Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It would seem that not all sins are taken away by Penance. For the Apostle says (Heb. 12:17) that Esau "found no place of repentance, although with tears he had sought it," which a gloss explains as meaning that "he found no place of pardon and blessing through Penance": and it is related (2 Macc. 9:13) of Antiochus, that "this wicked man prayed to the Lord, of Whom he was not to obtain mercy." Therefore it does not seem that all sins are taken away by Penance.

Objection 2: Further, Augustine says (De Serm. Dom. in Monte i) that "so great is the stain of that sin (namely, when a man, after coming to the knowledge of God through the grace of Christ, resists fraternal charity, and by the brands of envy combats grace itself) that he is unable to humble himself in prayer, although he is forced by his wicked conscience to acknowledge and confess his sin." Therefore not every sin can be taken away by Penance.

Objection 3: Further, our Lord said (Mt. 12:32): "He that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world nor in the world to come." Therefore not every sin can be pardoned through Penance.

On the contrary, It is written (Ezech. 18:22): "I will not remember" any more "all his iniquities that he hath done."

I answer that, The fact that a sin cannot be taken away by Penance may happen in two ways: first, because of the impossibility of repenting of sin; secondly, because of Penance being unable to blot out a sin. In the first way the sins of the demons and of men who are lost, cannot be blotted out by Penance, because their will is confirmed in evil, so that sin cannot displease them as to its guilt, but only as to the punishment which they suffer, by reason of which they have a kind of repentance, which yet is fruitless, according to Wis. 5:3: "Repenting, and groaning for anguish of spirit." Consequently such Penance brings no hope of pardon, but only despair. Nevertheless no sin of a wayfarer can be such as that, because his will is flexible to good and evil. Wherefore to say that in this life there is any sin of which one cannot repent, is erroneous, first, because this would destroy free-will, secondly, because this would be derogatory to the power of grace, whereby the heart of any sinner whatsoever can be moved to repent, according to Prov. 21:1: "The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord: whithersoever He will He shall turn it."

It is also erroneous to say that any sin cannot be pardoned through true Penance. First, because this is contrary to Divine mercy, of which it is written (Joel 2:13) that God is "gracious and merciful, patient, and rich in mercy, and ready to repent of the evil"; for, in a manner, God would be overcome by man, if man wished a sin to be blotted out, which God were unwilling to blot out. Secondly, because this would be derogatory to the power of Christ's Passion, through which Penance produces its effect, as do the other sacraments, since it is written (1 Jn. 2:2): "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world."

Therefore we must say simply that, in this life, every sin can be blotted out by true Penance.

Reply to Objection 1: Esau did not truly repent. This is evident from his saying (Gn. 27:41): "The days will come of the mourning of my father, and I will kill my brother Jacob." Likewise neither did Antiochus repent truly; since he grieved for his past sin, not because he had offended God thereby, but on account of the sickness which he suffered in his body.

Reply to Objection 2: These words of Augustine should be understood thus: "So great is the stain of that sin, that man is unable to humble himself in prayer," i.e. it is not easy for him to do so; in which sense we say that a man cannot be healed, when it is difficult to heal him. Yet this is possible by the power of God's grace, which sometimes turns men even "into the depths of the sea" (Ps. 67:23).

Reply to Objection 3: The word or blasphemy spoken against the Holy Ghost is final impenitence, as Augustine states (De Verb. Dom. xi), which is altogether unpardonable, because after this life is ended, there is no pardon of sins. or, if by the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, we understand sin committed through certain malice, this means either that the blasphemy itself against the Holy Ghost is unpardonable, i.e. not easily pardonable, or that such a sin does not contain in itself any motive for pardon, or that for such a sin a man is punished both in this and in the next world, as we explained in the 2.2, Question 14, Article 3.

Articulus 1

Argumentum 1

Ad primum sic proceditur. Videtur quod per poenitentiam non removeantur omnia peccata.

Dicit enim apostolus, Heb. XII, quod esau non invenit locum poenitentiae, quamvis cum lacrimis inquisisset eam, Glossa, idest, non invenit locum veniae et benedictionis per poenitentiam.

Et II machab. IX dicitur de Antiocho, orabat scelestus ille dominum, a quo non erat misericordiam consecuturus.

