Chapter XXVI: THE CONCEPTION OF THE MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST. OTHER SUBLIME MYSTERIES CONNECTED WITH IT.

            1.  Before setting out the doctrine intended for this chapter, we wish to state that when direct presence is spoken of, as likewise indirect presence (that is, presence by concomitance), in the souls or in the hearts of the faithful, whether of the Humanity of Christ or of the Person of Mary, or as well of the Holy Ghost, the following must be understood:

            A direct presence is one which has no need of other means in order to become present and to stay.  A presence that is indirect (that is, a concomitant pre-sence), is one which does have need of other means in order to become present and to stay.  But the union or espousal which takes place as a result of both presences is direct; as is likewise the way in which they act in the souls or hearts of the faithful.  That is how we are to understand the expression given in the previous chapter: "Presence by concomitance is real and true, though it occurs indirectly".

            2.  Let an example suffice in order to understand this doctrine better: the Drop of Blood of the Divine Mary acquired in Baptism is received and stays directly, and becomes espoused with the hearts of the faithful in the same way, that is, touching their hearts.  The Drop of Blood of Christ which the faithful also acquire in Baptism, is received and stays indirectly, since it comes with that of Mary by concomitance; but the espousal with the hearts of the faithful is direct, - that is, it physically touches their hearts.  And all that is sacramentalized in both Drops becomes espoused directly with the hearts of the faithful, as for example the Holy Ghost.

            3.  We conclude by saying that the espousal, both of Christ as well as of Mary, with the faithful, is Soul with soul, Body with body, Blood with blood; and the Holy Ghost informs supernaturally the human nature of the faithful, and each portion of the same, making it divine, giving it life and raising it to the hypostatic order.  Hence the human nature of each faithful becomes a new being, - that is, a son of God and heir of the Father.  When we say that the Holy Ghost informs human nature and makes it super-natural, we are not giving the strict meaning that corresponds to the philosophical concept of `informing', although our meaning bears a sublime analogy to the informing of the body by the soul.

            4.  Now that we have made quite clear the difference between direct and indirect presence, with regard to the way these presences occur, as well as to the reason for their staying or mode of staying, we wish to state what is really, truly and physically to be understood by the word `presence',  irrespective of that difference.  The word `presence' comprises various other expressions, each with its own distinct colouring, but all included in a single general meaning.  Let us look at the more usual terms: with the word `enthronement' we indicate how Christ and Mary, and the Holy Ghost, are seated on royal thrones in the souls and hearts of the faithful, which are the official cathedras of their Divine Majesties; and therefore They live and reign in them as in their own palace, - that is, They have their indwelling in them.  However, this enthronement and indwelling necessarily imply at the same time a sublime union or espousal of Jesus and Mary with the whole being of the faithful, in the following way: Soul with soul, Flesh with flesh and Blood with blood; and the Holy Ghost is also espoused, informing and giving life to the whole.  And finally `presence', with all its rich content, includes as well, necessarily, the simultaneous and harmonious action of Jesus, Mary and the Holy Ghost in the living members of the Mystical Body of Christ.

            5.  Now that we have distinguished the different shades of meaning contained in `presence', we conclude by saying that in using this term, we are implicitly using at the same time those of `enthronement', `indwelling', `union' or `espousal', and others as well which have the same meaning; and therefore whenever we use any one of these terms, without distinction all the others are included; in other words, it is the same to use one as another.  Let us look at a specific case.  When we say that the Drop of Mary's Blood is present in our hearts, which presence occurs directly, we are saying at the same time that it has been enthroned in our hearts, that it dwells in, that it has become united or espoused with, and that it acts in, our whole being; that is, it is really, truly and physically within us and flows through our veins.  When we say that the Drop of Christ's Blood is present in our hearts, which presence occurs indirectly (that is, by concomitance), we are saying the same as we said above of the Drop of Mary's Blood; namely, that it has been enthroned in us, that it dwells in, that it has become united or espoused with, and that it acts in, our whole being; that is, it is really, truly and physically within us and flows through our veins.  When we say that the Holy Ghost is present in our hearts, which presence occurs indirectly, we are saying, likewise, that He has been enthroned, that He dwells, that He has become united or espoused with, and that He acts really and personally in us.

            6.  Moreover, it is doctrinally correct to use expressions such as these: Christ is within me because Mary is; Christ is enthroned in me because Mary is; Christ dwells in me because Mary does; Christ is espoused with me because Mary is.  Since, although we are referring to the indirect presence of Christ in us by means of the Drop of Mary's Blood, we are at the same time affirming that both presences - that is, both of Jesus and of Mary - are equally real, true and physical.

            7.  In the same way, it is doctrinally correct to say, for example: Mary is enthroned in me because Christ is, when we  refer to the indirect presence of Mary in us through the particle of Christ's Heart, since we are affirming at the same time that these presences, both of Jesus and of Mary, are equally real, true and physical.

            8.  In the espousal of Christ in Mary and of Mary in Christ as well, these two forms of presence, direct and indirect (that is, by concomitance), previously explained, occur at the same time, as already stated in the previous chapter in speaking about this mutual espousal in detail.  In whichever form, the doctrine explained above in the present chapter applies.

            9.  Completing the above, we teach that there are different degrees in the espousal of the faithful with Christ and Mary:

                  (a) In the actual economy of grace, the members of the Church become espoused with Mary when, by means of Baptism, they receive the Drop of Her Most Pure Blood directly in their hearts, becoming in this way espoused as well with Christ.  But as the presence of Christ in the hearts of the faithful through the Drop of His Divine Mother's Blood is by concomitance, the degree of His espousal with them is inferior to that which takes place through the direct presence of the Particle of His Deific Heart, which the faithful receive by virtue of Holy Communion; this greater espousal with Christ does not produce a higher degree of espousal with Mary.  On the other hand, as the Drop of the Divine Mary's Blood grows in the hearts of the faithful through the worthy recep-tion of the Holy Eucharist, as also through the other Sacraments and the exercise of virtue, a greater penetration of the same Blood takes place in them, and this supposes greater espousal with Mary, which redounds in a higher degree of espousal with Christ.  Worthy reception requires the state of grace and right intention.

                  (b) In the economy of grace that corresponds to the Messianic Kingdom, the faithful on earth and the Blessed in Heaven will attain a higher degree of espousal with Mary, through the completion of their espousal with this Divine Lady by means of the enthronement of all in Her Immaculate Heart; and this will redound for them in a higher degree of espousal with Christ, as they also become enthroned, by concomitance, in His Deific Heart.  And as well, the degree of espousal with Christ and Mary in the hearts of the faithful on earth, will grow in proportion as their degree of love for God grows.

                  (c) The full and definitive degree of espousal with Christ will be attained in the Nuptials of the Lamb, when all the Blessed of Heaven are enthroned directly in His Deific Heart.

            10.  In the various economies of grace just mentioned, the degree of espousal with the Divinity will depend on the degree of espousal with the Most Sacred Humanity of Christ.

