Whether Christ Could Communicate to Ministers the Power Which He Had
in the Sacraments?
Objection 1: It seems that Christ could not communicate to ministers
the power which He had in the sacraments. For as Augustine argues
against Maximin, "if He could, but would not, He was jealous of His
power." But jealousy was far from Christ Who had the fulness of
charity. Since, therefore, Christ did not communicate His power to
ministers, it seems that He could not.
Obj. 2: Further, on John 14:12: "Greater than these shall he do,"
Augustine says (Tract. lxxii): "I affirm this to be altogether
greater," namely, for a man from being ungodly to be made righteous,
"than to create heaven and earth." But Christ could not communicate
to His disciples the power of creating heaven and earth: neither,
therefore, could He give them the power of making the ungodly to be
righteous. Since, therefore, the justification of the ungodly is
effected by the power that Christ has in the sacraments, it seems
that He could not communicate that power to ministers.
Obj. 3: Further, it belongs to Christ as Head of the Church that
grace should flow from Him to others, according to John 1:16: "Of His
fulness we all have received." But this could not be communicated to
others; since then the Church would be deformed, having many heads.
Therefore it seems that Christ could not communicate His power to
ministers.
_On the contrary,_ on John 1:31: "I knew Him not," Augustine says
(Tract. v) that "he did not know that our Lord having the authority
of baptizing . . . would keep it to Himself." But John would not have
been in ignorance of this, if such a power were incommunicable.
Therefore Christ could communicate His power to ministers.
_I answer that,_ As stated above (A. 3), Christ had a twofold power
in the sacraments. One was the power of _authority,_ which belongs to
Him as God: and this power He could not communicate to any creature;
just as neither could He communicate the Divine Essence. The other
was the power of _excellence,_ which belongs to Him as man. This
power He could communicate to ministers; namely, by giving them such
a fulness of grace--that their merits would conduce to the
sacramental effect--that by the invocation of their names, the
sacraments would be sanctified--and that they themselves might
institute sacraments, and by their mere will confer the sacramental
effect without observing the sacramental rite. For a united
instrument, the more powerful it is, is all the more able to lend its
power to the separated instrument; as the hand can to a stick.
Reply Obj. 1: It was not through jealousy that Christ refrained from
communicating to ministers His power of excellence, but for the good
of the faithful; lest they should put their trust in men, and lest
there should be various kinds of sacraments, giving rise to division
in the Church; as may be seen in those who said: "I am of Paul, I am
of Apollo, and I of Cephas" (1 Cor. 1:12).
Reply Obj. 2: This objection is true of the power of authority, which
belongs to Christ as God. At the same time the power of excellence
can be called authority in comparison to other ministers. Whence on 1
Cor. 1:13: "Is Christ divided?" the gloss says that "He could give
power of authority in baptizing, to those to whom He gave the power
of administering it."
Reply Obj. 3: It was in order to avoid the incongruity of many heads
in the Church, that Christ was unwilling to communicate to ministers
His power of excellence. If, however, He had done so, He would have
been Head in chief; the others in subjection to Him.
_______________________