De commemoratione animarum
The Origin and Purpose of Commemoration
The Church established the commemoration of the faithful departed to provide general spiritual aid to those in need of purification.
The Church established this day to commemorate all the faithful departed. It was established so that those who cannot obtain special benefits might be helped by general ones, as the aforementioned revelation demonstrated. Peter Damian also recounts that Saint Odilo, Abbot of Cluny, learned that the voices and wailing of demons were frequently heard near the volcano in Sicily, and that the souls of the departed were being snatched from their hands through alms and prayers. Consequently, he ordered that a commemoration of the departed be held in his monasteries after the feast of All Saints. This was later approved by the whole Church. Three things can be specially considered here: first, who is to be purified; second, by whom they are purified; and third, where they are purified. There are three types of those who are purified. The first are those who die before completing the satisfaction enjoined upon them. However, if they had such contrition of heart that it sufficed to wipe away their sin, they would pass freely to life, even if they had not completed their satisfaction at all, because contrition is the greatest satisfaction for sin and the greatest deletion of sin. Jerome says: Before God, the measure of time does not count for as much as the measure of sorrow, nor does abstinence from food count for as much as the mortification of vices. But those who are not so contrite and die before the completion of their penance are punished most severely in the fire of purgatory, unless perhaps their satisfaction is taken up to be completed by some of their loved ones.
The Nature of Purgatorial Satisfaction
The chapter outlines the conditions for vicarious satisfaction and the different states of those undergoing purification.
However, four things are required for this aforementioned exchange to be valid. The first concerns the person making the exchange—specifically, their authority—because it must be done under the authority of a priest. The second concerns the person for whom the exchange is made—specifically, their need—because they must be in such a state that they cannot make satisfaction for themselves, but are in need of being helped. The third concerns the person to whom the exchange is made—specifically, charity—because it is necessary for the one who performs the satisfaction to be in a state of charity, so that the satisfaction itself may be meritorious and satisfactory. The fourth concerns the penalty—specifically, the required proportionality—so that a lesser penalty may be exchanged for a greater one, because a penalty borne by oneself satisfies God more than one borne by another. For there is a threefold penalty: that which is one's own and voluntary, and this satisfies most. The second is one's own and involuntary, which is the penalty in purgatory. The third is voluntary but not one's own, as in the case of this exchange; this satisfies less than the first because it isn't one's own, but more than the second because it is voluntary. Nevertheless, if the person for whom the satisfaction was assumed dies, they are still tormented in purgatory; yet, through the penalty they endure themselves and the penalty others pay for them, they are freed more quickly, because the Lord counts both their own penalty and the penalty of others toward the same account. So, if someone was meant to endure two months of punishment in purgatory, they can be helped so that they're released in one month. Yet, they are never taken out of there until the debt is paid. Once that debt is paid, the satisfaction offered belongs to the one who performs it and is credited to their account; if they don't need it, it's credited to the account of the Church, or it benefits others who are in purgatory. The second group who descend into purgatory are those who did complete the penance assigned to them, but that punishment was not sufficient because of the priest's ignorance or negligence. For these people, unless the greatness of their contrition makes up for it, they will complete in purgatory everything they left undone in this life. God, who knows the ways and the measure of sins and punishments, adds a sufficient punishment so that no sin remains unpunished. Therefore, the penance assigned is either greater, equal, or less; if it's greater, the extra part they did is credited to them for an increase in glory; if it's equal, it suffices for the remission of the entire fault; if it's less, what remains is supplied by the power of divine justice. As for those who repent at the very end, listen to what Augustine thinks: a person baptized at the hour of death leaves this life secure; a faithful person living well leaves this life secure while doing penance; and one who is reconciled while in health leaves this life secure; but I am not secure. Therefore, hold onto what is certain and let go of what is uncertain. Augustine says this because such people are accustomed to repent more out of necessity than out of will, and more out of fear of punishment than out of love for glory. The third group, those who descend into purgatory, are those who bring wood, hay, and stubble with them—that is, those who, while still holding God above all else, are nevertheless held by a carnal attachment to their wealth. For these carnal attachments to which they are given—to houses, spouses, and possessions—are signified by those three things, yet in such a way that they prefer nothing to God; they will be burned according to their modes of loving, whether longer like wood, less like hay, or least like stubble. This fire, as Augustine says, even if it is not eternal, is nevertheless grave in a wondrous way; it excels every punishment that anyone has ever suffered in this life, for such a great punishment has never been found in the flesh, even though the martyrs have suffered wondrous torments.
The Agents and Places of Purification
The text explores the role of angels in the purgatorial process and the varied locations assigned to souls for their cleansing.
Regarding the second point, as to by whom they are purged, it must be known that this purgation and punishment is carried out by evil angels and not by good ones; for good angels don't vex the good, but the good vex the evil, the evil vex the good, and the evil vex the evil. Yet it should be piously believed that good angels frequently visit and console their brothers and fellow citizens, and exhort them to suffer patiently. They also have another remedy of consolation from the fact that they wait with certainty for future glory; for they have a certainty of glory, though less than those who are in the homeland, but greater than those who are on the way. The certainty of those who are in the homeland is without expectation and fear, because they don't expect that future glory, since they possess it in the present, nor do they fear losing it from then on. The certainty of those in this life is the opposite, but the certainty of those in purgatory is of a middle kind; it exists with expectation, because they look forward to the future, yet it is without fear, because, having their free will confirmed, they know they can no longer sin. They also have another consolation when they say that prayers are being offered on their behalf. Perhaps, however, it is more accurate to believe that this punishment is not brought about by evil angels, but by the command of divine justice and the breath of His power. Regarding the third point—where, specifically, they are purified—it must be understood that they are purified in a certain place situated near hell, which is called purgatory, according to the position of many wise men, although it seems to others that it is in the air or in the torrid zone. Yet, by divine dispensation, different places are sometimes assigned to different souls for many reasons: namely, because of the lightness of their punishment, for their quicker liberation, for our instruction, because the fault was committed in a specific place, or because of the prayer of some saint. First, because of the lightness of their punishment, as it was revealed to some according to Gregory, that certain souls are punished in the shadows. Second, because of their quicker liberation, so that they might reveal their need to others and ask for prayers from them, and thus exit their punishment more quickly, just as it is read that certain fishermen of Saint Theobald found a large piece of ice in autumn instead of a fish, over which they rejoiced more than they would have over a fish, because the bishop... ...was suffering from gout in his feet, and they placed that ice under his feet and provided him with great