            11.  Finally, we add that in the espousal of each member of the Church with the Virgin Mary, the espousal of Flesh with flesh, Blood with blood, and Soul with soul, is in the same degree in each of these three elements.

            12.  In the espousal of each member of the Church with the Most Sacred Human-ity of Christ, the espousal of Flesh with flesh, Blood with blood, and Soul with soul, is in the same degree in each of these three elements.

            13.  Another grand mystery that the Holy Ghost effected in the very instant of the Incarnation of the Word was the Fecundation and simultaneous Conception of the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church. But before entering more deeply into this question, it is necessary to make clearer and to amplify the doctrine explained in previous chapters on the Mystical Soul of the Church and also the Mystical Body of Mary, as these are essential elements in the conception of the Mystical Body of Christ.

            14.  Until the moment of Mary's Immaculate Conception, one belonged to the Church either through vinculation - a bond of relationship - or incorporation, to the Mystical Soul.  The former, which was the more general form at that time, took place through imperfect sacraments, as for example, circumcision.  The latter, that is incor-poration, was the form direct, authentic and complete, acquired only through the special privilege of the soul being sanctified by the Sacrament of the Triple Benediction, which was the only means of acquiring that grace.

            15.  As we have already defined, Mary's Soul dwelt directly in that mysterious Sacrament, because She was one of the three essential elements which com-prised It.  And by virtue of the Divine Espousal, that is, through the special concomi-tance of the same, the Most Divine Soul of Christ necessarily dwelt there as well, and consequently, the Mystical Soul, since the Divine Espousal itself is the Mystical Soul.  The Triple Benediction was, then, the only Perfect Sacrament of the Old Law, since It endowed souls with the indwelling of the Holy Ghost through the presence of the Mystical Soul within them.  And this Divine Efficacy made it equivalent to the Singular Sacrament of the Divine Mary's Drop of Blood.  Nevertheless the latter is a more complete Sacrament, since it also makes possible the physical presence of the Corporal Espousal between Christ and Mary in the hearts of the faithful.

            16.  The living members incorporated in the Mystical Soul, that is, the Church of the Old Testament, enjoyed in their souls the indwelling of the Soul of Mary.  They also had the presence, by concomitance, of the Most Divine Soul of Christ, and in Him, the Most Holy Trinity.  And by special sacramental concomitance, they also possessed the biological elements of Adam and Eve.  That is to say, the Triple Benedic-tion was enthroned in their souls.  This manner in which the Most Sacred  Mystery was present was the ordinary form for all the sanctified faithful who preserved the state of grace.  The Holy Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as also Joseph, besides enjoy-ing the ordinary presence of the Divine Sacrament in their souls, enjoyed as well another presence of extraordinary character, since through a most special privilege they had the Triple Benediction deposited directly in their bodies; the biological elements of Adam and Eve materially occupying a space, and forming in their bodies a natural swelling perceptible to touch and sight.  The elements, as has already been defined, were essential for the formation in the future of the Immaculate Body of Mary, and in Her, that of Christ, future Victims of Calvary.  The graces granted by God through the Triple Benediction were anticipated applications of the infinite merits of the Sacrifice of the Cross.  When the first three Patriarchs transmitted the Deposit of the Triple Benediction, in the manner described in previous chapters, they lost the extra-ordinary presence of the Most Sacred Mystery, though they continued to enjoy the ordi-nary presence that corresponded to the sanctified.  Joseph, son of Jacob, died with the Sacred Deposit in his body, the power of transmitting it having come to an end.  It was later removed from his bones by Moses.  The privilege granted to the four Patriarchs to be living Tabernacles and personal custodians of the Most Sacred Mystery of the Triple Benediction, was intimately united to their eternal priesthood which was conferred on them later through the rite of a special blessing.  After one thousand, four hundred and ninety years from the extraction of the glorious biological elements by Moses, Saint Joachim received them in his body and transmitted to his spouse Saint Anne the one pertaining to her sex by means of the mystical and sublime embrace underneath the Golden Gate.  In that very instant took place the fusion of the biological elements of Adam and Eve with those respectively of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, these latter being transformed without losing their personal character, already explained and defined in chapter XXI of this Treatise.  During the period of seven days, counting from the sub-lime embrace to the Immaculate Conception of Mary, all the members incorporated to the Mystical Soul of the Church had in their souls, by sacramental concomitance, the elements of Saint Anne and Saint Joachim now in the state of glory.  And that took place seven days prior to the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

            17.  Let us examine this doctrine in more detail.  The Divine Mary's parents enjoyed the indwelling of the Sacrament of the Triple Benediction in their souls from the moment they were presanctified, like the other sanctified faithful of the Old Testament.  When the transformation of their most holy elements took place under the Golden Gate, the Mysterious Sacrament acquired greater perfection, being now made up of the Soul of Mary and the glorious elements of Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, which absorbed those of Adam and Eve.  The new Sacrament of the Triple Bene-diction, as distinct from the old, which had been contained in a tiny covering, appeared in the following manner: the two new material elements were found one in Saint Anne and  the other in Saint Joachim, both sacramentally unified by the third, Mary's Soul, which dwelt in both of them.  Moreover, between both these biological elements there existed one sole covering by virtue of the indissoluble unity of matrimony, which made one sole flesh of the two most holy bodies.  During the seven days between the sublime embrace and the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Triple Benediction continued to dwell, now in its new and more perfect state, in the souls of the most holy couple, Anne and Joachim.  That is, each of them enjoyed the indwelling of Mary's Soul, and besides, the concomitant indwelling of the elements in the state of glory.  And besides this presence in their souls, Saint Anne and Saint Joachim each had their own glorious biological elements in its respective bodily organ, awaiting the sublime marriage act soon to take place for the Immaculate Conception.  When the two elements were united in Saint Anne's womb and Mary's Most Perfect Body was biologically formed, informed in the same instant by Her Divine Soul, there also took place by sacramental concomitance, the same bodily transformation in the souls of the most holy parents of the Virgin, as well as in the souls of the faithful sanctified, all of whom were thus incorporated into the Mystical Body of Mary.

            18.  This Holy Council affirms and defines that during the seven days in which Saint Anne and Saint Joachim were custodians of the new Triple Benediction, given that their glorious elements, in union with Mary's Soul, constituted the Perfect Sacrament of the Church during that period, a number of sanctifications took place through both spouses and in virtue of that Sacrament.

            19.  Now we shall treat of the doctrine of the singular priesthood of the Divine Mary's parents, Saint Anne and Saint Joachim; the special priestly character of which they received in the sublime embrace under the Golden Gate, when their biologi-cal elements were transformed by those of Adam and Eve.  However, the exercise of their ministry was directed and limited exclusively to the Immaculate Conception of Mary and Her Mystical Body.

