Perfect Contrition and Loving God

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ynotzap said:
Love resides in the will, if you love God you will love Him primarily with your will, you will determine to keep His commandments no matter what you feel. This is the noblist form of love. It is the commitment of the will not to offend God, but to please Him by doing His will. Martyrs suffered greatly in their feelings, they were crucified bodily and senses, feelings. This strength of will comes from God by the action of the Holy Spirit through
Jesus Christ. This is spiritual love, and we are part spirit like unto God who is Pure Spirit.
Human love involves feelings and thought and will. It is a great human consolation to be able to feel a deep affection and love for God, but if we are sorry for our sins because we fear punishment and the pains of hell and not because we offended God because He is deserving of all our love(that may devoid of feelings) we have imperfect contrition, but contrition all the same. If we are sorry for our sins because we offended God because we are committed to Him, and His will, we have perfect contrition. To be wholly human in our love it would be natural to have feelings associated with love. To be devoid of feelings and still remain committed to God by acts of the will, is to have Supernatural love. Again you can have supernatural love with feelings, but this condition would be considered a “consolation”. Sometimes we have to crucify the deeds of the flesh (feelings) in order to love God and neighbor.
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Love, Agape is willing the good of the other for the sake of the other. With that said:

A) You feel loved by God so do not want to offend God and are sorry for offending God- imperfect contrition. Or fear of hell…

The experience of supernatural love of being loved by God is prayer of union etc. as described by St Therese of Avila.

B) You feel love for God so do not want to offend God and are sorry for offending God - perfect contrition.

This is rare. Otherwise receiving plenary indulgences would be considered a more common occurrence than thought so now. The Blessed Virgin Mary loved God constantly because she was born Immaculate though she never sinned.

Example:
  1. I betray my wife through adultery. I am sorry to my wife because she loves me. It makes me feel bad because I feel like a bad husband. I know what a good husband is suppose to do. I know my responsibilities as a husband and I have failed them. Imperfect contrition.
  2. Judas betrays Jesus. Judas hangs himself because he feels bad for what he did- he feels that he has betrayed his responsibilities to another man Jesus; his responsibilities as friend - loyalty. He does not love Jesus but knows Jesus loves him. Imperfect contrition.
Perfect contrition: I failed you I am sorry because I love you.
 
Faith, Hope and Charity(love) are theological virtues bestowed upon us at Baptism They have nothing to do with feelings. Love for God is caused by the work of the Holy Spirit, as a matter of faith, the Holy Eucharist is the sacrament of Love. The acts of the will in humans are spiritual acts, superior to any acts of feelings. To be committed to God by the the acts of the will is to love God spiritually and perfectly, for God is Pure Spirit. If we offend God and experience spiritual remorse and sorrow for offending Him because we realize that He is God worthy of all our love, we have perfect contrition. Love is the key ingredient of perfect contrition, anything different would make it imperfect. Perfect love is to love God for himself. Our love is not dependent on our feelings, but upon our wills and understanding. We love by our willful commitment to God, and we appreciate and are grateful to Him for who He is by our understanding . You use feelings which introduces confusion into the understanding of what love for and by God is. Like Faith, we believe, we do not see, like Love, we desire, are committed even though we do not feel . Now we can see in Faith if God reveals to us what we believe. Also we can feel the physical sensation of love if God desires to give them to us, but these are gifts or consolations, which are not necessary to believe, or to love, or to hope
 
ynotzap said:
Faith, Hope and Charity(love) are theological virtues bestowed upon us at Baptism They have nothing to do with feelings. Love for God is caused by the work of the Holy Spirit, as a matter of faith, the Holy Eucharist is the sacrament of Love. The acts of the will in humans are spiritual acts, superior to any acts of feelings. To be committed to God by the the acts of the will is to love God spiritually and perfectly, for God is Pure Spirit. If we offend God and experience spiritual remorse and sorrow for offending Him because we realize that He is God worthy of all our love, we have perfect contrition. Love is the key ingredient of perfect contrition, anything different would make it imperfect. Perfect love is to love God for himself. **Our love is not dependent on our feelings, but upon our wills and understanding. **We love by our willful commitment to God, and we appreciate Him for who He is by our understanding . You use feelings which introduces confusion into the understanding of what love for and by God is. Like Faith, we believe, we do not see, like Love, we desire, are committed even though we do not feel . Now we can see in Faith if God reveals to us what we believe. Also we can feel the physical sensation of love if God desires to give them to us, but these are gifts or consolations, which are not necessary to believe, or to love, or to hope
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Have you ever experienced the feeling of love for God? I know it is rare. Very rare. Our Blessed Mother felt this love. That is why perfect contrition is considered nearly “impossible.”
 
opusAquinas said:
Have you ever experienced the feeling of love for God? I know it is rare. Very rare. Our Blessed Mother felt this love. That is why perfect contrition is considered nearly “impossible.”
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Yes I have, and I am very grateful for it, but I am even more grateful that I co-operated with the grace of God without any feeling of love, only willful commitment. It was trying and hard but I have believed without seeing, before seeing what I believed. I have had an encounter with Jesus Christ. And I attribute all of this to the work of the Holy Spirit, and prayer to Mary by others for me
I come to understand that this all started when I was Baptized. Also by the frequent reception of Holy Communion.
 
ynotzap said:
Yes I have, and I am very grateful for it, but I am even more grateful that I co-operated with the grace of God without any feeling of love, only willful commitment. It was trying and hard but I have believed without seeing, before seeing what I believed. I have had an encounter with Jesus Christ. And I attribute all of this to the work of the Holy Spirit, and prayer to Mary by others for me
I come to understand that this all started when I was Baptized. Also by the frequent reception of Holy Communion.
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Then you have received a gift of a Saint! 👍
 