relief. Once, he heard a voice coming from the ice; when the bishop adjured it to say who it was, it replied: "I am a soul being tormented in this freezing cold for my sins, and I could be freed if you would say thirty Masses for me over thirty consecutive days without interruption." When he had said half of the Masses and was already preparing for another, a diabolical suggestion caused nearly all the people of that city to start fighting among themselves, so the bishop was called away to settle the discord, took off his sacred vestments, and skipped the Mass that day. He began again, and after completing two-thirds of the work, a great army—or so it seemed—besieged the city, and he was forced to interrupt the office of the Mass; then, when he started again and had said all the Masses except for the last one, and was about to begin that final one, the whole town and the bishop's house appeared to be on fire. When his servants told him to interrupt the Mass, he said: "Even if the whole town were to burn, I wouldn't interrupt the Mass." Once it was celebrated, the ice immediately melted, and the fire they thought they had seen vanished like a phantom, causing no damage at all. Third, it is for our instruction, so that we might know that a great punishment is inflicted on sinners after this life, as it is recorded to have happened in Paris, according to the Parisian cantor. For Master Silo earnestly asked a certain scholar, a companion of his who was ill, to return to him after death and report his state. A few days later, he appeared to him wearing a cloak made of parchment, entirely covered in sophistries and consumed from within by a flame of fire; when the master asked him who he was, he said to him: "I am indeed the one who promised to return to you." When asked about his state, he said: "This cloak weighs more on me and presses down on me more than if I had a tower on top of me; it was given to me to wear for the glory I found in sophistries. Furthermore, the flame of fire covering it is made of the delicate and varied furs I used to wear, and that flame now tortures and burns me." But when the master judged that punishment to be light, the deceased told him to hold out his hand so he could feel the lightness of his punishment. When he held out his hand, the spirit let fall a single drop of his sweat, which pierced the master's hand faster than an arrow, causing him to feel a miraculous agony. And he said, "This is what I am entirely." Terrified by the bitterness of that punishment, the master decided to leave the world and enter the religious life. The next morning, he gathered his students and composed these verses: "I leave 'croak' to the frogs, 'caw' to the crows, and vanity to the vain; I head toward logic, which therefore fears no death." And so, leaving the world, he fled to the religious life; fourth, because of the commission of sin in a specific place, just as souls are sometimes punished in the places where they sinned, according to Augustine, as is clear from the example that Gregory recounts in the fourth book of the Dialogues: a certain priest, while entering a bath, found an unknown man prepared to serve him, who always waited on him diligently; when one day he offered him some blessed bread as a blessing and a reward for his labor, the man replied in sorrow, "Why do you give me this, Father?" "This is holy bread, but I cannot eat it. I was once the master of this place, but I have been assigned here after my death because of my sins. Yet, I ask that you offer this bread to Almighty God for my sins. You will know that you have been heard when you come here to bathe and do not find me." The priest offered the Host for him daily for an entire week, and when he returned, he no longer found him. Fifth, because of the prayer of some saint, as it is read that Saint Patrick obtained a purgatory for certain people in a certain place on earth, the history of which you will find after... the feast of Saint Benedict.
Suffrages for the Departed
Four primary suffrages—prayer, almsgiving, the Mass, and fasting—are identified as effective means to assist the suffering souls.
Regarding the second point, which concerns sacrifices, three things must be considered: first, the suffrages themselves that are performed, second, those for whom they are performed, and third, those by whom they are performed. Concerning the suffrages that are performed, it should be noted that there are four. These are the kinds of suffrages that are most beneficial to the departed: the prayer of the faithful and of friends, the giving of alms, the offering of the saving Host, and the observance of fasts. That the first kind of suffrage—namely, the prayer of friends—is beneficial to them is clear from the example of Paschasius, whom Gregory mentions in the fourth book of his Dialogues. The book of Dialogues recounts that while he was a man of remarkable holiness and virtue, and though two men were then elected as supreme pontiffs, the Church eventually settled on one of them; yet Paschasius, perhaps through an error in judgment, always preferred the other and held to this opinion until his death. A long time later, when Germanus, the Bishop of Capua, went to the baths for the sake of his health, he found the aforementioned Deacon Paschasius standing there and serving. Seeing this, he was terrified and asked what such a great man was doing there. He declared that he had been assigned to that place of punishment for no other reason than that he had felt more than was just in that particular matter, and he added, 'I beg you, pray to the Lord for me, and you will know that you have been heard if, when you return here, you do not find me.' After he had prayed for him and returned there a few days later, he did not find the aforementioned Paschasius in that same place at all. Peter of Cluny also says that when a certain priest celebrated Mass daily for the dead, he was accused of this before the bishop and suspended from his office. But when the bishop was walking through the cemetery to Matins during a great solemnity, the dead rose up against him, saying, 'This bishop gives us no Masses, and furthermore, he has taken our priest away from us; but certainly, if he doesn't make amends, he will die.' The bishop then absolved the priest and gladly celebrated for the dead from then on. How pleasing the prayers of the living are to the dead is clear from this: a certain cantor in Paris, as the story goes, would always recite the psalm for the dead whenever he passed through a cemetery. When he was being pursued by enemies and fleeing through that cemetery, the dead immediately rose up, each holding the tool of his own office in his hand, and in this way they defended him bravely and put his terrified enemies to flight. That the second kind of intercession—namely, the giving of alms—is beneficial to them can be clearly seen from what is read in the Book of Maccabees: the valiant Judas, having taken up a collection, sent twelve thousand drachmas of silver to Jerusalem to be offered there for the sins of the dead, thinking justly and religiously about the resurrection. How much alms also help the dead can be gathered from the example Gregory tells in the fourth book of his Dialogues. In the book of Dialogues. A certain soldier, having been led out of his body, lay as if dead, but upon returning quickly, he recounted what had happened to him. He said there was a bridge, under which a black, murky, and foul-smelling river flowed. But after crossing the bridge, there were pleasant meadows adorned with fragrant flowers, in which groups of people dressed in white seemed to be, whom a varied and wonderful sweetness of flowers satisfied. This was the test on that bridge: any of the unjust who tried to cross would slip into the dark, foul-smelling river, while the just would reach the pleasant places with a secure step. He asserted that he saw there a certain man named Peter, placed below and bound by a great weight of iron; when he asked why he was there, he was told: he suffers this because, if he was ordered to carry out any vengeance, he served to inflict wounds more out of a desire for cruelty than out of obedience. He also confessed to having seen a certain pilgrim there who, coming to the aforementioned bridge, crossed it with as much authority as he had lived with sincerity in this life. Another man, named Stephen, wanted to cross, but his foot slipped from the middle of his body and he was already cast off the bridge. Then he began to be pulled downward by the thighs by hideous men rising from the river, and upward by the arms by men in white who were most beautiful. While this struggle was taking place, the one watching returned to his body and couldn't know who had gained the soul in that hidden judgment. This is meant to show that in