Carácter sacramental y Sacerdocio de Cristo

Abstract

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After a long discussion among theologians, which lasted a little more than a century and which ended with St. Thomas, William of Paris could testify (at the beginning of the 14th century) that all were agreed in considering the sacramental character as a "quality". Although there were discrepancies overwhich subspecies of quality character belongs to, the opinion of St. Thomas little by little imposed itself: it is a potency. But he had contributed one more datum: character could be considered, also, as a participation of the Priesthood of Christ.

If we consider that Christ is constituted Priest through the same hypostatic union, to participate of the Priesthood of Christ, through the character, must mean so much as to participate mysteriously of the hypostatic union. This is the thesis presented by Scheeben in the 19th century. The German theologian also added that to receive the character would mean, for the same reason, a certain elevation or "ennoblement" of the person or hypostasis of the man receiving the character. This seems evident, because in order to make this new supernatural accident -which is character- exist, the natural esse must also be "intensified" in a mysterious way, as Ocáriz puts it, and consequently the person, the remote subject of the character -since the practical intellect continues to be the proximate subject of character- is ennobled. It would suppose, assuming that our thesis is true, new real supernatural relations with God: the character would involve a change in the relation of the creature with the Creator: from esse ad Deum it would be come esse ad Patrem (naturally, in Filio).