            20.  According to the divine plan it was indispensable for the Divine Mary's pre-existent Soul to take flesh in order to complete the Work of Reparation and Redemption in union with Her Divine Son.  For this, the concurrence of a three-fold priestly fiat was necessary: that of Mary's Soul, that of Saint Anne, and that of Saint Joachim.  However, as every "fiat" implies the renunciation of one's own will and the soul's full disposition to accept the plans of the Most High, no matter how painful they be, the "fiat" of Saint Anne and Saint Joachim was one of immense joy and sorrow at the same time.  To the inexpressible happiness which filled their hearts by the angelic message of the future Conception of their Daughter which had been ardently desired by them, was united a most deep sorrow when at the same time they came to know by divine revelation that the fruit of their union would be the Redeemer's Co-Victim  on Calvary, Whose maternal Heart would be truly pierced by a sword, in union with the Heart of Her Divine Son, producing the most bitter sorrow a mother would ever have to suffer.  It was proper then, that in the divine plans Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, parents of the Mystical Body of Mary, and grandparents of the Mystical Body of Christ should participate in the sufferings of their Daughter Most Holy, as well as in those of their Divine Grandson, Jesus Christ, and that in this way the "fiat" spoken by the parents of the Most Holy Virgin be accomplished in an eminently heroic act, consequently highly meritorious and beneficial for the Church.  Thus, at the same time that the happy news of the future Conception of their Daughter was announced to them, the parents of the Divine Mary were taken in vision to Mount Calvary and contemplated in advance, with most bitter sorrow, the immolation of the two propitiatory Victims, Jesus and Mary.  At this heart- rending sight, Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, moved by a most impetuous love of God, also offered themselves as priestly victims by giving their "fiat" for the Conception of their Divine Daughter, since thereby would come the Redemption of the human race.

            21.  The most holy parents of the Divine Mary sublimely consummated the exercise of their priestly ministry clothing their Divine Daughter with their own flesh, co-operating in this way in the Conception of the Mystical Body of Mary and making possible for the souls of the faithful to become espoused as well with the Flesh and Blood of Mary.  In this way, within the Mystical Body of Mary, they were constituted indispensable co- mediators between the Universal Mediator - Joseph Most Holy - and the faithful of that Church.  The mediation of Saint Anne and Saint Joachim was no longer necessary when the Mystical Body of Christ was constituted; but they continue to exercise in it a powerful intercession as exalted patrons and grandparents of the Universal Church.

            22.  We complete the above doctrine on the ministry of Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, saying that their priesthood is inferior to that of Saint Joseph, and superior to the ministerial priesthood and the common priesthood of the faithful.  It remains to be said that despite the excellence of the priesthood of the parents of the Virgin Mary and its superiority to the ministerial priesthood, their acts, in order to be infinite, required the union of sacrifices realized by Saint John at the foot of the Cross.  Therefore, they had to wait for that moment.

            23.  At the very instant of the Immaculate Conception of Mary there also took place the espousal of the Most Divine Soul of Christ with the corporeal nature of Mary when the Most Divine Soul was enthroned in the Flesh and Blood of His Mother, in virtue of the extension of the espousal of the Divine Souls.  There took place at the same time the Conception of the Mystical Body of Mary in the privileged womb of Saint Anne.

            24.  The Mystical Body of Mary was not a figure of the  Mystical Body of Christ, but rather the first corporeal form of the Church, composed of the essential elements: Body, Blood, Created Soul and Uncreated Soul.

            25.  We shall consider now the Mystical Body of Mary in what refers to the Church Militant:

                  A.  The first essential aspect of the Mystical Body of Mary is the visible, which is the hierarchically organized external structure, and consisting in general of all members sanctified and vinculated, subject to the Law of Moses under ecclesiastical authority.

                  B.  The second essential aspect of the Mystical Body of Mary is the invisible, formed by four elements:

                  (a) The Body, which was the Mystical Flesh: the espousal of Mary's Flesh with the flesh of the faithful in the state of sanctifying grace, mystically forming a single Flesh. 

                  (b) The Blood, which was the Mystical Blood: espousal of Mary's Blood with the blood of the faithful in the state of sanctifying grace, mystically forming a single Blood. 

                  (c) The Created Soul, which is the Mystical Soul, to be considered under a twofold aspect:

                  1.  The Mystical Soul in Its essential aspect is the Espousal of the Souls of Christ and Mary, independent of their espousal with the souls of the faithful.

                  2.  The Mystical Soul in Its extensive aspect, which was the espousal of the Souls of Christ and Mary with the souls of the sanctified members in the state of grace, forming with these a single soul, that is, the Whole Mystical Soul of the Mystical Body of Mary.

                  (d) The Uncreated Soul, that is, the Holy Ghost, Vivifier and Sanctifier of the members of the Church, present in them through the Mystical Soul considered in Its essential aspect.

            26.  Having clearly explained the doctrine of the two essential aspects of the Mystical Body of Mary, we now proceed to apply it to the Church Militant, according to the economy of grace of that time.

                  (a) The living members of the Mystical Body of Mary, that is, the sancti-fied who possessed the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, and the vinculated members possess-ing the imperfect grace of justification, formed the living Body of the Church Militant.

                  (b) The dead members of the Mystical Body of  Mary, that is, the sanctified who had lost the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, and the vinculated members who had lost the imperfect grace of justification, through mortal sin, formed the dead Body of the Church Militant.

            27.  Consequently, the Mystical Body of Mary in Its essential visible aspect, consisted of two classes of bodies or groups: one of the living members and the other of the dead members.

            We explain the above doctrine in more detail:

            28.  In the Immaculate Conception of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the Holy Ghost effected a sacramental presence of the Virgin Mary in Her own Immaculate Heart, by virtue of the enthronement in It of a Drop of Her Most Pure Blood.  The Sacrament of the Drop of Blood of the Mystical Body of Mary was a most sublime quantitative accident in which were sacramentalized: directly, all of Mary's Blood in virtue of the most special concomitance of the substantial unity of Her glorious Blood; by natural concomitance, Her Body and Her Soul; by the supernatural concomitance of the Divine Espousal, the Soul of Christ was also there; in virtue of the Hypostatic Union, the Person of the Word was present; and by circumincession, the Father and the Holy Ghost.

            29.  Before referring to the members of the Mystical Body of Mary, we com-plete the above doctrine on the Espousal of the Most Divine Soul of Christ with the Flesh and Blood of Mary adding now that this took place when the Most Pure Drop of the Virgin's Blood was enthroned in the Most Divine Soul of Christ, by virtue of the supernatural concomitance of the Divine Espousal of their Souls.  Through that enthronement of Mary's Drop of Blood in the Most Divine Soul of Christ, Mary's Flesh and Blood, sacramentalized in that Most Pure Drop of Blood, were enthroned in the Divine Word, and consequently in the Father and the Holy Ghost.

