Summa de Ecclesia

For the declaration of this difficulty, although many things have been said by us around ch. v. of this work, nevertheless, adding some other things for the greater understanding of the truth, we have judged it to be noted, with the most excellent doctor St. Thomas in the third part of his Summa, that among other differences between the natural body of man and the mystical body one is this, namely that the members of the natural body are all at once; but the members of the mystical body are not all at once, neither as to the being of nature, because the body of the Church is constituted of men who have been from the beginning of the world to its end; nor as to the being of grace, because some even of those who are in one time lack grace, though to have it afterwards, while others already have it. Thus therefore the members of the mystical body are taken not only according as they are in act, but also according as they are in potency. Some, however, are in potency which will never be reduced to act, and this according to a threefold grade, of which the first is through faith, the second through charity of the way, the third through the fruition of the homeland. Thus therefore it must be said that, taking generally according to the whole time of the world, Christ is the head of all men, but according to diverse grades. For first and principally he is the head of those who are actually united to him through glory. Second, of those who are actually united to him through charity. Third, of those who are actually united to him through faith. Fourth indeed of those who are united to him only in potency not yet reduced to act, but to be reduced according to divine predestination. Fifth indeed of those who are in a potency of being joined to him which will never be reduced to act, as are men living in this world who are not predestined, who nevertheless, departing from this world, totally cease to be members of Christ, who now are not even in potency that they may be united to Christ.

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If these things are well considered, therefore, the members of Christ or of his body, which is the Church, are in a threefold difference. For some are members actually united and living, whether with the life of glory, as are those who are actually united to God through glory, constituted in supernal beatitude, or through formed faith, which is said to work through love, as are the just faithful in this present life.

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But some are members united indeed in some way, namely through faith, but are not living, because they are not united to him by the bond of charity. Of this sort are the faithful existing in mortal sin, who have unformed faith, which, since it is without works, is dead, James ii., and 1 John iii. says: He that loveth not abideth in death. Such, lacking the life of grace, are as dead members, and because the full character of a member is constituted not only by the unity of continuation which a member has with the other members in one body, but by the unity of life or of the spirit forming and vivifying the body, for as Aristotle says in Book iii. on the soul, a dead member is called a member improperly and equivocally, hence it is that the faithful existing in mortal sin are not called members of Christ perfectly and properly, but imperfectly and improperly, as has been said of a dead member. Hence St. Thomas in the third part says thus: The faithful who are subverted by mortal sins are not members of Christ actually, but potentially, unless perhaps imperfectly through unformed faith, which unites to Christ in a certain respect and not simply, namely so that through Christ man may attain the life of grace, these are the words of St. Thomas there. Likewise the same in the first writing says thus: But faithful men who are sinners belong in some way to the unity of the Church, inasmuch as they are continued to it through faith, which is the material unity; yet they cannot properly be called members, just as neither can a dead member except equivocally, these are the words of St. Thomas there.

Alexander of Hales indeed, speaking of this matter in his third book, says thus: Those existing in mortal sin never properly belong to the union of the mystical body or of the Church; yet it makes a difference whether one speaks of the unity of the Church or of the body of the Church. For in the unity of the Church are the good and the evil, provided they have right faith. And this is what is found at Matt. xiii., that tares are joined to the wheat itself; and Augustine says that the Church is the field in which wheat, that is the good, and tares, that is the evil, are rooted together, yet they shall be separated in the end. But the unity of the body is only through faith formed by charity. According therefore to the proper character of the body, the evil are not of the body of the Church, although they are of the Church, these are Alexander's words. Thus according to this doctor unformed faith, which suffices for one to be said to belong to the unity of the Church, does not suffice for the unity of the body of the Church, of which such a reason can be assigned: for since the unity of the body stands composed of its parts, it is necessarily required that just as in the natural body that which is the substantial form be in the whole and in each part of the body, so also in the mystical body it is necessary that what is after the likeness of the human spirit in it be both in the whole mystical body and in each of its parts; and consequently, just as a natural member, with the soul departed, is called a member not truly but improperly and equivocally, so in the mystical body, when the Holy Spirit, who is as it were the vegetating and vivifying soul in the body, has been expelled from anyone through mortal sin, such a one no longer properly belongs to the unity of the body of the Church, for as Hugh of St. Victor says: Nothing dead is in the body of Christ, nothing living outside the body.

Hence the Apostle at Rom. viii.: If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his, namely a member.

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Further, others are called members according to potency, and these are in a twofold difference. For some are thus in potency which nevertheless will never be reduced to act, as are many foreknown sinners who will never be converted to God; they are called members in potency according as they are unitable to the body. This potency is founded on two things, as St. Thomas says. It avails first and principally in the power of Christ, which is sufficient for the salvation of the whole human race, according to Isa. l.: His hand is not shortened, that it cannot save. Second, in the freedom of choice.

But others are members in potency which is to be reduced to act according to the ordination of divine providence, as are sinners, even unbelievers, who are predestined to eternal life; of whose potency we say that it is founded on three things. First, in the power of Christ, which, as has been said, is sufficient for the salvation of the whole human race. 1 John ii.: We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the just, and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but for those of the whole world. Second, in the infallibility of divine providence. Third, in the freedom of choice.