Abusing God’s Mercy?

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fatimite13

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Hello all, I hope everyone is well during these trying times. My question is, as Catholics we believe in perfect contrition and that arises when we are sorry for our sins because they offend God, not merely because of our fate. In your opinion do we abuse God’s mercy or offend Him further by desiring Perfect contrition daily and praying for it? Also can you still have perfect contrition if it’s sorrow for offending God and fear of hell or is it either or? Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut.
 
fatimite13 said:
In your opinion do we abuse God’s mercy or offend Him further by desiring Perfect contrition daily and praying for it?
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Everything is a grace from God. We ask Him for these graces and as perfect contrition stems from a whole love of God, it can’t be an abuse or further offense - it is a grace He gives us.
fatimite13 said:
Also can you still have perfect contrition if it’s sorrow for offending God and fear of hell or is it either or?
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It’s one or the other, not both simultaneously. Because fear of hell stems from concern/self-love whereas perfect love doesn’t consider self at all - only the other and so casts out all fear/ concern for oneself.
 
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Thank you for this! Makes sense to me. Do you believe praying for perfect contrition is a sign per se of having it?
 
fatimite13 said:
Do you believe praying for perfect contrition is a sign per se of having it?
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No.

You’ll know within yourself/your own heart whether it stems solely from loving God with your whole heart, for having offended so good a God, without any concern or fear of what sufferings you may undergo in purgatory (because you know you deserve what sufferings you endure there due to your sins, and because you know God is just it won’t be any worse or longer than is necessary for you to be purified so as to enter heaven).
 
CRV said:
It’s one or the other, not both simultaneously. Because fear of hell stems from concern/self-love whereas perfect love doesn’t consider self at all - only the other and so casts out all fear/ concern for oneself.
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That’s a pretty interesting statement. Maybe one can distinguish between attrition and contrition within one act of repentance, but to fear Hell AND grieve over offending God is possible to do simultaneously - and is in fact a very good thing.
 
You can’t know with perfect certitude about these matters. For those who are advanced (but also sometimes for those not so advanced) this is a major cross… not knowing the state of one’s soul.

Praying for perfect contrition is a sign that it is likely that God will bring it about somehow…
 
fatimite13 said:
Hello all, I hope everyone is well during these trying times. My question is, as Catholics we believe in perfect contrition and that arises when we are sorry for our sins because they offend God, not merely because of our fate. In your opinion do we abuse God’s mercy or offend Him further by desiring Perfect contrition daily and praying for it? Also can you still have perfect contrition if it’s sorrow for offending God and fear of hell or is it either or? Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut.
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Modern Catholic Dictionary (excerpt) Perfect Contrition:
… A perfect love of God, which motivates perfect contrition, does not necessarily exclude attachment to venial sin. Venial sin conflicts with a high degree of perfect love of God, but not with the substance of that love. Moreover, in the act of perfect contrition other motives can coexist with the perfect love required. There can be fear or gratitude, or even lesser motives such as self-respect and self-interest, along with the dominant reason for sorrow, which is love for God. …
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This is more or less my view I just wasn’t sure what fellow Catholics feel or if the church has said anything.
 
First and foremost it’s totally up to God who he shows individual mercy to.

Even a non-believer can find grace in the eyes of our Loving God.

We all sin no one is pure of heart and we all deserve death. But God doesn’t work that way nor does his loving grace.
 
The fact is that God loves us. No matter how many times we turn our back to Him, or which sins do we commit, He’s constantly giving us new opportunities to come back to Him. Any prayer is a prompting from God. We don’t start communication with God when we pray. Every time we follow an inspiration to pray we are just responding to a prompting from God.

Desiring perfect contrition is in no way abusing God’s Mercy. Sinning and repenting, and falling again, and repenting again due to habits and weakness is not abusing God’s Mercy either. Sinning and confessing without much contrition is closer to abusing God’s Mercy. Sinning and waiting a long time to repent (or sinning without repenting at all) because “God is merciful anyway” is definitely abusing God’s Mercy.
 
Very true, that question also comes into play for me for people of good will/ conscience.
 
To me, perfect contrition is a process. It takes time and effort, but once you get there, you know. Then there’s no looking back.
 
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