him, the evils of the flesh were contending with his giving of alms. That he was pulled downward by the thighs and upward by the arms clearly shows that he had loved alms but hadn't perfectly resisted the vices of the flesh. That the third kind of suffrage—namely, the offering of the sacred Host—greatly benefits the departed, is apparent from many examples. Gregory reports this in his fourth book of Dialogues. When one of his monks, named Justus, was nearing death and confessed that he had three gold coins hidden away, he died grieving over this; Gregory then instructed the brothers to bury his body along with the three coins in a dung heap, saying, "May your money perish with you." Later, Gregory ordered one of the brothers to offer the Holy Sacrifice for him every day for thirty days. When he had finished these instructions, the one who had died appeared to a brother on the thirtieth day. The brother asked him, "How are you doing?" He replied, "Until now I have been in a bad way, but I'm well now because I received Communion today." This offering of the Holy Sacrifice has been found to be of great benefit not only to the dead, but also to the living. For when some men were digging for silver in a certain cliff, the rock suddenly collapsed and killed them all; one of them, however, escaped death in a small hollow of the rock, though he was unable to get out. His wife, however, thinking he was dead, had Mass celebrated for him every day, offering bread, a pitcher of wine, and a candle. The devil, envious of him, appeared to him for three days in a row. He appeared in human form and asked where he was heading. When she explained the reason for her journey, he said, "Don't trouble yourself for nothing, because the Mass has already been celebrated." Consequently, she stopped the Mass for three days and didn't have it celebrated. After this, a man digging for silver in that cliff heard a voice from below saying, "Dig carefully, because a large stone is hanging over my head." Trembling, he gathered many people to hear the voice; he then dug again and heard it once more. Then everyone approached and asked, "Who are you?" He answered and said, "Dig clearly, because a large stone is falling as if upon me." Those digging from the side reached him and pulled him out safe and sound; when they asked how he had lived there for so long, he said that every day a loaf of bread, a pitcher of wine, and a lit candle had been offered to him, except for three days. When his wife heard this, she rejoiced greatly and realized that he had been sustained by her offering, and that the devil had deceived her so that she wouldn't have a Mass sung during those three days; this, as Peter the Venerable of Cluny testifies, happened in the village named Ferraria in the diocese of Grenoble. Gregory also reports that when a certain sailor had suffered a shipwreck at sea and a priest had offered the Host for him, he eventually came out of the sea safe. When he was asked how he had escaped, he said that while he was in the middle of the sea and was already nearly exhausted and failing, someone came to him and offered him some bread. Once he had eaten it, he was immediately strengthened and regained his energy, and was taken up by a ship passing by; it was discovered that he had the bread at the very hour the priest had offered the Host for him. Gregory testifies that this fourth kind of intercession—the observance of fasting—benefits the dead, and he writes about this as well as the other three, saying: the souls of the dead are released in four ways: by the offerings of priests, by the prayers of saints, by the alms of loved ones, or by the fasting of relatives. Penance performed by friends is nonetheless valid for them. Hence a certain solemn doctor reported that when a woman was despairing of poverty after her husband died, the devil appeared to her and said he would make her rich if... she would do his will. To the one who promised, he first commanded that he should cause the clergy received into his inn to commit fornication; second, that he should receive the poor by day and turn them out empty-handed at night; third, that he should hinder prayers in church by chattering; and fourth, that he should confess this to no one. Finally, as she neared death and her son urged her to go to confession, she revealed the deed to him, saying she couldn't confess and that confession would be of no value to her. But when he insisted with tears and promised he would do penance on her behalf, she was moved by compunction and sent her son for a priest. Before the priest could arrive, however, demons rushed upon her, and struck by the fear and horror of them, she died. Her son, confessing his mother's sin and performing a seven-year penance, saw her upon its completion, and she thanked him for her liberation. The indulgences of the Church are also of value to them. Thus, when a certain legate of the Apostolic See asked a brave man to serve the Church in the Albigensian territory, he stayed there for forty days, having obtained an indulgence for his deceased father. Once this was completed, his father appeared to him, brighter than light, and thanked him for his liberation.
The Efficacy of Intercession
The final section discusses who can be helped, the reasons for intercession, and the necessity of charity in those who offer prayers.
Regarding the second part of this section—namely, those for whom these things are done—there are four points to consider. First, who can be helped; second, why we ought to help them; third, whether they are all helped equally; and fourth, how they can know about the prayers offered for them. Regarding the first point—who they are—we must understand that, as Augustine says, everyone who leaves this life is either very good, very bad, or moderately good. Therefore, prayers made for the very good are acts of thanksgiving; for the very bad, they provide whatever consolation the living can offer; for the moderately good, they are acts of expiation. The very good are those who fly off immediately, free from both the fire of purgatory and the fire of hell. There are three types of these: the baptized, the martyrs, and the perfect, who have built so perfectly with gold, silver, and precious stones—that is, with the love of God, the love of neighbor, and good works—that they didn't think of pleasing the world, but only God. Even if they sometimes commit venial sins, the fervor of their charity consumes the sin within them just as a drop of water is completely absorbed in a furnace of fire, and therefore they never carry anything flammable with them. Anyone, therefore, who would pray for any of these three types or perform other suffrages for them would be doing them an injury, because, as Augustine says, he who prays for a martyr does an injury to the martyr. If, however, someone were to pray for someone very good but was unsure whether they had already flown to heaven, then those prayers would be acts of thanksgiving and would count toward the merit of the one praying, according to the saying: 'My prayer shall return into my own bosom.' For these three groups, heaven is opened immediately when they die, and they feel no fire of purgatory. This is signified by those three for whom heaven is opened. For it was opened to Christ when he was baptized (Luke). When Jesus was baptized and praying, heaven was opened. By this it is signified that heaven is opened to all who are baptized, whether they are children or adults, so that if they were to depart from here, they would fly up immediately. For baptism, by the power of Christ’s passion, cleanses from all sin—original, mortal, and venial. Second, it was opened to Stephen when he was stoned (Acts). “Look, I see the heavens opened,” and so on. This signifies that heaven is opened to all martyrs, so they fly there immediately upon death. If they had any remnants of sin, they are all cut away by the scythe of martyrdom. Thirdly, it was opened to John the most perfect, as in the Apocalypse. IV: I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven. This signifies that for perfect people who have fully completed their penance and have not committed venial sins—or if they have, they are immediately consumed by the fervor of charity—heaven itself is opened continuously, and they enter it at once to reign forever. But those who are plunged immediately into the abyss of hell are truly evil. For them, if their damnation were certain, no prayers should be offered at all, according to what Augustine says: 'If I knew my father were in hell, I would pray no more for him than for the devil.' If, however, some prayers were offered for certain damned souls whose damnation is in doubt, they would still be of no use to them—neither for their liberation so they might be freed from those punishments, nor for