I need to clarify something. All who are Baptized are children of God, heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven, only saints are heirs, it is the gift of sanctifying grace that makes us children of God, merited for us by Jesus Christ. We start as spiritual infants, and if we co-operated with the Holy Spirit and eat spiritual food (the means of grace) we grow spiritually into spiritual adults, all the theological virtues will be tested and exercised, so wewill experience the pains of spiritual growth, as we do in physical growth. Jesus said, “More blessed are those who have not seen, yet believed” and I add “Loved”, and Hoped!
 
opusAquinas said:
Have you ever experienced the feeling of love for God? I know it is rare. Very rare… That is why perfect contrition is considered nearly “impossible.”
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I would not say that such a feeling is rare (not that one must “feel” something to love) nor is perfect contrition needing of a particular feeling.
opusAquinas said:
Perfect contrition: I failed you I am sorry because I love you.
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More than that - but yes.

Having said that it is important to note that the grace of perfect contrition need not involve* any emotions*.

It is good if it does of course - it is very good etc.

But emotions are not needed for there to “be” perfect contrition.
 
Bookcat said:
I would not say that such a feeling is rare (not that one must “feel” something to love) nor is perfect contrition needing of a particular feeling.

More than that - but yes.

Having said that it is important to note that the grace of perfect contrition need not involve* any emotions*.

It is good if it does of course - it is very good etc.

But emotions are not needed for there to “be” perfect contrition.
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Perfect contrition is a rare gift from God because the feeling of love is rare. Jesus loved.
 
opusAquinas said:
Perfect contrition is a rare gift from God because the feeling of love is rare.
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Again perfect contrition does * not * require emotions.

It can include feelings sure -and such is very good - but it does not need any any any emotions. Period.
 
opusAquinas said:
Keep telling yourself that.
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Not my idea. My Faith is ‘received’. I do not tell myself it…though it is good to repeat the truths often sure.

Tis what the Church and the Saints and Catholic Theology teaches…
 
Bookcat said:
Not my idea. My Faith is ‘received’. I do not tell myself it…though it is good to repeat the truths often sure.

Tis what the Church and the Saints and Catholic Theology teaches…
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Tis not.
 
Our Lord asks Simon “Do you love me?” - Then Feed My Sheep.
He calls him Simon not Peter.

You love me do as I command you. An act of the will.

So since St. Peter went to do what God told him to do Peter now loves God though Peter does not feel it. He feels loved by God.

Our Lord knows that Peter does not feel love for Him.

So love is an act of the will.

So yes now I can see perfect contrition is an act of the will but…

It is rare because hardly anyone wills sorrow simply for offending God.

So I am sorry because I love you is an act of the will without necessarily feeling love for God or even by God but what are you willing is the sorrow for offending God. So you need to feel sorrow. You are asking God for forgiveness - why?

So if you feel anything it would be sorrow.

But you don’t even need to feel sorrow? It is just an act of the will.

But rare because no one wills it.

Hardly anyone wills to be sorrow for offending God because they love God.

But they often will sorrow because they know God loves them or because of hell.
 
opusAquinas said:
Our Lord asks Simon “Do you love me?” - Then Feed My Sheep.
He calls him Simon not Peter.

You love me do as I command you. An act of the will.

So since St. Peter went to do what God told him to do Peter now loves God though Peter does not feel it. He feels loved by God.

Our Lord knows that Peter does not feel love for Him.

So love is an act of the will.

So yes now I can see perfect contrition is an act of the will but…
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Right: “emotion is not required”

But I would not say that Peter did not feel sorrow too. Rather he had wept - he certainly felt sorrow then.

But yes perfect contrition does not require any emotion -but it can include such and such is good.
Bookcat said:
Not my idea. My Faith is ‘received’. I do not tell myself it…though it is good to repeat the truths often sure.

Tis what the Church and the Saints and Catholic Theology teaches…
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opusAquinas said:
rare because no one wills it.

Hardly anyone wills to be sorrow for offending God because they love God.
.
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I would not say that.

The Church teaches there is yes perfect contrition. And such is yes possible. The Church is not into proposing to person repenting that which is more towards not being possible…

Such is yes a matter of grace and of will.

and does not require any feelings per se.

Though feelings are good to have with it -and it is good to seek for them to happen in ones repentance (thinking of Jesus love for one…his sufferings…etc).
 
Perfect contrition: A person wills sorrow simply for offending God.

A) How often does one feel perfect contrition, if you will, towards another human being. “I am sorry I love you” without feeling love for the other person. You would have to consider the moral character of the other person and your relationship with that person. Or base it purely on the relationship itself may require it. One’s good spouse, parents, siblings, friend, the Pope etc.

B) How often does one feel perfect contrition to Jesus Christ (strange way of putting it)? You hurt Jesus so feel sorrow. But this is rare.

So I think St. Peter may have had perfect contrition after he denied Jesus the third time and wept. He knew Jesus was good and deserving of love. Did he know Jesus was God- but denied anyway? Or did he no longer believe that Jesus was the Son of God? And simply thought Jesus was a good man?
 
Bookcat said:
I would not say that.

The Church teaches there is yes perfect contrition. And such is yes possible. The Church is not into proposing to person repenting that which is more towards not being possible…

Such is yes a matter of grace and of will.

and does not require any feelings per se.

Though feelings are good to have with it -and it is good to seek for them to happen in ones repentance (thinking of Jesus love for one…his sufferings…etc).
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Well feeling love for God makes willing perfect contrition easier. Just like having empathy makes following your conscience easier. This is why sociopaths and psychopaths often hurt others commit crimes etc because they cannot empathize even though they have a conscience.
 
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