Chapter 16.—21. But when it is said that "the Holy Spirit is given by the imposition of hands in the Catholic Church only, I suppose that our ancestors meant that we should understand thereby what the apostle says, "Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."1299
For this is that very
love which is wanting in all who are
cut off from the
communion of the Catholic
Church; and for lack of this, "though they speak with the
tongues of men and of
angels, though they understand all
mysteries and all
knowledge, and though they have the
gift of
prophecy, and all
faith, so that they could remove
mountains, and though they bestow all their goods to
feed the
poor, and though they give their bodies to be
burned, it profiteth them nothing."
1300
But those are wanting in
God’s
love who do not care for the
unity of the
Church; and consequently we are right in understanding that the
Holy Spirit may be said not to be received except in the Catholic
Church. For the
Holy Spirit is not only given by the laying on of
hands amid the
testimony of temporal sensible
miracles, as He was given in former days to be the credentials of a rudimentary
faith, and for the extension of the first beginnings
of the
Church. For who expects in these days that those on whom
hands are laid that they may receive the
Holy Spirit should forthwith begin to speak with
tongues? but it is understood that invisibly and imperceptibly, on account of the
bond of
peace,
divine love is breathed into their
hearts, so that they may be able to say, "Because the
love of
God is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy
Ghost which is given unto us." But there are many operations of the
Holy Spirit, which the same
apostle
commemorates in a certain passage at such length as he thinks sufficient, and then concludes: "But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will."
1301
Since, then, the sacrament is one thing, which even
Simon Magus could have;
1302
and the operation of the Spirit is another thing, which is even often found in
wicked men, as
Saul had the
gift of
prophecy;
1303
and that operation of the same Spirit is a third thing, which only the good can have, as "the end of the
commandment is
charity out of a pure
heart, and of a good conscience, and of
faith unfeigned:"
1304
whatever, therefore, may be received by
heretics and schismatics, the
charity which covereth the multitude of
sins is the especial
gift of Catholic
unity and
peace; nor is it found in all that are within that
bond, since not all that are within it are of it, as we shall see in the proper place. At any rate, outside the
bond that
love cannot exist, without which all the other requisites, even if they can be recognized and approved, cannot
profit or
release from
sin. But
the laying on of
hands in reconciliation to the
Church is not, like baptism, incapable of repetition; for what is it more than a prayer offered over a man?
1305
| 1305 He refers to laying on of hands such as he mentions below, Book V. c. xxiii.: "If the laying on of hands were not applied to one coming from heresy, he would be, as it were, judged to be wholly blameless."
|
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