§ 4. On Purpose

354. Definition. Purpose is the will not to sin henceforth. Therefore a mere velleity does not suffice, yet neither is a strict promise or vow of avoiding all sins required. Sometimes, however, the confessor can demand an explicit promise from the penitent if he doubts his sincere purpose.

A twofold purpose is distinguished: one explicit and formal, which is a special act distinct from contrition; the other implicit and virtual, which is contained in every sincere contrition, since by its nature contrition is a detestation not only of past sins but also of future ones.

355. Necessity. At least implicit purpose is required for the validity of the sacrament. It is better, however, if the penitent, thinking about future life, forms an explicit purpose, and one determined in particular.

Implicit purpose is necessarily contained in every true and universal contrition, and therefore it is equally as necessary as contrition for all mortal sins. And so someone has rightly said that two duties lie upon contrition, namely, to detest past sins and to guard against future sins. And indeed by the very fact that someone vehemently and sincerely detests a past act, he has the will to avoid it in the future. For a thing which is clearly known as detestable is by that very fact avoided, because no one can desire evil as evil. Besides this implicit purpose, certain authors¹⁵³ require an explicit and formal purpose because the Council of Trent¹⁵⁴ demands "the purpose of not sinning henceforth"; but this text is not to the point, because it is contained in the very definition of contrition. These are the words: "Contrition, which holds the first place among the aforesaid acts of the penitent, is sorrow of soul and detestation for sin committed, with the purpose of not sinning henceforth." Therefore the Council rather teaches the contrary, since it requires nothing other than that purpose which is contained in contrition itself.¹⁵⁵

The true opinion, which is rightly called morally certain by several authors, teaches that for obtaining the remission of sins the purpose which is implicitly contained in contrition, whether perfect or imperfect, suffices. Hence the Council of Trent, enumerating the explicit acts which are necessary for the essence of the sacrament of penance, indeed adduces contrition, confession, and satisfaction, but says nothing concerning an explicit act of purpose. Purpose, therefore, is necessary in the same manner as the acts of faith and hope, which are also implicitly required in the penitent. Moreover, in practice it cannot happen that a penitent struck by sincere contrition and thinking about future life should not elicit an express act of purpose, just as also of faith, since he believes in the mercy and justice of God, and of hope, since he hopes to obtain pardon from God and divine aid for avoiding temptations. Ballerini¹⁵⁶ adduces texts of 73 authors, all of whom teach that implicit purpose suffices for the validity of the sacrament.

¹⁵³ Concina, De sacr. poenit. l. 1, diss. 3, c. 1, q. 8.

¹⁵⁴ Session 14, c. 4, On Penance (Denz., n. 897).

¹⁵⁵ It is useful to note that several authors whom Concina (De sacr. poenit. l. 1, diss. 3, c. 1, q. 8) cites for his opinion in fact teach altogether the contrary, for example, St. Thomas, Cajetan, and others.

¹⁵⁶ In the notes to Gury, Comp. Theol. mor. II, n. 462.

356. Three qualities of purpose are customarily enumerated: firmness, efficacy, universality.

1. Purpose must be firm, at least as to the present affection of the will, although perhaps it may be infirm as to the future event. Firm purpose, therefore, is not the same as constant purpose. Nothing else is required except that the penitent here and now sincerely and firmly purpose that he no longer wishes to sin. Therefore the object of purpose is the actual will, not the future event. Thus "that someone afterward sins ... does not exclude the first penance from having been true."¹⁵⁷ Nevertheless, frequent relapse is not rarely an indication of an infirm purpose.

Several authors¹⁵⁸ rightly observe that only a firm purpose of not sinning henceforth is required, but not necessarily the penitent's persuasion that he will no longer sin or will no longer perpetrate this or that sin. For someone can truly sorrow over and detest sin, and truly and absolutely purpose that he will not sin henceforth, although he greatly fears, indeed certainly believes, that because of the experienced inconstancy of his will and his fragility he will fall again. If the penitent thus loses heart, the confessor must dispose him before absolution so that he may hope that, not by his own strength but by the grace of God, he can avoid sins, saying with the Apostle: "I can do all things in Him who strengthens me." But if the penitent cannot or, rather, will not conceive any hope at all of amendment, he now commits the sin of despair and is not worthy of absolution.

2. Purpose must be efficacious as to three things: the penitent must 1. employ the necessary means for avoiding sins, for example, prayer, vigilance, and so forth; 2. avoid the occasion of sinning insofar as he can (what an occasion of sinning is will be stated below, where there will be discussion of those in occasions and recidivists); 3. repair according to his strength the damage which perhaps has arisen to his neighbor from his sins, for example, from the sin of theft. It suffices, however, that the purpose be efficacious affectively, that is, that the penitent here and now have a serious will to execute those things which are necessary for avoiding sins. Let the confessor beware lest he command the penitent something as a strictly necessary means which is in truth only useful.

3. Purpose must be universal, inasmuch as it altogether excludes all mortal sins to be committed. But if the penitent confesses only venial sins or includes in confession only free matter, then nevertheless, just as true contrition is required for the validity of the sacrament, so also a true purpose, which must extend either a) to avoiding all mortal sins, or b) to avoiding one venial sin, or c) to amending a determinate species of sins, for example, sins of the tongue, or d) to avoiding all deliberate venial sins, or at least e) to diminishing the frequency of venial sins.

¹⁵⁷ St. Thomas, S. theol. 3, q. 84, a. 10 ad 4.

¹⁵⁸ For example, Sporer, De poenit. n. 310.

357. Practical admonition. When the faithful frequently confess the same sins, which arise not so much from fragility as from manifest negligence, it is lawful to conjecture, although not to judge with certainty, that they elicit purposes that are too general or not sufficiently vigorous. Therefore they are to be admonished to elicit contrition and purpose with greater diligence. Not rarely penitents also, especially women, spend a long time in the examination of conscience, seek out the smallest faults with the greatest anxiety, and make long confessions, yet are not so solicitous concerning sorrow and firm purpose. They are to be seriously instructed to insist more upon eliciting perfect contrition and establishing a firm and specially determined purpose, omitting the anxious recital of all venial sins. To increase the firmness of purpose, it is also beneficial for penitents to renew it more frequently after confession, for example, every day.