            30.  When the Immaculate Conception of Mary took place, all the members militant of the Church of the Mystical Soul who in their souls enjoyed the presence of the Souls of Christ and Mary and consequently, the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, went on to form part of the Mystical Body of Mary through the enthronement, directly in their hearts, of the Sacrament of the most Pure Drop of Blood.  Since, when the Holy Ghost effected the sacramental presence of Our Divine Lady in Her own Immaculate Heart through the enthronement in It of a Drop of Her Blood, at that same instant was realized the presence of the Sacrament of that most Pure Drop in the hearts of the faithful in the state of Sanctifying Grace.  In the formation of the Mystical Body of Mary we distinguish the existence of two processes which took place at the same instant: one biological and natural, which is the formation of the most Perfect Physical Body of Mary, as the unmanifested or invisible Head of Her Mystical Body, since She governed It in the invisible aspect  and not externally; and the other supernatural, which was the sacramentalizing of Her most Perfect Physical Body in a most Pure Drop of Her Blood, and the donation of the latter to the faithful.  This enables us to see a threefold end to the Sacrament of the Drop of Blood of the Mystical Body of Mary: First and fore-most, the preparation of the future Espousal of the Blood of Jesus with that of Mary; second, the formation of the Mystical Body of Christ; and third, the formation of the Mystical Body of Mary.

            31.  From the Immaculate Conception of Mary until the Incarnation of the Word, the new sanctified members, whose sanctifications had been realized exclusively through the priestly ministry of the Divine Virgin Mary, were incorporated into Her Mystical Body in virtue of the enthronement, directly in their hearts, of Her most Pure Drop of Blood.

            32.  As a consequence of what has been said above, we add that only by virtue of the presence of the Sacrament of the Divine Mary's Drop of Blood in the hearts of the faithful was made possible the full incorporation of those members into Her Mystical Body and the resultant flow of that Immaculate Blood through their veins.

            33.  With respect to the sanctified members militant of the Church of the Mystical Soul who did not enjoy the indwelling of the Holy Ghost when the Immaculate Conception of Mary took place, since they were living in mortal sin, - they did not receive Mary's Drop of Blood.  However, they went on to be incorporated into Her Mystical Body as long as they continued to have faith in Jesus Christ to come, accepted the Law of Moses, and submitted to ecclesiastical authority.  Likewise, those sanctified since the Conception of the Mystical Body of Mary who lost the pre-sence of the Immaculate Drop of Blood in their hearts through mortal sin, remained incorporated in that same way.

            34.  With regard to the members who were vinculated to the Church of the Mystical Soul, these became vinculated to Mary's Mystical Body when the Immaculate Conception took place.  Some, as living members were vinculated through the possession of the imperfect grace of justification; and others were vinculated as dead members, who did not possess that grace, for being in mortal sin.  The latter continued to belong to the Church as long as they continued to have faith in the Promised Messias, accepted the Law of Moses, and submitted to ecclesiastical authority.  Succeeding vinculations to the Mystical Body of Mary took place in virtue of circumcision and other imperfect sacraments.

            35.  As regards the angels, they were also favoured with the indwelling of the Divine Mary's Drop of Blood, in a way that accorded with their angelic nature.

            36.  With the Immaculate Conception of Mary, both the  sanctified members who were waiting in the Bosom of Abraham and the sanctified members who were being purified in Purgatory also received in their souls the presence of the Divine Mary's Drop of Blood, by virtue of the supernatural concomitance of the espousal of their souls with the Soul of our Divine Lady.

            37.  The angels (the Church Triumphant), the souls of the sanctified in the Bosom of Abraham (the Church Expectant), and the souls of the sanctified in Purgatory (the Church Suffering), were also included in the Mystical Flesh and the Mystical Blood, as well as the Mystical Soul, this latter considered in Its extensive aspect, according to their peculiar form of espousal owing to their respective natures.

            38.  Another of the great mysteries realized by the Holy Ghost in the Immaculate Conception of Mary was to effect a sacramental presence of our Divine Lady in Her own Immaculate Heart by virtue of the enthronement in It of a Particle of Her Immaculate Heart.  That Sacrament was reserved in order to be given directly to Christ in the future Espousal of the Sacred Hearts which took place in the Incarnation of the Word.  However, in the Immaculate Conception, the Particle of the Heart of Mary was enthroned in the Most Divine Soul of Christ by virtue of the supernatural concomi-tance of the Divine Espousal of their Souls.

            39.  This Holy Council expresses with joy its gratitude to the August Tri-nity for having now revealed the mystery of the sacramental presence of the Sacraments of Mary's Drop of Blood and of the Particle of Her Heart in Her own Immaculate Heart, which the Holy Ghost effected with most loving zeal of a Spouse.  These most sublime sacraments are the most beautiful and perfect expression of the Consecration which the Divine Mary made to God of Her Flesh and Blood for the Work of Reparation and Redemption: the most generous surrender She again made of Herself through Her perpetual Vow of Virginity at the same moment of Her Immaculate Conception.  The Holy Ghost deigned to respond to this "fiat" of Mary, and effected the two most sublime sacraments through which the Divine Paraclete took possession of the Flesh and Blood of Mary which were thus enthroned in the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity through the Espousal of the Divine Souls, and consequently in the Divine Essence.  But the most perfect and definitive enthronement of Mary's Flesh and Blood in the Holy Ghost took place later through the Incarnation of the Word of God, when Her Flesh and Blood were enthroned also in the Divine Paraclete through the supreme Espousal of the Sacred Hearts, taking place at that same moment the Nuptials of the Lamb in what refers to Mary's corporeal nature.

            40.  We shall now consider the Conception of the Mystical Body of Christ, main theme of this chapter.  In the Incarnation of the Word of God the Holy Ghost effected a twofold sacramental presence of Christ in His own Deific Heart by virtue of the enthronement in It of a Drop of His Deific Blood and a  Particle of His Most Sacred Heart.  At the same time, the Divine Paraclete worked the sublime Espousal of the Most Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary; at that very instant there disappeared in the Immaculate Heart of Mary the sacramental presence of Her Most Pure Drop of Blood and the Particle of Her Heart when both Sacraments were enthroned in the Heart of Her Divine Son; there disappeared as well, in the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the sacra-mental presence of His Most Pure Drop of Blood and Particle of His Deific Heart, when both these Sacraments were enthroned in the Heart of His Divine Mother.

            41.  By meditating more deeply on the above doctrine, we affirm that besides the "fiat" given by the Most Divine Soul of Christ a little before the Incar-nation of the Word, His Most Divine Soul also gave another "fiat" at the same moment of that mystery, again offering in a most special way His Most Sacred Corporeal Humanity to the Eternal Father for the Sacrifice of the Gross, thus showing His most loving and most generous surrender to the Work of Reparation and Redemption.

            42.  Christ's infinite love for the Celestial Father, as well as for fallen humanity, was also wonderfully illustrated by the Divine Paraclete when He effected the sacramental presence of Christ in His own Deific Heart by means of the two most Singular Sacraments of His Most Precious Drop of Blood and the Deific Particle of His Heart.  The Holy Ghost also wished, in this way, to manifest the Incarnate Word's most ardent love for His Most Holy Mother and beloved Spouse, the Divine Mary, making pre-sent in the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus those two most Singular Sacraments which were given by Him at that very instant to His Divine Mother; while Christ received from the Divine Mary, at the same time, the two Most Singular Sacraments enthroned in Her Imma-culate Heart, by all of which the Espousal of the Most Sacred Hearts was effected; and, as fruit of the fecundity of that Divine Espousal the Mystical Body of Christ was con-ceived, that is, the Church.

