There is a third element of the Sacrament of Penance, viz., Satisfaction. Satisfaction is a voluntary endurance of suffering, or doing of good, in order to expiate part of the consequences of sin. It is a kind of penalty for sin, completing the form of a judicial trial in the Sacrament of Penance. This Satisfaction or penalty is spoken of as "the penance" in a third sense of the word. The Satisfaction makes the difference between the restitution of the sinner in the Sacrament of Penance, and the regeneration which takes place in Baptism. Our first deliverance from that Original Sin which was incurred without personal guilt, requires less in the way of preparatory dispositions, and nothing in the way of Satisfaction. The spiritual effect is completed at once, and heaven is opened straightway. No partial expiation remains to be accomplished by satisfaction here or purgatory hereafter. But after deliberate infidelity and backsliding, more is required of us in the way of preparatory dispositions and works of atonement. We may compare this with the grant of the Law of God to Moses. On the first occasion God provided the stone tablets of the law; but when these had been destroyed through the idolatry of the Israelites, it was required that Moses should hew two other tablets, and carry them up to the summit to receive the law for the second time. Do not forget your increased liability. It is a debt that remains on you, and is not fully defrayed in the Sacrament of Penance.