their mitigation so the pain might be softened or lessened, nor for their suspension so their damnation might be paused for a time or an hour, nor for their fortification so they might be strengthened to endure more lightly; for as far as any of these things are concerned, there is no redemption in hell. Those are called 'moderately good' who carry with them some combustible things—namely, wood, hay, or stubble—or who are overtaken by death before they can complete the penance enjoined upon them. They aren't so good that they don't need prayers, nor so evil that prayers can't be of use to them. Prayers made for them, therefore, are their expiations. Thus, these are the ones to whom such prayers can be of use. In performing these suffrages, the Church has traditionally observed a threefold number of days—specifically the seventh day, the thirtieth day, and the anniversary—and the reasons for these are explained in the book on the liturgical office. The seventh day is observed so that souls may reach the eternal Sabbath of rest, or so that all the sins they committed in life may be forgiven; this is carried out over seven days, or so that the sins they committed with the body—which consists of the four humors—and with the soul, which has three faculties, may be forgiven. The thirtieth day is observed, which consists of three sets of ten, so that whatever they have done wrong against the faith of the Trinity and in transgressing the Decalogue may be purged in them. The anniversary is observed so that they may pass from the years of calamity to the years of eternity. Just as we celebrate the anniversary of the saints for their honor and our own benefit, so too do we celebrate the anniversary of the departed for their benefit and our own devotion. Regarding the second point, it is asked why, specifically, suffrages ought to benefit them; it should be known that they ought to benefit them for three reasons. First, by reason of unity: they are, in fact, one body with those of the Church militant, and therefore their goods ought to be common to them. Second, by reason of merit, since, while they were still living, they earned that these things should benefit them. It's also fitting that those who have helped others should be helped by others in return. Third, it's a matter of necessity, since they are in a state where they cannot help themselves. Regarding the third point—whether these prayers benefit everyone equally—you should know that if prayers are offered for a specific person, they benefit that individual more than they benefit others. If, however, they are offered in common, they benefit those who have earned more in this life to be helped, provided they are in an equal or greater state of need. Regarding the fourth point—how they can know about the prayers offered for them—it should be known that, according to Augustine, they can know in three ways. First, through divine revelation, since God reveals this to them; second, through the manifestation of the good angels, for the angels who are always with us here and observe all our actions can descend to them in an instant and tell them immediately; third, through the notification of souls departing from here, for souls who pass from this world can tell them these and other things; fourth, they can nonetheless know through experience and revelation, for when they feel themselves relieved of their pains, they recognize that prayers are being offered for them. Regarding the third part of this section—namely, those through whom these prayers are offered—you should know that for these prayers to be effective, they must be offered by those who are in a state of charity, because if they are offered by those who are evil, they cannot be effective. This is why we read that while a certain knight was in bed with his wife and the moon was shining brightly through the cracks, he marveled at how a rational human could fail to obey his Creator when even irrational creatures obeyed Him. While he was speaking ill of a deceased knight who had been his friend, that man, who had died, suddenly entered the room and said to him, 'Friend, don't think badly of anyone, and forgive me if I have sinned against you in any way.' When he was asked about his state, he said, 'I am afflicted by various pains, especially because I violated a cemetery, wounded a man there, and stripped him of his cloak, which is now placed upon me and weighs me down more than a mountain,' and he asked that prayers be offered for him. When he asked him whether he wanted him to have the prayers said by this or that priest, he didn't answer, but shook his head as if to say no. Then he asked if he wanted a certain hermit to pray for him. To which he replied, "If only he would pray for me!" When he promised he would, the other said, "And I tell you, because of this..." "...you'll also die within two years." With that, he vanished, and the soldier, having changed his life for the better, fell asleep in the Lord. Now, what was said about prayers offered by bad people not being effective must be understood as applying unless they are sacramental acts, such as the celebration of the Mass, which cannot be violated by a bad minister, or unless the deceased or one of his friends had left something to be distributed even to bad people—though they must distribute it immediately, lest they suffer what is read to have happened to a certain man. For a certain soldier, about to fight the Moors in Charlemagne's army, asked his relative that if he were to die in battle, he should sell his horse and give the money to the poor. When he died, the relative liked the horse too much and kept it for himself; then, after a short time, the deceased appeared to him shining like the sun and said, "Good relative, for eight days you've made me suffer in purgatory because of the horse, whose price you didn't give to the poor as I had told you. But you won't get away with it; today they'll carry your soul into the devil's hell, and I, now purified, am going into the kingdom of God." Suddenly, a roar like that of lions, bears, and wolves was heard in the air, and they snatched him away from their midst.
Read the original Latin
Commemoratio omnium fidelium defunctorum hoc die in ecclesia fieri instituta. est, ut generalibus beneficiis adjuventur, qui specialia habere non praevalent, sicut in praedicta revelatione monstratum est. Ait quoque Petrus Damiani, qnod sanctus Odilo abbas Cluniacensis comperiens, quod apud Vulcanum Siciliae crebro voces et ulnlatas daemonum audiebantur plangentiumque animae defunctorum per elemosinas et orationes de eorum manibus eripiebantur, in suis monasteriis ordinavit, ut post festum omnium sanctorum fieret commemoratio defunctorum, Quod fuit post ab onmi ecclesia approbatum De duobus autem hic specialiter videri potest, primo de ipsis purgandis, secundo per quos purgantur, tertio, ubi purgantur. llloram autem, qui purgantur, tria sunt genera. Primi, qui satisfactione sibi injuncta nondum completa decedunt. Verumtamen si tantam haberent cordis contritionem, quae sufficeret ad delendum peccatum, liberi ad vitam transirent, etiamsi satisfactionem minime complessent, quia contritio est maxima pro peccato salisfactio et maxima peccati deletio. Hieronymus: apud Deum non tam valet mensura temporis, quam doloris, nec abstinentia tam ciborum, quam mortificatio vitiorum. Sed qui non adeo conterantur et ante completionem poenitentiae moriuntur, igne purgatorii gravissime puniuntur, nisi forte eorum satisfactio ab aliquibus caris snis perficienda assumatur.
Ad hoc tamen, quod praedicta commutatio valeat, quatuor requiruntur. Primum est ex parte commutantis, scilicet ejus auctoritas, quia de sacerdotis anctoritate debet fieri. Secundum est ex parte illius, pro quo fit commutatio, scilicet ejus necessitas, quia in tali statu debet esse, quod pro se satisfacere non valeat, sed adjuvari indigeat, Tertium est ex parte illius, in quem fit commutatio, scilicet caritas, quia necesse est ipsum esse in caritate, qui faciat ipsam satisfactionem esse meritoriam et satisfactoriam. Quartum est ex parte poenae, scilicet debita proportionabilitas, ut videlicet minor poena commntetur in majorem, quia plus satisfacit Deo poena propria quam aliena. Est enim triplex poena, scilicet propria et voluntaria, et haec maxime satisfacit. Secunda est propria et non voluntaria, quae est in purgatorio. Tertia est voluntaria, sed non propria, sicut est in praedicta commutatione, et haec minus satisfacit, quam prima, ex eo, quod non est propria, et magis quam secunda, ex eo, quod est voluntaria. Verumtamen si iste, pro quo satisfactio est assumta, decedit, nihilominus tamen in purgatorio cruciatur, sed tamen per poenam, quam ipse sustinet et quam alii pro eo solvunt, citius liberatur, quoniam dominus et poenam suam et poenam illorum in sortem computat.