            43.  We now consider the Mystical Body of Christ in the period up to Calvary.  In the Mystical Body of Christ one must distinguish two essential aspects:

                  A.  The visible aspect or Church Militant, which is the society of all the pilgrim faithful, hierarchically organized under ecclesiastical authority, and who professed the true faith (the Law of Moses or the doctrine of Christ, according to the period in history).  To the visible aspect belonged:

                  (a) All the members who formed the living Body of the Church Militant, namely, those sanctified or baptized who possessed sanctifying grace (incorporated); and those imperfectly justified, who possessed the imperfect grace of justification (vinculated).

                  (b) The members who formed the dead Body of the Church Militant, namely, those sanctified or baptized who, being in mortal sin, did not possess sanctifying grace (partially incorporated); and those imperfectly justified who, being in mortal sin, did not possess the imperfect grace of justification (partially vinculated).

                  B.  The invisible aspect of the Mystical Body of Christ consists of four elements: Body, Blood, Created Soul and Uncreated Soul.  To this invisible aspect belonged:

                  (a) The members of the Church Triumphant, namely the angels (definitively incorporated).

                  (b) Those members sanctified or baptized of the Church Expectant or the Church Suffering (definitively incorporated).

                  (c) The imperfectly justified members of the Church Expectant or the Church Suffering (vinculated).

                  (d) The members who formed the living Body of the Church Militant, namely:-

                  1) The sanctified or baptized in the state of sanctifying grace (incorporated).

                  2) The imperfectly justified who possessed the imperfect grace of justification (vinculated).

            44.  For greater clarity of doctrine:

                  (a) The members of the Church Triumphant, namely the angels, were incorporated to the Mystical Body in Its invisible aspect through their espousal with Christ, the invisible Head, by means of their espousal with Mary.

                  (b) The incorporated members, in what refers to the Church Expectant or the Church Suffering, were those who were incorporated to the Mystical Body in Its invisible aspect, namely those who were espoused with Christ, the invisible Head, through their espousal with Mary.

                  (c)  The incorporated members, in what refers to the Church Militant, were those who were incorporated to the Mystical Body in Its invisible aspect and, at the same time, were incorporated to Its visible aspect, that is, Its external structure.

                  (d)  The partially incorporated members were those who were incorporated to the visible aspect, that is, to the external structure of the Mystical Body.

                  (e) The vinculated members, in what refers to the Church Expectant and the Church Suffering were those who were vinculated to the Mystical Body in Its invisible aspect, namely  those who, though not being espoused with Christ through Mary, imperfectly participated in His Saving Blood.

                  (f) The vinculated members, in what refers to the Church Militant were those who were vinculated to the Mystical Body in Its invisible aspect, and at the same time were vinculated to Its visible aspect, that is, to Its external structure.

                  (g) The partially vinculated members were those who were vinculated to the visible aspect, that is, to the external structure of the Mystical Body.

            45.  Considering the four elements that constitute the invisible aspect of the Mystical Body of Christ, we distinguish duly, two more aspects - the essential and the extensive.

                  A.  In the essential aspect:

                  (a) The Body, or Mystical Flesh: Espousal of the Sacred Hearts or Espou-sal of the Flesh of Christ with that of Mary, considered independently of the indwell-ing of this Divine Espousal in the hearts of the faithful.  In this aspect, the Mysti-cal Flesh is that which supernaturally vivifies the flesh of the faithful.

                  (b) The Blood, or Mystical Blood: Espousal of the Blood of Christ with that of Mary, considered independently of the indwelling of this Divine Espousal in the blood of the faithful.  In this aspect, the Mystical Blood is that which super-naturally vivifies the blood of the members who form the Mystical Body.

                  (c) The Created Soul, or Mystical Soul: Espousal of the Soul of Christ with the Soul of Mary, considered independently of the indwelling of this Divine Espousal in the souls of the faithful.  In this aspect, the Mystical Soul is that which supernaturally vivifies the souls of the members who form the Mystical -Body.

                  (d) The Uncreated Soul, or the Holy Ghost, Who vivifies and sanctifies the Mystical Body of Christ through the Mystical Soul, the Mystical Blood and the Mystical Flesh, these considered in their essential aspect, making all Its members participate in the divine nature.

                  B.  In the extensive aspect:

                  (a) The Mystical Flesh is the Espousal of the Flesh of Christ and Mary with the flesh of the faithful, thus forming a single flesh - the Whole Mystical Flesh.

                  (b) The Mystical Blood is the Espousal of the Blood of Christ and Mary with the blood of the faithful, thus forming a single blood - the Whole Mystical Blood.

                  (c) The Mystical Soul is the Espousal of the Souls of Christ and Mary with the souls of the faithful, forming with them a single soul - the Whole Mystical Soul.

            46.  Considering the Church in the time before Calvary, there were also included in the Whole Mystical Flesh, in the Whole Mystical Blood and the Whole Mysti-cal Soul, the angels and the sanctified souls of the Church Expectant and the Church Suffering, according to the espousal peculiar to their respective natures.

            47.  In order to penetrate into the mystery of the Conception of the Mysti-cal Body of Christ, it is first necessary to speak of the different forms of consangui-nity between Christ and Mary.  On the one hand, the consanguinity of Jesus Christ with Mary as Son in the natural order, since from Her He received His Flesh and Blood.  Again, the consanguinity of Christ with Mary through the Mystical Espousal of their Sacred Hearts.  Finally, the consanguinity of Mary as Daughter of Christ in the order of grace, through which we acquire consanguinity with Her Divine Son.  Through this triple consanguinity, Mary is, at the same time, Mother, Spouse and Daughter of Jesus Christ.

            48.  The Conception of the Mystical Body of Christ took place when Mary's Flesh and Blood were mystically fecundated by the Flesh and Blood of Her Divine Son Jesus in the sublime Espousal of their Sacred Hearts.  As fruit of this Espousal there resulted the consanguinity of Mary as Daughter of Christ in the order of grace; and, at the same instant, in virtue of this consanguinity, all the members militant of the Mystical Body of Mary who possessed the Drop of Her Most Pure Blood for being in the state of grace, became blood relations of Jesus Christ when they received the Drop of His Deific Blood by concomitance with Mary's Drop of Blood, and in this way became clothed with the Flesh and Blood of Christ, and there-fore incorporated both in the invisible and visible aspects of His Mystical Body.  Also in virtue of the consanguinity of Mary as Daughter of Christ, the angels, the souls of the sanctified in the Bosom of Abraham and the souls of the sanctified of Purgatory, were incorporated into the Mystical Body of Christ, in Its invisible aspect, when they acquired spiritual consanguinity with Jesus Christ on their receiving the Drop of the Deific Blood in virtue of Its concomitance with the Drop of Mary's Blood, which latter they already possessed through their espousal with the Divine Souls, as members of the Mystical Body of Mary.  The sanctified members militant of the Mysti-cal Body of Mary who, when the Conception of the Mystical Body of Christ took place, were in mortal sin, did not receive consanguinity with Christ, but became incorporated as dead members into the Mystical Body of Christ in Its visible aspect, provided that they continued to have faith in the Messias, accepted the Law of Moses, and submitted to ecclesiastical authority.

