Well, I’m trying my best and there’s no getting closer to him. I don’t have a choice.
Attachment to sin is an imperfection.
This imperfection causes a difference in grace level. Those in heaven have more grace than those in purgatory.
The difference between those two levels is - imperfection, which is a reduction in grace.
You are painting a contradiction, or St. Thomas contradicts himself. Grace “existing in the habit” is called the state of sanctifying grace. I think you need to understand the meanings used by the Church.
If guilt for venial sin is remitted in purgatory, and purgatory is temporal punishment for sin, there’s a contradiction - you said earlier that venial sin disappears and is not needed to be forgiven. Here it is not disappearing and must be remitted.
In addition, another contradiction:
" an infusion of grace is not necessary in order to remove venial sin."
and
" but venial sin as to its guilt is remitted in Purgatory by virtue of grace"
So in one he says no grace is needed to remove venial sins, but in the other he says grace is needed.
Since he’s on both sides of the issue here, I’ll go with the part that says that grace is needed and that proves my point of the differing levels of grace.
Not all imperfection is sin. I am not discussing level with you, that topic is not relevant. What is relevant is the state of sanctifying grace and attachments to sin.
Modern Catholic Dictionary
HABITUAL GRACE. Constant supernatural quality of the soul which sanctifies a person inherently and makes him or her just and pleasing to God. Also called sanctifying grace or justifying grace.
SANCTIFYING GRACE. The supernatural state of being infused by God, which permanently inheres in the soul. It is a vital principle of the supernatural life, as the rational soul is the vital principle of a human being’s natural life. It is not a substance but a real quality that becomes part of the soul substance. Although commonly associated with the possession of the virtue of charity, sanctifying grace is yet distinct from this virtue. Charity, rather, belongs to the will, whereas sanctifying grace belongs to the whole soul, mind, will, and affections. It is called sanctifying grace because it makes holy those who possess the gift by giving them a participation in the divine life. It is zoē (life), which Christ taught that he has in common with the Father and which those who are in the state of grace share.
JUSTIFYING GRACE. The grace by which a person is restored to God’s friendship, either for the first time, as in baptism, or after baptism, as in the sacrament of penance.
There is no change in the
state of sanctifying grace due to venial sin or attachment to sins. What occurs is that
while having a habitual state of grace there is temporal punishment that remains from mortal and venial sins, and that must be eliminated, for heaven, which may occurs before death or after death. Those in purgatory or heaven both have a state of sanctifying grace.
- What I posted before was “Venial sins are forgiven at death since they have no eternal consequences,”. I did not say that venial sin disappears and is not needed to be forgiven, like you claimed.
- There is no contradiction here:
St. Thomas Aquinas, De Malo, Q[7], A[2], ad 9,17:
“Guilt is not remitted by punishment, but venial sin as to its guilt is remitted in Purgatory by virtue of grace, not only as existing in the habit, but also as proceeding to the act of charity in detestation of venial sin.”
There is a difference between a gift (grace) and punishment. “Guilt is not remitted by punishment” because “guilt is remitted … by virtue of grace”.
You miss that there the two effects from sin: guilt and temporal punishment. The guilt is forgiven but temporal punishment may remain. For mortal sin the guilt is eternal and there is also temporal punishment. Venial sin does not deprive the soul of sanctifying grace, or even diminish it, and so does not need the grace of absolution, and has not eternal effect, only temporal. Venial sins are remitted by prayer, contrition, fervent communion, and other pious works.