Question Two: On the Remission of Venial Sins

S. Th. III, q. 87; Q. D. De Malo 7, a. 2 and 12.

457. Thesis I. Venial sins are blotted out by the fervor of charity, or by an actual exercise which virtually and implicitly includes displeasure for these sins.

It is proved: Each thing is taken away by its opposite. But venial sin is not contrary to habitual grace or charity, but only retards its act, lest it be borne toward God, insofar as it too greatly adheres to created good: for thus, in the act in which it is committed, it impedes the exercise of charity. Therefore it is taken away by some motion of grace or charity, or by an act by which inordinate adherence to temporal things is removed.

In other words: Venial sin does not take away habitual grace and habitual ordination to God the last end, but only the actual tendency toward God: for it is an act which is merely not referred to God. Therefore it is taken away and remitted by an act which tends toward God and which retracts the preceding act, or includes the retraction of sin.

Hence: 1) It cannot be remitted without some motion of penance, at least virtual and implicit, retracting and repairing it: for, as we said, n. 412, man remains guilty of sin until he has retracted it.

For when the voluntary act ceases by which man withdraws or has separated himself in some way from conjunction with God, he does not at once return to God and is joined to Him, "but there is required a motion of the will contrary to the first motion, just as if someone is distant from another by some motion, when the motion ceases he does not at once become near to him, but he must draw near by returning through a contrary motion" (I-II, q. 86, a. 2).

But, through mortal sin the mind is wholly turned away from God, as acting against charity; through venial sin, however, the affection of man is retarded lest it be promptly borne toward God... And therefore, just as mortal sin cannot be remitted as long as the will adheres to sin (or does not retract it), so also neither can venial sin, because while the cause remains, namely adherence to sin, the effect remains (q. 87, a. 1), namely, the guilt of fault by which man is in some way separated from God.

2. Nevertheless a) a formal motion of penance is not required, as for each mortal sin, for the remitting of which the sacrament of Penance itself is per se necessary, and which per accidens can be remitted by the act of charity alone, yet not without the desire of formal penance; - b) nor does habitual displeasure alone suffice, which is had through the habit alone of charity or of the virtue of penance, because in that way charity would not be compatible with venial sin, which is plainly false; - but c) per se virtual displeasure and implicit retraction suffice, by which "someone is borne according to affection toward God and divine things in such a way that whatever should occur to him which would retard him from this motion would displease him, and he would grieve that he had committed it, even if he were not actually thinking of it" (a. 1).

3. But a motion made from habitual grace, or formed by charity, is required (a. 3; a. 2, ad 1; a. 4, ad 2). For the remission of sin cannot be done except through a satisfactory work pleasing and acceptable to God as supernatural end; but no work is pleasing and acceptable to God as supernatural end unless it be done from habitual grace by a person pleasing and acceptable to God. Therefore.

In other words: The remission of sin is a work of gratuitous favor and divine acceptance; but a work of gratuitous favor and divine acceptance supposes the friendship of God; therefore.

4. Indeed every good motion made from habitual grace, by which venial sin displeases, even if it is not done from the motive of charity, seems sufficient for remitting that venial sin which it retracts, - nor is perfect contrition or a determinate grade or intensity required.

For venial sin is remitted through an act done from grace and formed by charity which sufficiently retracts it. But every contrition or displeasure, even imperfect and minimal, provided it is true and sincere, sufficiently retracts venial sin, and if it is made by a just man in the state of grace, it is from habitual grace and formed by charity. Therefore it suffices for the remission of any venial sin whatsoever. It is confirmed: Charity commands all supernatural virtues, and therefore the acts of all virtues are formed by it, even if they do not proceed immediately from its motive.

458. Thesis II. Venial sin can be remitted without a new infusion of habitual grace.

It is proved: Each thing is taken away by its opposite. But venial sin is not contrary to habitual grace or charity. Therefore for taking it away there is not required a new infusion of habitual grace or charity. And therefore it can be remitted, even outside the sacrament, from the work of the one operating alone, even by imperfect contrition.

459. Thesis III. Venial sin is remitted by the fervor of charity alone, which includes displeasure for it. - Although many other causes are customarily enumerated (Council of Trent, sess. 14, c. 5), they can be reduced to this one, because they are nothing except means for procuring the fervor of charity, and they do not remit immediately, but through the mediation of an act of virtual penance. St. Thomas shows this almost thus, Q. D. De Malo 7, a. 12:

"Through the fervor of charity venial sins are remitted; and therefore whatever things are apt to excite the fervor of charity can cause the remission of venial sins.

