was undoubtedly a major break-through in the progress of human society. Language enables us to learn more, to profit by the 16 Anima autem non potest alicui subjici invita; et ideo voluntas seu intentio facit ad hoc quod homo se sacramento subjiciat; sed fides facit ad hoc quod debito modo se subjiciat. Unde fides requiritur tantum ad perceptionem rei sacramenti, sed intentio ad perceptionem rei simpliciter. 17 De Veritate 29, a.4 ad 3 Ad tertium dicendum, quod minister ecclesiae non agit in sacramentis quasi ex propria virtute, sed ex virtute alterius, scilicet christi; et ideo in eo non requiritur gratia personalis, sed solum auctoritas ordinis, per quam quasi christi vicarius constituitur. Christus autem operatus est nostram salutem quasi ex propria virtute, et ideo oportuit quod in eo esset gratiae plenitudo. See also Summa Contra Centiles IV 77.
