Xxxvii. Of The Sacrament Of Penance: Of Its Nature And Virtue
XXXVII. OF THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE: OF ITS NATURE AND VIRTUE
(A)
What is meant by the sacrament of Penance?
It is that holy rite which gives back to men the life of grace which Jesus Christ gave them at baptism; and this by communicating to them again the fruit of His Passion if they have had the misfortune to lose it by sin (LXXXIV. 1).
In what does the sacrament of Penance consist?
It consists in certain acts and words, which show on the one hand that the sinner has quitted his sin, and on the other hand that God has remitted the sin by the ministry of the priest (LXXXIV. 2, 3).
Is this sacrament of particular importance to man, and one for which man ought to be especially grateful to our Lord, who instituted it?
Yes, of a truth; for owing to the fragility of our fallen human nature, even after having received the grace of Baptism, which brings the supernatural life to man, it is possible for him to lose this grace; and if Jesus Christ had not instituted this sacrament of Penance, man would have had no external sacramental means of getting back his life of grace (LXXXI V. 6).
If after having received this sacrament, man falls again into sin, can he receive it again?
Yes; for Jesus Christ in His infinite mercy towards the sinner has fixed no limit to the number of times one may receive this sacrament, which carries with it always remission and pardon of sin, the only condition being that man should be truly repentant (LXXXIV. 10).
(B)
Is there any special virtue which corresponds to this sacrament?
Yes, it is the virtue of penitence (LXXXV.).
In what does the virtue of penitence consist?
It is a quality of the supernatural order which inclines man's will when he has had the misfortune to offend Almighty God, to make good this offence by making satisfaction spontaneously to the Justice of God in order to obtain from Him pardon of the sin (LXXXV. 1, 5).
Does this virtue of penitence presuppose the concurrence of the other virtues?
It implies the concurrence of the other virtues. For it implies faith in the Passion of Jesus Christ, which is the cause of the remission of sins; it implies also the hope of pardon and the hatred of sins in so far as they are opposed to the love of God, and this presupposes charity. Further, since it is a moral virtue it presupposes the virtue of prudence. On the other hand, since it is a species of the virtue of justice, whose object is to obtain pardon of God by making voluntary satisfaction for an offence, it has to make use of the virtue of temperance by abstaining from what brings pleasure, and of the virtue of fortitude when it takes upon itself things that are hard and difficult, or when it supports them (LXXXV. 3, Obj. 4).
What is the object in view of the virtue of penitence in its act of compensation?
It is the appeasing of our sovereign Lord and Master, who has been justly offended by our sin; it is to come once more into the good graces of the best of Fathers whose love has been wounded (LXXXV. 3).
The act of the virtue of penitence is then something of great import, and one cannot renew it too often if one has offended God?
In some sort this act ought to be uninterrupted in so far as it implies an interior sorrow for having offended God; and as regards exterior acts of satisfaction, it is true there is a limit beyond which one is not bound to go; but if one has reason to think that his satisfaction is imperfect, it is to his interest to do his best in order to be entirely quit of debt towards God. It should also be remembered that in practising the virtue of penitence, one practises all the other Christian virtues (LXXXIV. 8, 9).