Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

[30Something]

Can someone please explain what blasphemy of the Holy Spirit means? I was concerned I had committed this unforgivable sin because of abortion. But most places I’ve looked, this appears to not be the case. I have repented & confessed to a priest. But, I’m still confused about what Jesus meant by blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

 

[Veronica97]

This link should answer your question.
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=25726

You need NOT worry that you have committed blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, because if you had, you would not have repented of the sin of abortion and gone to Confession. The very fact that you’re worried about it proves that you did not commit it! Be at peace.

 

[Todd_Easton]

Jesus Christ talks about blasphemy of the Holy Spirit in Matthew 12:22-32. There the Pharisees were guilty of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit because, instead of acknowledging what was obvious to everyone, that he was casting out demons by the power of the Spirit of God, they attributed his miracles to the power of Satan; the Pharisees were calling the Holy Spirit Satan.

 

[PeterGStanley]

by implying the Holy spirit is evil - Blasphemy.
You see that here in some post from people implying that God is evil though I don’t think the realize what they are saying and that they are blaspheming God.

 

[COPLAND_3]

This is from the great Cornelius a Lapide

You will ask, what is this blasphemy? 1. Philastrius (On the Heresy of Rotorius) thinks it is heresy, especially that of Eunomius, who said that the Holy Ghost was not God. Thus also S. Ambrose (Lib. 1, de Spir. Sanc. sec. 3).

1. S. Hilary thinks that blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is when a man denies that Christ is God. “The sin against the Holy Ghost,” he says, “is to deny to God the power of virtue, and to take away from Christ His eternal substance, by which, because God came into man, man shall in turn come to God; since God grants pardon to all other things, whilst this only is without forgiveness.”

1. S. Ambrose (L. 2, de pœniten. see. 4) thinks it is schism; also Simony, the sin whereby, for example, Simon Magus wished to buy the Holy Spirit of S. Peter.

1. Origen says it is every mortal sin after Baptism; committed, that is, after the grace of the Holy Spirit received in Baptism. Moreover, Pope Gelasius (de Anath. vinc.) understands by it sins which are not forgiven, either in this world, or in the world to come. But he thinks it refers to sinners who do not wish to repent. For he says, that man makes the sentence against himself irrevocable who wills to continue in such a state as that he cannot truly be forgiven.

1. S. Cyprian (L. 3, ad Quirinal, N. 28) says, blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is every sin committed against God: but blasphemy against the Son of Man is every sin committed against man.

1. The same Saint (L 3, Epist. 14) thinks blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is denial of the faith in persecution.

1. Richard of S. Victor says, it is to hate and revile God.

I have summarily embraced eighteen expositions of the Fathers (viz., eleven of the Latin Fathers and seven of the Greek) in the foregoing paragraphs.

Lastly, theologians—and from them, catechists—out of various expositions of S. Augustine, collect six sins against the Holy Ghost; namely, presumption, despair, striving against known truth, envy of fraternal charity, impenitence, and obstinacy. They say that these are called sins against the Holy Ghost, because they are committed through undoubted wickedness against the goodness of God, which is an attribute of the Holy Ghost. Thus, likewise, sins which are committed through infirmity are said to be done against God the Father, because power is one of His especial attributes. And sins which are done through ignorance, are said to be done against the Son, because of His attribute of wisdom.

Note, therefore, that Christ is here speaking not of every sin against the Holy Ghost, but only of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which may take place by words; and the same reasoning will apply to thoughts and actions, as when anyone reviles works manifestly divine and miraculous, which God works for the salvation of men, by which He confirms faith and truth. Such a work is the casting out of devils; and because such works proceed from the goodness and holiness of God, they are attributed to the Holy Ghost, who proceeds from the Father and the Son by procession and inspiration, as Love, Goodness, and Holiness. When, therefore, anyone calumniates such things, and knowingly out of malice ascribes them to an unclean spirit (as these Pharisees did), such an one is said to commit blasphemy against the Holy Ghost; for such an one directly fights against God and takes from Him His holiness and purity. The whole argument is expressed in the following syllogism:—

The author of the miracles which Christ performs is, according to you, 0 ye Scribes, Beelzebub:

But God the Holy Ghost is, in truth, the Author of these miracles :

Therefore, according to you, God and the Holy Ghost are Beelzebub.

What more horrible can possibly be said? What greater blasphemy can be imagined? S. Basil adds that there are such persons even now, who ascribe the fruits and actions of the Holy Ghost to the opposing unclean spirit. We many of us do this, when we call earnestness ambition, and impute the calumny of anger to one who is only moved by zeal and righteous indignation. Moreover, Christ opposes this blasphemy against God and the Holy Ghost to that blasphemy against the Son of Man by which some who were offended at Christ’s human conversation, calumniated what He did as man, as when they called Him a wine bibber, and a friend of Publicans and sinners. This was something more excusable, and less unworthy of forgiveness, because it had respect to Christ as Man rather than as God.

 

[Prayer_Warrior]

This is from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

1864 "Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven."136 There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit.137 Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss.

 

[Huiou_Theou]

This idea comes up regularly. The pope, in the church fathers is the most correct. I suspect translation issues in some of the quotes.

In the original language, it doesn’t say “sins” as in once – rather it uses the present (continual) tense in Greek which means a repetitive action done in the present (and will be done in the future, when that becomes the present…)

Those who CONTINUALLY blaspheme the holy spirit can’t be forgiven in this age or the age to come; they are (by definition, even) guilty of an ETERNAL sin.
They can’t be forgiven while in the act of doing a sin which they KNOW they are doing. They can’t possibly claim ignorance.

I had never seen the idea of attributes of God being used to assign the type of sin to the blasphemy; (or I don’t recall reading it if I did) but that makes very good sense to me. Thanks for posting that! I learned something new.

As a side note:
The pharisees were continually persecuting Jesus for good deeds he did; whether to the lame man on a Sabbath, or the blind man, or any man or woman on the Sabbath…! This is what he found irritating – that they wouldn’t quit doing it. If they would STOP, he could forgive them – but they wouldn’t stop, all the way to the cross…

 

[StephenL]

This idea comes up regularly. The pope, in the church fathers is the most correct. I suspect translation issues in some of the quotes.

In the original language, it doesn’t say “sins” as in once – rather it uses the present (continual) tense in Greek which means a repetitive action done in the present (and will be done in the future, when that becomes the present…)

Those who CONTINUALLY blaspheme the holy spirit can’t be forgiven in this age or the age to come; they are (by definition, even) guilty of an ETERNAL sin.
They can’t be forgiven while in the act of doing a sin which they KNOW they are doing. They can’t possibly claim ignorance.

I had never seen the idea of attributes of God being used to assign the type of sin to the blasphemy; (or I don’t recall reading it if I did) but that makes very good sense to me. Thanks for posting that! I learned something new.

As a side note:
The pharisees were continually persecuting Jesus for good deeds he did; whether to the lame man on a Sabbath, or the blind man, or any man or woman on the Sabbath…! This is what he found irritating – that they wouldn’t quit doing it. If they would STOP, he could forgive them – but they wouldn’t stop, all the way to the cross…

Did not know this!!! Love it!