            49.  The members militant, vinculated as live members to the Mystical Body of Mary for possessing the imperfect grace of justification, were vinculated to the Mystical Body of Christ, both in Its visible and invisible aspects.  The vinculated souls who were in the Bosom of Abraham or in Purgatory, were vinculated to the Mysti-cal Body of Christ in Its invisible aspect for possessing the imperfect grace of justification.  On the other hand, those members militant who were vinculated to the Mystical Body of Mary as dead members for not possessing the imperfect grace of justi-fication, being in the state of mortal sin, were united in the same manner to the Mystical Body of Christ in Its visible aspect, if they continued to have faith in Jesus Christ, accepted the Law of Moses, and submitted to ecclesiastical authority.

            50.  Having explained the doctrine of how the Conception of the Mystical Body of Christ took place, there now remains for us to speak of the new members who came to form part of that Mystical Body commencing with Its Conception.  Until the institution of the Sacrament of Baptism, the incorporation into the Mystical Body of Christ occurred only in virtue of sanctifications accomplished by Christ and Mary, when such members received the Drop of Mary's Blood, and consequently consanguinity with Jesus Christ.  But commencing with the institution of the Sacrament of Baptism, incorporation into the Mystical Body of Christ took place through this Sacrament, since, in virtue of the same, the faithful received the Drop of Mary's Blood.  Up until the moment when the Redemption was consummated, even though Baptism was administered by the Apostles, including the case of their having baptized after having received the Priest-hood, the new members of the Church received the Drop of Blood only in virtue of the priestly ministry of Christ and Mary.  From the moment Saint John received, on Calvary, the Divine Mary's Drop of Blood in his priestly heart in the name of the whole Church, the new baptized members come to be incorporated into the Mystical Body of Christ when they receive the Drop of Blood in the Sacrament of Baptism in virtue of the sacrificial Communion of the ministerial priest.

            51.  The members incorporated into the Mystical Body of Christ who lost the Drop of Mary's Blood through mortal sin no longer belonged to that Mystical Body in Its invisible aspect.  But they continued to be incorporated as dead members of that Body in Its visible aspect, as long as they continued to have faith in the Messias, accepted the Law of Moses or the doctrine of Jesus Christ, according to the historical moment, and submitted to ecclesiastical authority.

            52.  Commencing with the Conception of the Mystical Body of Christ, the new vinculations with that Mystical Body took place through circumcision or other imperfect sacraments.  But commencing with the institution of John's Baptism of Penance, the vinculation took place through that Baptism, up until the death of the Precursor.  Nevertheless, up until the institution of the Sacrament of Baptism by Christ, circum-cision  continued to produce a vinculation with the Church for those who did not know of the Baptism of John, or, if they did know of it, it was totally impossible for them to receive it for circumstances they could not help.

            53.  The vinculated members who lost the imperfect grace of justification through mortal sin no longer belonged to the Mystical Body in Its invisible aspect, but continued to belong to It in Its visible aspect as dead mem-bers, as long as they continued to have faith in the Messias, accepted the Law of Moses or the doctrine of Jesus Christ, according to the historical moment, and sub-mitted to ecclesiastical authority.

            54.  Finally, the sanctified faithful who at the moment of death had in their hearts the Drop of the Divine Mary's Blood, although they lost the presence of the Singular Sacrament at death in their hearts, continued to possess It in their souls, by the concomitance of their espousal with the Divine Souls; and they will possess It again in their hearts at the moment of the resurrection of their bodies.

            55.  For greater clarity on the above doctrine, this Holy Council affirms that before the Birth of the Mystical Body of Christ on Calvary there were three successive phases of the ecclesiastical hierarchy:

                  (a) During the time from the Incarnation of the Word of God until the appearance of the Precursor, ecclesiastical authority was exercised by the Levitical High Priests, by the priests and doctors of the Law, since these represented Christ in the observance of the Mosaic Law.  The religious members of the Essenes bound by solemn vow to remain in the Order were subject as well to the authority of the Elian High Priest.

                  (b) With the public appearance of the Precursor, which coincided with his assumption of the Essenian High Priesthood and with the institution of the Baptism of Penance, Saint John the Baptist, representing the Messias, exercised authority over the members of the Mystical Body of Christ until Jesus commenced His public life.  And all those who did not recognize the precursory mission of John, and rejected his baptism, remained outside the Church.

                  (c) Finally, with the public manifestation of the Messias, which coincided with the institution of the Sacrament of Baptism, Our Lord Jesus Christ now exercised direct external authority over the members of His Mystical Body.  And all those who rejected His teachings and His Baptism automatically remained outside the Church.

            56.  In regard to the angels, we present the following doctrine: At the moment of their creation, they were incorporated into the Mystical Soul of the Church by possessing directly the Soul of Mary and, by concomitance, the Soul of  Christ and con-sequently sanctifying grace.  When the Sacrament of the Triple Benediction was insti-tuted and deposited in Adam's side, which took place immediately after the creation of Eve, the angels received, also by sacramental concomitance, the material elements of the Triple Benediction.  And seven days before the Immaculate Conception of Mary, they received the new material elements of the Sacrament of the Triple Benediction, these being the transformed and glorious biological elements of Saint Anne and Saint Joachim.  When Saint Anne conceived her Divine Daughter, the angels were incorporated into the Mystical Body of Mary when there was enthroned in them, by concomitance, the Drop of Mary's Blood corresponding to Her Mystical Body.  In the Incarnation of the Word, they entered the Mystical Body of Christ by receiving the Drop of the Deific Blood by concomitance with the Drop of Mary's Blood which they already possessed in virtue of their espousal with the Divine Souls, being members of the Mystical Body of Mary.

            57.  We enrich the present chapter by presenting the doctrine of the Uni-versal Paternity of Christ as Man, and the Universal Maternity of Mary.  As has already been defined, the Man-Christ is the prime and instrumental cause of all the works of Creation, since the Triune God, Who is the prime and absolute cause, does everything through Christ's human nature, which, at the same moment of the creation of His Soul, was constituted Father of all things visible and invisible.  He exercises this Paternity over all things created by Him and continues to exercise it over each new being.  But the Paternity of Christ is more intimate and elevated in the super-natural order, as Father and Giver of all grace.  The Divine Virgin Mary, at the very moment Her Soul was created was also constituted Mother of everything visible and invisible.  As Co-Creator, She exercises this Maternity over all things created after Her Divine Soul, and continues to exercise it over each new being.  However, Mary is Mother most especially in the supernatural order, being Mother of Divine Grace.