"But the act of charity pertains to the will, which is inclined to something in three ways: a) sometimes from reason alone demonstrating something; b) sometimes from reason together with some interior instinct which is from a higher cause, namely God (by a special motion of actual grace); c) sometimes, however, with this also from the inclination of an inhering habit.

"Therefore 1) there are certain things which cause the remission of venial sin insofar as they incline the will to a fervent act of charity according to the three things just mentioned, and thus through the sacraments of the New Law venial sins are remitted, because reason considers them as salutary medicines, and the divine power in them more secretly works salvation, and also through them the gift of habitual grace is conferred." These remit ex opere operato: certainly those which are directly instituted for the remission of sin do so, namely Baptism, Penance, Extreme Unction, and also the Eucharist, which is a remedy against daily faults; moreover, according to St. Thomas the same must be said of the other sacraments, because the grace which is infused is apt to excite free will to the fervor of charity and the detestation of sin, unless, however, there is an impediment on the part of the subject.

2. "There are certain things which cause the remission of venial sin according to two of the aforesaid things: for they do not cause grace, but they excite reason to consider something which excites the fervor of charity, and it is also piously (i.e., rightly) believed (on account of the prayer of the Church) that the divine power operates interiorly by exciting the fervor of love," as happens in sacramentals, for example, the sprinkling of blessed water, general confession and the absolution of the priest before Communion, prayer in a dedicated church, anointing of the body, etc.: these remit ex opere operantis Ecclesiae.

3. "But there are certain things which cause the remission of venial sin only by exciting the fervor of charity by way of consideration, as the Lord's prayer, striking of the breast, and all good works, not indeed always, but when they include virtual contrition for sin." These remit from the work of the penitent operating alone.

"Nevertheless all these things cause the remission of venial sins insofar as they incline the soul to a motion of penance, which is the detestation of sins, either implicit or explicit" q. 87, a. 3, ad 1.

460. Corollaries. - 1. Venial sins are often not taken away immediately by the sacrament of Penance, because for the most part they have already been remitted by the act of contrition preceding absolution; but then they are again forgiven by absolution in the same way as mortal sins already previously forgiven (n. 434). Sometimes, however, it happens that they are not blotted out before absolution: 1) if they are joined with mortal sins, because then they are remitted together with them; 2) if contrition is sufficient for the remission of some, but not of all venial sins: then the grace conferred by the sacrament can excite to sufficient contrition concerning the others not remitted (n. 459). - But even if they were never blotted out by the sacrament itself, it would not be unfitting, for according to St. Thomas, q. 65, a. 1, ad 8: "no sacrament of the New Law was instituted directly against venial sins." And yet in this case venial sins would not be superfluously subjected to the sacrament, not only because by instituting confession the faithful may more easily have contrition for sins, but also because the sacrament contributes both to fuller remission as to punishment, and to more certain remission, because among venial sins there could be mortal sins, and to special healing grace and of itself preserving grace from the sins confessed.

Hence attrition of a determinate intensity or grade is not required for obtaining the remission of venial sin outside the sacrament of Penance, as many more recent authors hold with Lugo, who say that attrition does not suffice for blotting out any and all venial sins outside the sacrament of Penance, but for fewer or more according as it is from a better motive, with greater intensity or duration, or with more good works. For a) every even minimal contrition for venial sin, if it is sincere, is a retraction of it, as was said (n. 457); b) venial sin is not opposed to a determinate intensity or grade of charity, because it takes away nothing nor diminishes anything of the habit of charity, to which it is not opposed; c) just as minimal perfect contrition suffices for the remission of all mortal sins, so minimal imperfect contrition made from grace suffices for the remission of all venial sins.

Nor is the common sense of the faithful, who confess sins in order to obtain the remission of venial sins, an obstacle to this doctrine: for they do this, as for mortal sins remitted, for a more certain and fuller remission and against relapse; or rather they believe that the sacrament has efficacy for the remission of venial sins without precisely thinking what sort that is.

2. Nevertheless, not every affection toward God or divine things is virtual penance with respect to every venial sin, but only with respect to that which would displease if it should occur, and thus not any venial sin whatsoever is taken away through any affection whatsoever toward God, but only that one of which the said affection is virtual displeasure. Whence remission will be full if no affection at all is retained for the venial sin.

3. Hence one venial sin can be remitted without another, because someone can have virtual penance concerning one sin and not concerning others; whence remission is impeded as to those to which he adheres. A fortiori mortal sins can be remitted without venial sins being remitted.

4. An act of charity so remarkable that it would detest any venial sin whatsoever obtains the remission of all, but not of all punishments, as must now be said.