Unde si debuit in purgatorio poenam duorum mensium sustinere, taliter sic poterit juvari, quod liberabitur uno mense. Nunquam tamen inde eripitur, quousque debitum sit solutum. Quo soluto illud debitum, quod solvitur, deinceps est ipsius, qui facit, et in sinum ejus convertitur et si ipse non indiget, convertitur in sinum ecclesiae, vel valet aliis, qui in purgatorio sunt. Secundi, qui in purgatorium descendunt, sunt, qui satisfactionem quidem injunctam compleverunt, sed tamen illa poena propter ignorantiam vel negligentiam sacerdotis sufficiens non fuit. Hi enim, nisi magnitudo contritionis suppleat, totum in purgatorio complebunt, quod minus in hac vita fecerunt. Deus enim, qui modos et mensuram peccatorum et poenarum novit, addit poenam sufficientem, ne aliquod peccatum impunitum remaneat. Unde poenitentia injuncta aut est major aut aequalis ant minor; si major, tunc illud, quod plus fecerit, cedit ei ad augmentum gloriae, si aequalis, tunc sufficit ad dimissionem totius culpae, si minor, tunc illud, quod restat, suppletur ex virtute divinae justitiae. De his vero, qui in fine poenitent, audi; quid Augustinus sentiat: baptizatus ad horam securus hinc exit, fidelis bene vivens securus hine exit agens poenitentiam, et reconciliatus, cum sanus est, securus hinc exit, ego non sum securus; ergo tene certum et dimitte incertum.
Haec autem ideo dicit Augustinus, quia tales consueverunt potius poenitere ex necessitate quam ex voluntate, potius timore poenae quam amore gloriae. Tertii, qui in purgatorium descendunt, sunt, qui lignum, foenum et stipulam seenm ferunt, qui scilicet circa suas divitias infra tamen Deum carnali tenentur affectu. Affectiones enim carnales, quibus dediti sunt, domibus, conjugibus, possessionibus, ita tamen, ut nil Deo praeponant, illis tribus significantur, qui secundum suos amandi modos vel )díutius ut lignum vel minus ut foenum vel minimum ut stipula cremabuntur. Qui ignis, sicut dicit Augustinus, etsi aeternus non sit, miro tamen modo est gravis, excellit enim omnem poenam, quam unquam passus est aliquis in hae vita; nunquam in carne inventa est tanta poena, licet mirabilia martires passi sint tormenta. Circa secundum, per quos scilicet purgantur, sciendum, quod illa purgatio et punitio fit per malos angelos et non per bonos; boni enim angeli non vexant bonos, sed boni malos, mali bonos et mali malos. Pie tamen credendum est, quod boni angeli fratres et concives suos frequenter visitant et consolantur et, ut patienter sufferant, exhortantur. Habent etiam aliud consolationis remedium ex eo scilicet, quod certi gloriam futuram exspectant; habent enim certitudinem de gloria, minorem tamen quam ili, qui sunt in patria, sed majorem quam illi, qui sunt in via. Certitudo enim illorum, qui sunt in patria, est sine exspectatione et timore, quia nec illam futuram exspectant, cum praesentem habeant, nec illam de caetero amittere formidant.
Certitudo autem illorum, qui sunt in vita, e contrario est, sed certitudo illorum, qui sunt in purgatorio, medio modo est Est enim cum exspectatione, quia ipsam futuram exspectant, sed est sine timore, quia, cum habeant liberum arbitrium confirmatum, de caetero se peccare non posse cognoscunt. Habent etiam aliam consolationem, quando pro se suffragia fieri dicunt. Forte tamen verius credendum est, quod illa punitio non fit per malos angelos, sed divina justitia jubente et flatu ejus snccedente. Circa tertinm, ubi scilicet purgantur, sciendum est, quod purgantur in quodam loco juxta infernum posito, qui purgatorium dieitur, secnndum positionem plurimorum sapientum, licet aliis videatur, quod sit in aére et in torrida zona. Sed tamen per divinam dispensationem diversa loca diversis animabus aliqnando deputantur, et hoc multiplici de causa, scilicet aut propter eorum levem punitionem aut propter eorum celeriorem liberationem aut propter nostram instructionem aut propter culpae in loco perpetrationem aut propter alicujus sancti orationem. Primo propter eorum levem paunitionem, sicut quibusdam secundum Gregorium revelatum est, animas quasdam in umbra punitas esse. Secundo propter eorum celeriorem liberationem , ut scilicet possint aliis indigentiam suam revelare et ab iis suffragia petere et sic celerius de poena exire, sicut legitur, quod quidam piscatores beati Theobaldi in autumno frustum magnum glaciei pro pisce prendiderunt, de quo magis quam de pisce gavisi maxime sunt, quia episcopus do- . lore pedum laborabat, et ipsam glaciem ejus pedibus supposuerunt et magnum ei refrigerium praestabant.
Quadam vero vice de glacie hominis vocem audivit, qui ab episcopo adjuratus, quis esset, dixit: sum quaedam anima, quae in hoc gelicidio pro peccatis meis aflfligor, et liberari possem, si XXX missas sine intervallo XXX diebus continuis diceres, Qui cum missarum medietatem dixisset et se jam ad missam aliam praeparasset, dyabolica suggestione contigit, quod fere ommes homines illius civitatis inter se bella moverent, unde vocatus episcopus ad sedandam discordiam sacras deponens vestes missam illa die praetermisit. lterum reincipiens etjam duas partes complens exercitus magnus, ut videbatur, civitatem obsedit et compulsus missae officium intermisit et deinde reincipiens, cum omnes missas ultima excepta dixisset et ultimam inchoare vellet, tota villa et domus episcopi, ut videbatur, accensa est. Gui cum servi dicerent, ut missam intermitteret, ille dixit: si tota villa cremari deberet, missam non intermitterem, Qua celebrata glacies protinus resoluta est et ignis, quem se vidisse credebant, tanquam phantasma recessit et nullum damnum intulit. Tertio propter nostram instructionem, ut scilicet magnam poenam post hanc vitam infligi peccantibns cognoscamus, sicut Parisiis contigisse legitur, ut ait cantor Parisiensis. Magister enim Silo quendam suum scholarem socium aegrotantem obnixe rogavit, ut post mortem ad se rediret et statum suum sibi renuntiare. Post aliqnot igitur dies sibi apparuit cum cappa de pergameno tota de sophismatibus descripta et intus flamma ignis tota confecta, Qui requisitus a magistro, quisnam esset, ait illi: ille utique sum, qui ad te redire promisi. Qui de statu suo requisitus ait: haec cappa plus super me ponderat et plus me premit, quam si unam turrim super me haberem, et est mihi data, ut eam portem pro gloria, quam in sophismatibus habui; porro flamma ignis, qua cooperta est, pelles sunt delicatae et variae, quas ferebam, quae flamma me cruciat et exurit. Sed cum magister illam poenam facilem judicaret, dixit eidem defunctus, ut manum extfenderet, et sic facilitatem suae poenae sentire posset, Cumque manum extendisset, ille guttam unam sui sudoris dimisit, qui praedicti magistri manum quasi sagitta citius perforavit, ita quod cruciatum mirabilem sensit.
Et ait: talis sum totus. llle igitur magister ex illius poenae acerbitate perterritus saeculum deliberavit deserere et religionem intrare, unde mane scholaribus congregatis hos versus composuit : Linquo choax ranis, cra corvis, vanaque vanis Ad logicam pergo, quae mortis non timet ergo.