            58.  The Palmarian Creed declares Mary, Mother and Heart of Creation, which means that nothing was created after Her without Her mediation, since when Christ exercised His creative Omnipotence, She acted as Co-Creator through Her Omnipotent Supplication, moved by Divine Wisdom.  And Christ and Mary accomplished everything with such perfect harmony and mutual understanding that the divine plans were carried out in such a way as to satisfy the desires of the Divine Mary and only those desires.  God desired that in this way the Work of Creation be subject to Mary's will, so that thus She be the Heart of that Universal Work.

            59.  In the fall of Adam and Eve, all humanity sinned, and consequently all men enter this world with the stain of original sin which is transmitted through natural generation.  In the conception of a new being in the womb of its mother, there is propagated the loss of grace of the first couple in Paradise.  Adam and Eve are the parents of our natural life and  the cause of our supernatural fall, by reason of the original sin which corrupted human nature and which necessarily made it, by divine decree, transmitter of misfortune.  For that reason, God, having foreseen the fall of our first parents, provided us with others: Christ, the new Adam, and Mary, the new Eve, Who would re- establish the life of grace in humanity by means of their bloody immolation on Calvary.

            60.  In the same way as all men are begotten in sin through natural gene-ration by means of fallen seed, God desired that humanity be generated in grace in a supernatural manner by means of another seed, immaculate, human and divine, which is the Drop of the Divine Virgin Mary's Blood, received in Baptism.  We clarify this doctrine: as sin was transmitted to mankind by the seed of fallen Adam, by divine decree, grace had to be re- established in humanity through the seed of Adam before he fell.  The transforming power of that seed made possible the Immaculate Conception of Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ.  Therefore God, foreseeing the trans-gression of our first parents, extracted the seed in the state of glory from Adam before his fall, as well as the ovum in the state of glory from Eve, so that in the future humanity might be able to recuperate grace thanks to those very biological elements.

            61.  At the Incarnation of the Divine Word, Our Lord Jesus Christ mysteriously received in His Most Sacred Corporeal Humanity the properties of those glorious biological elements of the first couple, in the three Drops of Blood which the Divine Mary surrendered for the formation of His Most Divine Body.  At the same moment, in virtue of the Divine Espousal of the Sacred Hearts, the Drop of Blood of the Mother of God was constituted the Divine Germ, transmitter of sanctifying grace, which would officially be surrendered to the Church on Calvary.  And when we receive that Drop in Baptism, we participate in divine nature, latent in Adam's immaculate seed, the transforming power of which we receive mysteriously contained in that Drop of Blood. 

            62.  We crown this doctrine by saying that at the Incarnation of the Word of God, the Parenthood of Christ and Mary, exercised through their Divine Souls in the Old Testament, acquires its supreme dimension, since through the Drop of the Divine Mary's Blood received in Baptism, consanguinity as a son of Christ, our Father, is established in man through consanguinity with Mary, our Mother, when we receive the flow of the Most Sacred Blood of Each through our veins.  And through that two-fold consanguinity, one recovers divine sonship, by participating in God's very own nature.

            63.  The doctrine explained above relating to the fall of Adam and Eve in Paradise and its tragic consequences for mankind, as well as the regeneration of the latter, offers us the opportunity to speak of the doctrine defined by His Holiness Pope Gregory XVII on the enthronement of Satan in the soul of the member of the Church who falls into mortal sin, and the  enthronement of Satan in the soul at the very moment of conception of each human being.

            64.  Adam and Eve, through their sin, lost original justice and their souls were possessed by Satan, who dwelt in them.  And because of that most grave personal sin, our first parents became guilty of Hell.  But when they heard in Paradise of the promise of the Redemption, as well as the pronouncement of bodily pains they would have to suffer for their disobedience (Gen. III, 15-19), they immediately repented with a sorrow of perfect contrition.  And God forgave them their offence or mortal sin, granting them the imperfect grace of justification and freeing them from the indwell-ing of Satan.  Adam and Eve thereby recovered friendship with God and ceased to be guilty of eternal punishment, and we know also that they never sinned again either mortally or venially.  Nevertheless there remained in their souls the stain of their most grievous sin, which is the absence of sanctifying grace.  Many years later, when Adam and Eve were sanctified, the stain of their sin was removed by the indwell-ing of the Holy Ghost and they recovered divine sonship.

            65.  By divine decree, Adam's descendants inherit in their conception Adam's offence as head of the human race, that is, they are conceived in the state of mortal sin, which implies the absence of the indwelling of the Holy Ghost in their souls as well as the taking of possession of them by Satan and his indwelling, without for that reason their being guilty of Hell, since one has to understand that the guilt with respect to Adam's sin in which his descendants are born, is real and juridical, but not personal.  Exceptions to the divine decree were the Most Holy Virgin Mary, for being totally irredeemed, and also Saint Joseph, being irredeemed in so far as he did not inherit Adam's mortal offence, nor the indwelling of Satan.  But he was redeemed in so far as he did inherit the stain of that offence, which is the absence of the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, which was removed from him when he was presanctified.

            66.  Before Calvary, as long as the imperfect sacraments remained effi-cacious, children who had not yet reached the use of reason received, in virtue of those sacraments, the imperfect grace of justification; they were thereby pardoned the mortal offence inherited from Adam, were thus freed from the indwelling of Satan in their souls, and acquired friendship with God.  Therefore the child thus jus-tified, if he died before the use of reason, went to the Limbo of the Just.  The -stain of Adam's sin remained in them, being removed from them through the indwelling of the Holy Ghost when they were sanctified.  With respect to those who possessed the use of reason, imperfect justice pardoned them not only Adam's sin, but as well their own personal sins, thus being freed of the indwelling of Satan.

            67.  Although the term "original sin" is applied to the personal offence of Adam, as well as to the offence  inherited by his descendants, nevertheless, for greater clarity, we make the following distinction: the personal offence of Adam is properly called "originating original sin", for being the cause of the transmission of that sin.  And in reference to his descendants, the offence they inherit is called "originated original sin", since they did not personally commit it.  In original sin, in the one case as in the other, we distinguish two aspects.  One is the mortal offence and indwelling of Satan, and the other is the stain of that offence, that is the absence of the Holy Ghost.  We can therefore say properly that a person before being justified imperfectly has original sin, since he possesses the sin inherited with all its consequences.  And we can also say that a person after being justified imperfectly, and before being sanctified, continues in original sin, since there remains in his soul the most serious consequence of the sin already forgiven, that is the stain of the sin or absence of the Holy Ghost.

            68.  It is now quite to the point to treat of the doctrine of faith defined by His Holiness Pope Gregory XVII, which will give us greater clarity in what has been said in this chapter on the faith of the members of the Church in the various periods up until Calvary.

            69.  Divine, or supernatural faith, the faith of the Church, Catholic, Apostolic and Palmarian, is a gift of God, and consequently it is not possible to obtain it by reason alone, but only through the intervention of the Holy Ghost.  This faith can be alive or dead, according to the state of the soul.

