Whether a Wicked Priest Can Consecrate the Eucharist?
Objection 1: It seems that a wicked priest cannot consecrate the
Eucharist. For Jerome, commenting on Sophon. iii, 4, says: "The
priests who perform the Eucharist, and who distribute our Lord's
blood to the people, act wickedly against Christ's law, in deeming
that the Eucharist is consecrated by a prayer rather than by a good
life; and that only the solemn prayer is requisite, and not the
priest's merits: of whom it is said: 'Let not the priest, in whatever
defilement he may be, approach to offer oblations to the Lord'" (Lev.
21:21, Septuagint). But the sinful priest, being defiled, has neither
the life nor the merits befitting this sacrament. Therefore a sinful
priest cannot consecrate the Eucharist.
Obj. 2: Further, Damascene says (De Fide Orth. iv) that "the bread
and wine are changed supernaturally into the body and blood of our
Lord, by the coming of the Holy Ghost." But Pope Gelasius I says (Ep.
ad Elphid., cf. Decret. i, q. 1): "How shall the Holy Spirit, when
invoked, come for the consecration of the Divine Mystery, if the
priest invoking him be proved full of guilty deeds?" Consequently,
the Eucharist cannot be consecrated by a wicked priest.
Obj. 3: Further, this sacrament is consecrated by the priest's
blessing. But a sinful priest's blessing is not efficacious for
consecrating this sacrament, since it is written (Malachi 2:2): "I
will curse your blessings." Again, Dionysius says in his Epistle
(viii) to the monk Demophilus: "He who is not enlightened has
completely fallen away from the priestly order; and I wonder that
such a man dare to employ his hands in priestly actions, and in the
person of Christ to utter, over the Divine symbols, his unclean
infamies, for I will not call them prayers."
_On the contrary,_ Augustine (Paschasius) says (De Corp. Dom. xii):
"Within the Catholic Church, in the mystery of the Lord's body and
blood, nothing greater is done by a good priest, nothing less by an
evil priest, because it is not by the merits of the consecrator that
the sacrament is accomplished, but by the Creator's word, and by the
power of the Holy Spirit."
_I answer that,_ As was said above (AA. 1, 3), the priest consecrates
this sacrament not by his own power, but as the minister of Christ,
in Whose person he consecrates this sacrament. But from the fact of
being wicked he does not cease to be Christ's minister; because our
Lord has good and wicked ministers or servants. Hence (Matt. 24:45)
our Lord says: "Who, thinkest thou, is a faithful and wise servant?"
and afterwards He adds: "But if that evil servant shall say in his
heart," etc. And the Apostle (1 Cor. 4:1) says: "Let a man so account
of us as of the ministers of Christ"; and afterwards he adds: "I am
not conscious to myself of anything; yet am I not hereby justified."
He was therefore certain that he was Christ's minister; yet he was
not certain that he was a just man. Consequently, a man can be
Christ's minister even though he be not one of the just. And this
belongs to Christ's excellence, Whom, as the true God, things both
good and evil serve, since they are ordained by His providence for
His glory. Hence it is evident that priests, even though they be not
godly, but sinners, can consecrate the Eucharist.
Reply Obj. 1: In those words Jerome is condemning the error of
priests who believed they could consecrate the Eucharist worthily,
from the mere fact of being priests, even though they were sinners;
and Jerome condemns this from the fact that persons defiled are
forbidden to approach the altar; but this does not prevent the
sacrifice, which they offer, from being a true sacrifice, if they do
approach.
Reply Obj. 2: Previous to the words quoted, Pope Gelasius expresses
himself as follows: "That most holy rite, which contains the Catholic
discipline, claims for itself such reverence that no one may dare to
approach it except with clean conscience." From this it is evident
that his meaning is that the priest who is a sinner ought not to
approach this sacrament. Hence when he resumes, "How shall the Holy
Spirit come when summoned," it must be understood that He comes, not
through the priest's merits, but through the power of Christ, Whose
words the priest utters.
Reply Obj. 3: As the same action can be evil, inasmuch as it is done
with a bad intention of the servant; and good from the good intention
of the master; so the blessing of a sinful priest, inasmuch as he
acts unworthily is deserving of a curse, and is reputed an infamy and
a blasphemy, and not a prayer; whereas, inasmuch as it is pronounced
in the person of Christ, it is holy and efficacious. Hence it is said
with significance: "I will curse your blessings."
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