278. Venial sins vs. the Eucharist
278. VENIAL SINS VS. THE EUCHARIST
How much, or how badly, do our venial sins (of which we all have many, as the saints are the first to admit) block the power of the Eucharist in our souls and our lives?
Whether the effect of this sacrament is hindered by venial sin?
Venial sins can be taken in two ways: first of all as past, secondly as in the act of being committed. Venial sins taken in the first way do not in any way hinder the effect of this sacrament. For it can come to pass that after many venial sins a man may approach devoutly to this sacrament and fully secure its effect. Considered in the second way, venial sins do not utterly hinder the effect of this sacrament, but merely in part. For . . . actual refreshment of spiritual sweetness is indeed hindered if anyone approach to this sacrament with mind distracted through venial sins. But the increase of habitual grace or of charity is not taken away (III,79,8).
St. Thomas gives a surprisingly light, or “liberal”, or “optimistic” answer to our question. All sins are sins, and sins are the worst things in the world, so we would expect him to tell us that we usually underestimate the hindrance our venial sins make to the effects of the Eucharist. Instead, he tells us that:
(1) the past venial sins that are repented of “do not in any way hinder the effect of this sacrament”; and that
(2) present venial sins hinder it “merely in part”; i.e., that
(3) even when we are distracted when receiving the sacrament—even when our foolish minds choose to think about something else that is not even to be compared with Christ, when Christ Himself is really present—even then, habitual grace and charity are not taken away,
(4) and even their increase, i.e., the increase of graces, is not taken away! In other words, we profit spiritually, we gain in holiness, in every Eucharist even if we are distracted by our own faults!
(5) The experience of “spiritual sweetness” is removed by distractions and venial sins, but the increase of habitual grace is still given. The feeling is much less important than we think. God often withholds this gift even to great saints, to strengthen their will and purify their faith, training us to rely less on our own feelings and more on Him. So do not think that your degree of “spiritual sweetness” is an indicator of your piety. It isn’t.
It is not magic. It is not automatic. It is not impersonal. We can and do block grace, and we receive grace only in proportion to our openness, our receptivity, our faith, and our hope and our charity. Yet the power of Christ in this sacrament overshadows all our faults to a far greater extent than we can imagine or easily believe. How could it be otherwise?—it is the infinitely compassionate and infinitely powerful Savior Himself Who is operating here. We cannot overestimate His generosity.