            70.  Living faith, that is, infused faith, is the Sacred Treasure of Divine Revelation dwelling in the soul of a faithful of the Church Catholic, Apos-tolic and Palmarian.  The Sacred Treasure of Divine Revelation is all revelation past, present and future, contained in Holy Scripture, in Holy Tradition, in the Dogmatic Definitions of the Popes and Ecumenical Councils.  The theological virtue of faith, or living faith, is infused into the soul in the Sacrament of Baptism, is lost by mortal sin, and is recovered through the Sacrament of Penance.  The baptized before the use of reason, do not yet consciously use the living faith infused into their souls.  In a baptized person with the use of reason, the indwelling of infused faith in his soul implies the explicit acceptance, by human reason moved by the will, of the truths and teachings revealed up to that moment, as well as the implicit acceptance of all the Treasure of Divine Revelation, and demands the exercise of internal and external acts of faith, for which he needs divine help through actual grace.  Living faith, infused in the soul, is always informed supernaturally by the Holy Ghost and consequently accompanied by the virtue of charity, so that acts of faith are meritorious for eternal life.  The greater the intensity of charity, the greater the espousal of the soul and body of the faithful with the Sacred Treasure of Divine Revelation, since the virtue of faith will have deeper roots and greater vigour.  The Sacred Treasure of Divine Revelation  dwelling in the soul is the bea-tific vision beneath a veil.  This doctrine on living or infused faith confirms and clarifies the teaching of Saint Paul that "the just man lives by faith" which is found in his epistles (for example, Romans I, 17).

            71.  Dead faith does not dwell in the soul, not even in its powers, since the Sacred Treasure of Divine Revelation does not dwell in that soul, due to the absence of the Holy Ghost.  Dead faith is the belief of a faithful who is in mortal sin and of a catechumen.  A member of the Church Catholic, Apostolic and Palmarian, who after receiving Baptism is in mortal sin, is deprived of the indwelling of the Treasure of Divine Revelation, but continues attached externally to Divine Revelation through the will that orders the understanding to continue believing explicitly in the truths and teachings revealed up until that moment, as well as implicitly in all that Treasure of Divine Revelation, in virtue of divine help through actual grace.  In this way one must understand the infallible doctrine of the Holy Councils when they teach that dead faith remains in a faithful in mortal sin.  In the case of the catechumen who firmly believes in Divine Revelation in the explicit and implicit ways mentioned above, and who therefore asks for the Sacrament of Baptism, his faith is dead because the Sacred Treasure of Divine Revelation has not yet been infused into his soul; and although he is not a member of the Mystical Body of Christ until he is baptized, nevertheless, he is attached externally to the Treasure of Divine Revelation.  The belief or faith, both in the faithful in mortal sin, as well as in the catechumen, is therefore not accompanied by charity, for lacking supernatural life, as he is not vivified by the Holy Ghost.  Acts of dead faith in virtue of actual grace lack merit for eternal life, but are necessary for not losing faith through heresy, and necessary to obtain sanctifying grace.  This doctrine of dead faith is also found in Saint James the Less when he says: "So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself" (James II: 17).

            72.  Having affirmed the doctrine on faith, we proceed now to apply it to the sanctified and vinculated members of the Church Militant in the period of the Mystical Soul, in that of the Mystical Body of Mary, and in that of the Mystical Body of Christ up until Calvary.

            73.  The sanctified members in a state of grace possessed living or infused faith in their souls, that is, the Sacred Treasure of Divine Revelation past, present and future; in which is understood implicit profession of faith in that complete Reve-lation, as well as explicit profession of the truths revealed and taught in each moment in the history of the Church, as we proceed to indicate: Until the promul-gation of the Written Law on Mount Sinai, explicit profession of the faith in the Church of the Mystical Soul was above all that which was communicated by God to the patriarchs.  During the period of the Written Law, in which is also included the Church of the Mystical Soul, as well as the Mystical Body of Mary and the  Mystical Body of Christ until the Messias began to preach, explicit profession was as to the content of the sacred books and other unwritten revelations which God communicated through the prophets.  Beginning with the public appearance of the Messias up until Calvary, explicit profession of the faith was as to the doctrine taught by Jesus Christ.  The sanctified, if they sinned mortally, lost the Treasure of Divine Revelation in their souls and recovered it through perfect contrition.

            74.  According to the various historical periods just considered, the vinculated members of the Church Militant in a state of imperfect justice, although the Sacred Treasure of Divine Revelation did not dwell in their souls due to the absence in them of the Holy Ghost, nevertheless they did not possess a dead faith, but rather a faith in a peculiar way alive, since it was accompanied by a certain degree of charity, in accordance with their state of justice.  However, as the virtue of charity is infused by the Holy Ghost, the vinculated members pos-sessed in their souls, necessarily, the reflection of the Divine Paraclete, and consequently the reflection of Divine Revelation.  They thus lived with the reflection of infused faith in their souls, and remained, in this way, vinculated to the Treasure of Divine Revelation, although not espoused with it.  Since the reflection of living faith dwelt in their souls, their acts of faith were meritorious for eternal life.  Implicit profession of the faith in these vinculated members included the Sacred Treasure of Divine Revelation.  Explicit profession of their faith involved the truths revealed and taught, according to each period in the Church's history in which they lived, as we already explained in the case of the sanctified.  The vin-culated members, if they sinned mortally, lost the reflection of the Holy Ghost in their souls, and consequently the reflection of the faith infused in them.  And they recovered it through perfect contrition.

            75.  The above doctrine gives us light more clearly to understand what is imperfect grace of justification.  It was the reflection of the Holy Ghost projected and dwelling in the souls of the imperfectly justified, into whom the Divine Paraclete infused the reflection of the virtues of faith, hope and charity, freeing them from the indwelling of Satan and vinculating them to the Church in Its invisible and visible aspects.

            76.  Finally, the sanctified and vinculated members in the state of mortal sin, who believed only with dead faith, continued to be attached externally to the Treasure of Divine Revelation as long as they expressly professed their faith in the truths revealed and taught, according to the periods in the history of the Church previously referred to, and implicitly professed their faith in all the Treasure of Divine Revelation.  That was one of the indispensable requisites for continuing to belong to the Church in Its visible aspect.

            77.  It remains for us to present the doctrine on the  pre-sanctified.  These constituted a very privileged group among the members of the Church in Its different phases up until Calvary, since being confirmed in grace they enjoyed extrinsic impeccability which preserved them from all sin, mortal and venial.  Con-sequently, from the very moment of pre- sanctification, their espousal with Christ, through espousal with Mary, as well as the indwelling of the Holy Ghost in their souls, was of perpetual character, and that made their incorporation into the invisible aspect of the Church definitive, and definitive also, during their earthly pilgrimage, the indwelling of the Sacred Treasure of Divine Revelation, that is, infused faith or the beatific vision beneath a veil.  As singular privilege, when they were pre-sanctified, they enjoyed the beatific vision when the veil of infused faith was removed at that very instant in their souls; thus they were engulfed in the knowledge of the divine mysteries contained in the Deposit of Divine Revelation in their souls.  That con-templation of the sacred mysteries ended when these became hidden behind the veil of faith, the beatific vision becoming thus veiled.  The same occurred when they enjoyed the same privilege in other moments of their life.

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