Et sic seculum deserens ad religionem confugit, Quarto propter culpae in loco perpetrationem , sicut aliquando secundum Augustinum animae puniuntur in locis, in quibus deliquerunt, sicut patet per illud exemplum, quod recitat Gregorius in quarto dyalogorum, Quidam namque presbiter, dum balneum intraret, quendam virum incognitum ad suum obsequium praeparatum invenit, qui semper sibi sedule ministrabat, Qui dum quadam die pro benedictione et laboris mercede quendam panem benedictum sibi exhiberet, ille moerens respondit: mihi ista quare das, pater? Iste panis sanctus est, ego autem hunc manducare non possum, ego enim aliquando hujus loci dominus fui, sed pro culpis meis hic post mortem meam deputatus sum, sed quaeso, ut omnipotenti Deo hunc panem pro peccatis meis offeras; tunc autem te exauditum cognosce, cum huc ad lavandum veneris et me minime inveneris. Presbiter autem per unam hebdomadem salutarem pro eo quotidie obtulit hostiam et reversus eum jam minime invenit. Quinto propter alicujus sancti orationem, sicut legitur, quod sanctus Patricius in quodam loco in terra quibusdam purgatorium impetravit, cujus hystoriam post. festum sancti Benedicti reperies. Circa secundum, quod est de sacrificiis, tria videnda sunt: primo de ipsis suffragiis, quae fiunt,. secundo de his, pro quibus fiunt, tertio de his, per quos fiunt Circa suffragia, quae fiunt, notandum, quod quatuor sunt. genera suffragiorum, quae maxime defunctis prosunt, scilicet fidelium et amicorum: oratio, elemosinarum largitio, salutaris hostiae immolatio et jejuniorum observatio.
Qnod primum genus suffragiorum, scilicet amicorum oratio iis prosit, patet per exemplum de Paschasio, de quo Gregorius in IV. Libro dyalogorum narrat, quod, cum vir mirae sanctitatis et virtutis exstiterit et duo tunc in summos pontifices electi fuissent, sed tamen postmodum in unum illorum ecclesia convenisset, ipse tamen Paschasius quasi ex errore alium semper praetulit et in hac sententia usque ad mortem permansit, Qui cnm esset defunctus et dalmaticam feretro suppositam daemoniacus tetigisset, statim sanatus est. Post multum vero temporis, cum Germanus Capuanus episcopus balneum ob gratiam sanitatis petivisset, praedictum Paschasium dyaconum stantem et obsequentem invenit. Quo viso vehementer extimuit et, quid illic tantus vir faceret, inquisivit. Qui pro nulla alia causa se in illo poenali loco deputatum asseruit, nisi quia in illa tali causa plas justo sensit, Et addidit dicens: quaeso te, pro me dominum deprecare, atque in hoc cognosces, quod exauditus sis, si huc rediens me non inveneris. Qui cum pro eo orasset et illuc post paucos dies rediisset, praedictum Paschasium in loco eodem minime invenit. Petrus quoque Cluniacensis ait, quod, cum quidam sacerdos quotidie pro mortuis celebraret, ex hoc apud episcopum accusatus ab officio est suspensus. Cum autem episcopus in magna sollemnitate per cimiterium ad matutinas pergeret, contra illum mortui surrexerunt dicentes: iste episcopus nullas nobis missas dat, insuper sacerdotem nostrum nobis abstulit, sed certe, si non emendaverit, morietur, qui et sacerdotem absolvit et libenter pro mortuis de caetero celebravit.
Quam gratae etiam sint defunctis orationes vivorum, patet ex hoc, quoniam quidam, ut refert cantor Parisiensis, dum per cimiterium transiret, semper psalmum de defunctis dicebat pro defunctis. Qui cum ab inimicis per cimiterium fugiens insequeretur, continuo mortui surrexerunt et unusquisque instrumentum sui officii in manu habebat et sic ipsum viriliter defenderunt et inimicos territos fugaverunt. Quod vero secundum genus suffragiorum, scilicet elemoSinarum elargitio iis prosit, manifeste haberi potest ex eo, quod in libro Macabaeorum legitur, quoniam vir fortissimus Judas collatione facta XII millia drachmas argenti misit Hierosolimam, , offerri eas ibi pro peccatis mortuorum, juste et religiose de resurrectione cogitans. Quantum etiam elemosinae defunctis valeant, colligitur per illud exemplum, quod narrat Gregorius in IV. libro dyalogorum. Quidam namque miles ex corpore eductus exanimis jacuit, sed citius rediens, quae cum eo gesta fuerint, enarravit. Ajebat enim, quod pons erat, sub quo niger et caliginosus fluvius et foetidus decurrebat. Transacto autem ponte amoena erant prata, odoriferis herbarum floribus exornata, in quibus albatornm hominum conventiecnla esse videbantur, quos varia et mira florum suavitas satiabat.
Haec vero erat in praedicto ponte probatio, ut, quisquis injustorum vellet transire, in tenebrosum foctentemque o flavium laberetur, justi vero securo” gressu ad loca amoena pervenirent. Ibique quendam, Petrum nomine, deorsum positum magno ferri pondere ligatum se vidisse asseruit, qui dum requireret, cur illuc esset, dictum est ei: hoc ideirco patitur, quia, si quid ei pro facienda ultione jubebatur, ad inferendas plagas plus ex crudelitatis desiderio quam obedientia serviebat. Ibi etiam quendam peregrinum se vidisse fatebatur, qui ad praedictum pontem veniens tanta eum auctoritate transivit, quanta hic sinceritate vixit. Alter vero, Stephanus nomine, dum transire voluisset, ejus pes lapsus est ex medio corpore et jam extra pontem dejectus est. Tunc a quibusdam teterrimis viris ex flumine sur entibus per coxas deorsum atque a quibusdam albatis et speciosissimis viris coepit per brachia trahi sursum, cumque haec luctatio fieret, is, qui videbat, ad corpus redibat, et quis in illo occulti arbitrii exanime obtinuerit, scire non valuit. In quo datur intelligi, quod in illo mala carnis cum elemosinarum largitione certabant. Quod enim per coxas deorsum, per brachia attrahebatur sursum, patet nimirum, quia et elemosinas amaverat et carnis vitiis perfecte non restiterat. Quod autem tertium genus suffragiorum, scilicet sacrae hostiae immolatio, plurimum defunctis prosit, ex multis exemplis apparet.
Refert igitur Gregorius in IV. libro dyalogorum, quod, cum quidam monachus suus, nomine Justus, ad extremum veniens tres se occultos aureos indicasset habere et de hoo ingemiscens mortuus fuisset, praecepit Gregorius fratribus, ut corpus ejus cum tribus aureis in sterquilinio sepelirent dicentes: pecunia tua tecum sit in perditione. "Tandem cuidam e fratribus Gregorius praecepit, ut usque ad XXX dies omni die pro eo hostiam immolaret. Qui cum jussa complesset, is, qui defunctus fuerat, in die tricesima cuidam fratri apparuit. Quem frater requisivit dicens: quomodo es? Cui ille respondit: nunc usque male fui, sed jam modo bene sum, quia hodie communionem recepi. Haec antem hostiae- immolatio non solum mortuis, sed etiam vivis plurimum profuisse inventa est. Quidam namque, cum in quadam rupe argentum foderent, subito rupes cecidit et funditus cunctos exstinxit, Unus autem eorum subtus in quodam sinu ipsius rupis morlem evasit, inde tamen exire non valuit.
