Article — Koch–Preuss
Article 2: The Purpose of Amendment
- DEFINITION. —Genuine contrition, whether perfect or imperfect, must be accompanied by a firm purpose to amend one's life and to avoid future sins (propositum non peccandi de cetero). This truth may be deduced from the very nature of contrition, which, being a detestation of sin as an offense against God, must include both an act of sorrow for past sins (de praeterito) and the resolution not to sin again (de futuro).
The purpose of amendment which is included in contrition may be either explicit (propositum explicitum sive formate) or implicit (propositum implicitum sive virtuale). It is explicit when the penitent expressly thinks of the future and resolves never to sin again; it is implicit if he merely hates sin for fear or love of God, without eliciting a formal act of the will not to sin in fu- ture. A good resolution of the latter kind is called virtual.1
1 Gury, Comp. Theol. Mor., II, n. 342: "A purpose is a true will not to sin any more in the future. It is twofold: explicit or formal, by which one, thinking about the future, resolves not to sin any more; and implicit or virtual, which is included in contrition itself without the future time being placed before one’s eyes." —Cfr. Conc. Trident., Sess. XIV, De Poenit., c. 4: “Propositum non peccandi de cetera.... Cessatio a peccato et vitae novae propositum el inchoatio." (Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 897).
The resolution to avoid sin and its proximate occasions for a supernatural motive is an indispensable condition of the valid reception of Penance. The controverted question whether the Sacrament requires an explicit (formal) resolution, or whether an implicit (virtual) purpose of amendment suffices, may theoretically be decided in favor of the latter opinion, though in praxi it is always better to choose the pars tutior, i. e., to give explicit consideration to the necessity of amending one's life and make a formal resolution to do so. A really contrite penitent will hardly ever fail to make an explicit purpose of amendment.2
2 Gury, op. cit., n. 345: "Is an explicit purpose required in contrition? Three opinions are given. The first, more common and very much more probable, denies it, because a purpose with all its efficacy is included in true contrition; therefore an implicit purpose ought to suffice for the validity of the Sacrament, provided sorrow is elicited from a universal motive. The second opinion affirms it, because, although sorrow necessarily includes a purpose, nevertheless an explicit purpose is required by Trent when it says in the definition of contrition: with the purpose of not sinning for the future. The third opinion holds that an explicit purpose is not required if the penitent does not think of the future, as happens with the dying; otherwise, if he attends to the future. In practice the safer opinion is to be followed because of the authority of the theologians who maintain the necessity of an explicit purpose, although speculatively it seems rather improbable. Besides, it very rarely happens that truly contrite penitents omit an explicit purpose." —Cfr. Noldin, Vol. III, pp. 312 sq.
- PROPERTIES. —The purpose of amendment, being an essential part of contrition, is as necessary for the valid reception of Penance as con- trition itself, and consequently, like the latter, and for the same reasons, must be: a) Universal (propositum universale), i. e., it must comprise all mortal sins which one might possibly commit in future and, in a general way, the lessening of venial sins.3 If none but venial sins form the matter of confession, it is sufficient to resolve to avoid at least one of them, or to diminish the total number.4 b) The purpose of amendment must be firm, i. e., the penitent must be determined to suffer any hardship rather than again offend God by a mortal sin.5 Distrust of one's strength or fear of relapse do not impair the firmness of purpose which a sinner must have to amend his life. All that is required is that he humbly trust in God and be firmly determined to cooperate with divine grace in fighting temptations.6 Actual re- lapse is not always a sign that one's purpose of amendment lacked firmness; for even the strongest resolution may weaken and finally succumb.7 But when the relapsed penitent has made no effort, or only the weakest kind of an effort, to amend his life, it may reasonably be presumed that he had no firm purpose of amendment. c) Since the purpose of amendment is essentially an act of the will directed to future performance, it must be efficacious (propositum efficax), that is to say, the penitent must be ready and willing to employ the means necessary and useful for the avoidance of sin, particularly to shun all voluntary proximate occasions 8 and to repair to the best of his ability whatever injury he may have done to others.
3 Cfr. St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 3a, qu. 87, art. 1, ad i: "A man established in grace can avoid all mortal sins and each one; he can also avoid each venial sin, but not all. Therefore penance for mortal sins requires that a man purpose to abstain from all and each mortal sin; but for penance for venial sins it is required that he purpose to abstain from individual sins, though not from all, because the weakness of this life does not permit this. Yet he ought to have the purpose of preparing himself to diminish venial sins; otherwise he would be in danger of falling away, since he would abandon the desire of progressing or of removing the impediments to spiritual progress, which are venial sins."
4 Cfr. J. P. Gury, Comp. Theol. Mor., Vol. II, n. 344, 347.
5 Ibid., n. 34: "The penitent must have an entirely determined will not to relapse into sin, notwithstanding any inconvenience or human fear; otherwise he would not will to turn totally and sincerely to God."
6 Op. cit., n. 346: "Should the purpose of one who indeed has the intention not to sin but believes he will certainly relapse be judged firm? The reply is negative, because, practically speaking, one who truly wills not to sin can abstain from sin. Therefore, if he believes he can abstain. Therefore, if he believes that he will certainly fall, this indicates weakness of purpose; for divine grace will always be present, with which he ought to hope that he will not relapse. Yet one who fears a fall because of past frailty is not to be judged indisposed. Hence that penitent has a true purpose who, when asked by the confessor about his will not to sin, replies: “I am very frail; I fear a fall, yet I do not now will to fall.” In practice, however, examine the penitent’s character and disposition. For you will not rarely find sinners declaring that they will relapse who fear that their purpose is not sufficiently firm, although they display nothing other than fear of falling and distrust of themselves. Such penitents are to be told that the question is not about what will perhaps probably happen but about the present will regarding the future and about placing supreme confidence in divine help."
7 Cfr. Matth. XXVI, 33-35; 69- 75. —St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 3a, qu. 84, art. 10, ad 4: "That someone afterward sins, either in act or purpose, does not exclude the first repentance from having been true; for the truth of a prior act is never excluded by a subsequent contrary act. For just as one who afterward sits truly ran, so one who afterward sins truly repented."
8 Cfr. Gury, Camp. Theol. Mor., II, n. 344: "An efficacious purpose: the penitent must not only resolve firmly that he wills not to sin any more, but must also employ effort and all necessary means for avoiding sins and fleeing proximate occasions. It suffices, however, that the purpose be affectively efficacious; that is, it suffices that the sinner be prepared in mind to employ the necessary means, because future avoidance of sin is not of the essence of a purpose." dDe Imit. Christi, I, 19 (Opera Omnia, ed. Pohl, II, 32 sq.). Our translation is that of the "Seraphic Edition," by Father Thaddeus, O.F.M., London 1908, pp. 34 sq.
The purpose of amendment which forms part of contrition is of great importance for the spiritual life because there can be no progress on the way to perfection unless one has a straight purpose and keeps it. Thomas a Kempis says: "According to our resolution the course of our progress shall be; and he who would advance rapidly needeth great diligence. For if a man who maketh a firm resolution often faileth, how will he fare who hath seldom or never any fixed purpose? In many ways, however, we abandon our good resolve; and a slight omission of our exercises seldom passeth without some detriment to our progress. The good resolutions of the just depend not so much on their own wisdom, as on the grace of God, in whom they also ever trust in all their undertakings. For man proposeth, but God disposeth; and 'the way of a man is not His.' " 9 "Good resolutions," says Alban Stolz, "are like blossoms that drop from a tree; they bring no fruit unless a man employs the means necessary to carry them out."