Non ergo videtur quod per poenitentiam omnia peccata tollantur.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, dicit Augustinus, in libro de sermone dom. In monte, quod tanta est labes illius peccati (scilicet, cum post agnitionem dei per gratiam christi, oppugnat aliquis fraternitatem, et adversus ipsam gratiam invidiae facibus agitatur), ut deprecandi humilitatem subire non possit, etiam si peccatum suum mala conscientia agnoscere et annuntiare cogatur.

Non ergo omne peccatum potest per poenitentiam tolli.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, dominus dicit, Matth. XII, qui dixerit contra spiritum sanctum verbum, non remittetur ei neque in hoc saeculo neque in futuro.

Non ergo omne peccatum remitti potest per poenitentiam.

Sed Contra

Sed contra est quod dicitur Ezech. XVIII, omnium iniquitatum eius quas operatus est, non recordabor amplius.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod hoc quod aliquod peccatum per poenitentiam tolli non possit, posset contingere dupliciter, uno modo, quia aliquis de peccato poenitere non posset; alio modo, quia poenitentia non posset delere peccatum. Et primo quidem modo, non possunt deleri peccata Daemonum, et etiam hominum damnatorum, quia affectus eorum sunt in malo confirmati, ita quod non potest eis displicere peccatum inquantum est culpa, sed solum displicet eis inquantum est poena quam patiuntur; ratione cuius aliquam poenitentiam, sed infructuosam habent, secundum illud Sap. V, poenitentiam agentes, et prae angustia spiritus gementes.

Unde talis poenitentia non est cum spe veniae, sed cum desperatione. Tale autem non potest esse peccatum aliquod hominis viatoris, cuius liberum arbitrium flexibile est ad bonum et ad malum. Unde dicere quod aliquod peccatum sit in hac vita de quo aliquis poenitere non possit, est erroneum. Primo quidem, quia per hoc tolleretur libertas arbitrii. Secundo, quia derogaretur virtuti gratiae, per quam moveri potest cor cuiuscumque peccatoris ad poenitendum, secundum illud Proverb. XXI cor regis in manu dei, et quocumque voluerit vertet illud.

Quod autem secundo modo non possit per veram poenitentiam aliquod peccatum remitti, est etiam erroneum. Primo quidem, quia repugnat divinae misericordiae, de qua dicitur, ioel II, quod benignus et misericors est, et multae misericordiae, et praestabilis super malitia.

Vinceretur quodammodo enim deus ab homine, si homo peccatum vellet deleri, quod deus delere non vellet. Secundo, quia hoc derogaret virtuti passionis christi, per quam poenitentia operatur, sicut et cetera sacramenta, cum scriptum sit, I Ioan. II, ipse est propitiatio pro peccatis nostris, non solum nostris, sed etiam totius mundi.

Unde simpliciter dicendum est quod omne peccatum in hac vita per poenitentiam deleri potest.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod esau non vere poenituit.

Quod patet ex hoc quod dixit, venient dies luctus patris mei, et occidam Iacob fratrem meum.

Similiter etiam nec Antiochus vere poenituit. Dolebat enim de culpa praeterita non propter offensam dei, sed propter infirmitatem corporalem quam patiebatur.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod illud verbum Augustini sic est intelligendum, tanta est labes illius peccati ut deprecandi humilitatem subire non possit, scilicet, de facili, secundum quod dicitur ille non posse sanari qui non potest de facili sanari.

Potest tamen hoc fieri per virtutem divinae gratiae, quae etiam interdum in profundum maris convertit, ut dicitur in Psalmo.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod illud verbum vel blasphemia contra spiritum sanctum est finalis impoenitentia, ut Augustinus dicit, in libro de verbis domini, quae penitus irremissibilis est, quia post finem huius vitae non est remissio peccatorum.

Vel, si intelligatur per blasphemiam spiritus sancti peccatum quod fit ex certa malitia, vel etiam ipsa blasphemia spiritus sancti, dicitur non remitti, scilicet de facili, quia tale non habet in se causam excusationis; vel quia pro tali peccato punitur aliquis et in hoc saeculo et in futuro; ut in secunda parte expositum est.