Uxor autem illius, eum defunctum existimans, omni die pro eo missam celebrari faciebat et panem urum et urceum vini cum candela quotidie offerebat. Cui dyabolus invidens per tres dies continuos eidem. in forma humana apparuit et quo tenderet, requisivit. Cui cum illa sui itineris causam exponeret, ille ajebat: noli frustra vexari, quia jam missa celebrata est, el sic illa tribus diebus missam intermisit nec ipsam celebrari fecit. Quidam autem post hoc in praedicta rupe argentum fodiens quandam vocem audivit de subtus dicentem : plane percutias, quia capiti meo imminet magnus lapis. Cum antem ille tremeret et ad hanc vocem audiendam plurimos convocasset, iterum fodit et similiter vocem andivit. Tunc omnes propius accedentes dixerunt: quis enim es tu? Qui respondens ait: plane faciatis, quia magnus lapis quasi super me cadit.
Qui a latere fodientes et ad enm usque pervenientes eum sanum et incolumem extraxerunt et sciscitantes, quomodo ibi tamdiu vixisset, dixit, quod qualibet die panis unus et urceus vini et candela accensa, nisi tantum tribus diebus, sibi oblatus fuit. Quod uxor ejus audiens et vehementer exsultans agnovit, quod de oblatione sua fuerit sustentatus et quod dyabolus eam deceperit, ne illis tribus diebus missam cantari fecerit, lllud, ut testatur Petrus Cluniacensis, accidit in villa nomiue Ferraria Grationopolitanae dyoecesis. Gregorius etiam refert, quod, dum quidam nauta in mari naufragium perpessus fuisset et qnidam sacerdos pro eo hostiam immolasset, ipse tandem de mari sanus exivit. Cum autem, qualiter evasisset, interrogaretur, dixit, quod, dum in medio maris exsisteret et jam paene fatigatus deficeret, quidam ad eum venit et panem quendam sibi obtulit. Quem cum ille comedisset, statim confortatus vires recepit et in quadam navi inde transeunte receptus fuit inventumque est, quod illa hora panem habuit, qua pro eo sacerdos hostiam immolavit, Quod vero quartum suffragiorum genus, scilicet jejuniorum observatio, defunctis prosit, testatur Gregorius agens tam de isto, quam de aliis tribus dicens: animae defunctorum quatuor modis solvuntur, aut oblationibus sacerdotum aut precibus sanctorum ant carorum elemosinis aut jejunio cognatorum. Valet nihilominus pro iis poenitentia facta ab amicis. Unde retulit quidam sollemnis doctor, quod, cum quaedam mulier viro mortuo de paupertate desperaret, apparuit ei dyabolus dicens, quod eam ditaret, si. suam faceret voluntatem.
Cui promittenti primo injunxit, ut viros ecclesiasticos in suo hospitio receptos faceret fornicari, secundo, quod pauperes in die reciperet et in nocte vacuos expelleret, tertio, quod orationes in ecclesia garriendo impediret, quarto, quod nulli confiteri deberet de hoc. Tandem cum morti appropinquasset et a filio ad confessionem admoneretur, illa ei factum aperiens dixit, se confiteri non posse nec sibi aliquid confessio valeret. Sed cum ille cum lacrymis instaret et poenitentiam se pro ea facturum promitteret, illa compuncta pro sacerdote filium destinavit. Sed antequam sacerdos veniret, daemones ad eam irruerunt, quorum timore ac horrore percussa ea mortua est. Filius suus et peccatum matris confitens et poenitentiam septennem faciens ipsa completa vidit matrem ei de sua liberatione gratias referentem. Valent etiam iis indulgentiae ecclesiae. Unde cum quidam apostolicae sedis legatus quendam strenuum rogaret, ut in terra Albiensi in servitium ecclesiae militaret, facta indulgentia patri suo defuncto per unam ibidem quadragenam moratus est. Qua completa pater luce clarior ei apparuitet de sua liberatione gratias ei egit.
Circa secundum hujus partis, scilicet illos, pro quibus fiunt, etiam quatuor videnda sunt. Primo qui sunt illi, quibus possunt prodesse, secundo quare debent iis prodesse, tertio si omnibus aequaliter prosunt, quarto qualiter suffragia, quae pro ipsis fiunj, scire possunt. De primo, qui scilicet sunt illi, quibus possunt prodesse, sciendum est, quod, sicnt dieit Augustinus, omnes, qui de hac vita decedunt, aut sunt valde boni aut valde mali aut mediocriter boni. Suffragia igitur facta pro valde bonis sunt gratiarum actiones, pro valde malis sunt vivorum qualescumque consolationes, pro mediocriter bonis sunt expiationes. Valde autem boni dicuntur, qui statim evolant et ab utroque igne tam purgatorii quam inferni liberi sunt. Eorum autem sunt tria genera, scilicet baptizati, martires et viri perfecti, qui scilicet tam perfecte aedificaverunt aurum, argentum et lapides pretiosos, id est Dei dilectionem, proximi amorem et bonam operationem, ut non cogitarent placere mundo, sed tantum Deo. Qui etsi quandoque venialiter peccant, fervore tamen caritatis ita in iis peccatum consumitur, sicut gutta aquae in camino ignis penitus absorbetur, et ideo secum cremabilia nunquam ferunt, Qui igitur pro aliquo istorum trium generum oraret vel aliqua alia suffragia faceret, iis injuriam faceret, quia, sicut dicit Augustinus, injuriam facit martiri, qui orat pro martire. Si vero aliquis pro aliquo valde bono exoraret, de quo tamen, an evolasset, dubitaret, tunc illae orationes essent gratiarum actiones et ad meritum cederent exorantis, secundum illud: oratio mea in sinum meum convertetur.
His enim tribus generibus coelum protinus aperitur, cum decedunt, nec aliquem purgatorii ignem sentiunt. Quod significatum est per illos tres, quibus coelum apertam cst. Apertum est enim Christo baptizato, Luc. Il: Jesu baptizato et orante apertum est coelum. Per quod significatur, quod coelum aperitur omnibus baptizatis, sive sint parvuli sive adulti, ita quod, si hinc decederent, protinus evolarent. Baptismus enim virtute passionis Christi mundat ab omni peccato et originali et mortali et veniali. Secundo apertum est Stephano lapidato, Act. VII: ecce video coelos apertos etc.
Per quod significatur, quod aperitar omnibus marüribus, ita quod statim evolant, cum decedunt, et si aliqua eremabilia habebant, omnia falce martirii resecantur, Tertio apertum est Johanni perfectissimo, Apocal. IV: vidi et ecce ostium apertum in coelo. Per quod significatur, quod viris perfectis, qui totaliter poenitentiam complerunt neo venialia admiserunt, vel si aliquando admittuntur, a fervore caritatis protinus consumuntur, coelum ipsum continuo aperitur et mox in illud perpetno regnaturi ingrediuntur. Valde autem mali sunt, qui continuo in inferni barathrum demerguntur, pro quibus, si de eorum damnatione constaret, nulla suffragia aliquatenus essent fienda, secundum quod dicit Augustinus: si scirem patrem meum esse in inferno, non plus orarem pro eo, quam pro dyabolo, Si autem pro aliquibus damnatis, de quorum damnatione dubitatur, aliqua suffragia fierent, nihil tamen iis prodessent, nec quantam ad liberationem, ut scilicet ab ipsis poenis liberentur, nec quantum ad miligationem, ut scilicet poeua in iis mitigetur vel diminuatur, nec quantum ad suspensionem, ut scilicet ad tempus vel ad horam eorum damnatio suspendatur, nec quantum ad forlificationem, ut scilicet ad tolerandum levius roborentur, quantum enim ad aliquid horum in inferno nulla redemtio est. Mediocriter autem boni dicuntur, qui cremabilia aliqua, scilicet lignum, foenum, stipulam secum ferunt, vel qui poenitentiam injunctam et sufficientem morte praeoccupati complere non possunt. Qni nec adeo boni sunt, quin suffragiis egeant, nec adeo mali, qnin iis prodesse valeant suffragia. Suffragia igitur facta pro his sunt eoram expiationes. Undi isti sunt illi, quibus ipsa suffragia solum prodesse possunt.
In hujusmodi autem suffragiis faciendis ecclesia consuevit triplicem numerum dierum maxime observare, scilicet seplenarium, tricenarium et anniversarium et ratio horum assignatur in libro de mitrali officio. Observatur septenarius, ut animae ad aeternum quietis sabbatum perveniant, vel ut iis remittantur omnia peccata, quae in vita egerunt; qui per septem dies ducitur, vel ut iis remittantur peccata, quae egerunt cum corpore, quae consistunt ex quatuor humoribus, et cum anima, in qua sunt tres vires. Observatur tricenarius, qui constat ex tribus denariis, ut purgetur in iis, quidquid in fide trinitatis et in'transgressione decalogi deliquerunt. Observatur anniversarius, ut de annis calamitatis perveniant ad annos aeternitatis, . Sicut enim anniversarium sanctorum celebramus ad ipsorum honorem et nostram utilitatem, sic et anniversarium defunctorum ad ipsorum utilitatem et nostram devotionem. De secundo quaeritur, qnare scilicet iis debent suffragia prodesse, Sciendum, quod triplici ratione debent iis prodesse. Primo ratione unitatis, sunt enim unum corpus cum illis de ecclesia militante et ideo bona sua debent iis esse communia. Secundo ratione dignitatis, quoniam, dum adhuc viverent, meruerunt, ut haec sibi prodessent.
Et iterum diguum est, ut, qui alios juverunt, et ipsi ab aliis juventur. Tertio ratione necessitatis, qnia scilicet sunt in statu, in quo se juvare non possunt. De tertio, utrum scilicet aequaliter omnibus prosint, sciendum, quod, si ipsa suffragia in speciali fiunt, magis prosunt illis, pro quibus specialiter fiunt, quam aliis. Si antem in communi fiunt, magis prosunt iis, qui plus meruerunt in hac vita, ut sibi prodessent, si in aequali vel majori necessitate exsistunt. De quarto, qualiter Scilicet suffragia, quae iis fiunt, scire possunt, sciendum, quod secundum Augustinum scire possunt tribus modis. Primo per divinam revelationem, quoniam scilicet Deus hoc iis revelat; secundo per bonorum angelorum manifestationem, angeli enim, qui hic semper nobiscum sunt et omnes actus nostros considerant, in instanti quasi ad eos possunt descendere et iis protinus nuntiare; terlio per animarum hinc exeuntium intimationem, animae enim, quae de hoc mundo transeunt, haec et alia iis nuntiare possunt; quarto nihilominus scire possunt per experientiam et revelationem, cum enim a poenis se revelari sentiunt, suffragia pro se fieri cognoscunt. Circa tertium )hujus secundae partis, scilicet illos, per quos fiunt, sciendum, quod ipsa suffragia, si prodesse debent, oportet quod fiant ab his, qui sunt in caritate, nam si per malos fiunt, prodesse non possunt, Unde legitur, quod, dum quidam miles in lecto cum uxore esset et luna valde lucens per rimas intraret, mirabatur, quomodo homo rationalis creatori suo non pareret, cum cidem creaturae irrationales parerent, et dum cuidam militi defuncto, qui sibi fuerat familiaris, detraheret, subito ille, quit mortuus faerat, in thalamum introivit et dixit illi: amice, noli male suspieari de aliquo, et condona mihi, si quid in te peccavi. Cumque Super statu suo interrogaretur, dixit: variis poenis afflipor, praecipue quia tale cimiterium violavi et ibi quendam vnulneraus eum cappa exspoliavi sua, quae mihi supponitur et uno monte magis me premit, rogavitque, ut pro se orationes fieri faceret.
Cum autem ille sibi diceret, an vellet, quod a tali et tali sacerdote ipsas orationes faceret fieri, ille ad hoc nihil respondens caput more renuentis concussit. Deinde dixit, si vellet, quod talis eremita pro se oraret. Cui ille: utinam ille pro me oraret! Quod cum se facturum promitteret, ille ait: et ego dico tibi, quia ab hac. die usque ad duos annos tu etiam morieris, sicque ille disparuit et miles vita sua in melius mutata in domino obdormivit. Quod autem dictam est, suffragia facta per malos prodesse non posse, intelligendum est, nisi sint opera sacramentalia, ut est celebratio missae, quae a malo ministro violari non potest, vel nisi ipse defunctus vel aliquis ejus amicus aliquibus etiam malis aliqua dispensanda reliquisset, Quae tamen continuo dispensare debent, ne sibi contingat, quod cuidam contigisse legitur. Miles enim quidam in bello Caroli Magni cam Mauris pugnaturus rogavit cognatum suum, ut, si in bello moreretur, equum snum venderet et pauperibus pretium daret. Quo mortuo cum equus sibi nimis placeret, eum sibi retinuit et post modicum temporis defunctus ei tamquam sol refulgens apparuit dicens: cognate bone, per octo dies me fecisti pati poenas in purgatorio propter equum, cujus pretium, ut dixeram, pauperibus non dedisti; sed impune non feres, hodie enim ferent animam tuam in infernum dyaboli et ego purgatus vado in regnum Dei.
Et ecce subito in aére auditus est clamor velut leonum, ursorum et luporum et ipsum de medio abstulerunt.
The Golden Legend (Legenda Aurea) companion
Continue through all 240 chapters, one saint a day
Chosen Portion serves the Golden Legend as a daily portion on iOS, free, alongside the full Sub Rosa archive
The Legenda Aurea was organized for day-by-day use across the liturgical year, and Chosen Portion restores that original one-feast-per-day reading rhythm
- A complete saint's life or feast reading most days in 5-10 minutes
- 240 chapters - enough daily readings to cover a full liturgical year and beyond
- Daily reminders so the plan survives busy weeks