Presumption vs.?

[RuthByzCat3]

Is there a / what is the difference between presuming on Confession and knowing that when you receive the sacrament, God will forgive you? I feel that there might be, but I really don’t know.

 

[LilyM]

Is there a / what is the difference between presuming on Confession and knowing that when you receive the sacrament, God will forgive you? I feel that there might be, but I really don’t know.

Of course there is.

Presumption is when you take God’s mercy too much for granted. Perhaps because you at heart aren’t at all, not even the slightest, sorry for your sins. Or because you plan to sin again in future and to not even bother trying not to sin again. Or something like that.

Your scenario of ‘knowing’ (as far as we can know, since we human beings can’t ever be 100% certain of such things) sounds like an instance of the virtue of faith and trust in God’s promises

The thinking of a faith-filled and trusting person is that IF we are sincerely (even if not perfectly) repentant, and make a sincere and full confession, not deliberately omitting any mortal sins, THEN He will forgive us as He has promised to do.

Nothing wrong with that!

 

[Maureen1125]

Presumption is when you actively plan to sin believeing that it won’t matter because you will just go to confession after like…

It doesn’t matter that XYZ isn’t my wife, I will have sex with her anyways and just go to confession and it will be okay.

 

[puzzleannie]

Is there a / what is the difference between presuming on Confession and knowing that when you receive the sacrament, God will forgive you? I feel that there might be, but I really don’t know.

no your feelings are leading you to endless worry, something you have expressed before here. Rely on the truth about the sacrament, yes God forgives you through his mercy in the grace of this sacrament. To rely on his word is not presumption. Presumption is relying on your own opinion and feelings: it would be presumption to say “I don’t need confession and I don’t need to stop sinning because God will forgive me anyhow.”

 

[Earnest_Bunbury]

What Miss Annie is describing with “endless worry” is despair, which is the opposite of presumption and as the two are related, I believe this is the “?” in the thread title. One must find the elevated mean between these. “Elevated mean” is defined as a higher truth between the two extremes. I believe this to be the virtues.

The virtues in moral theology are related to what we confess when we deliberately fail to practice the good. CCC 1810 “Human virtues acquired by education, by deliberate acts and by a perseverance ever-renewed in repeated efforts are purified and elevated by divine grace. With God’s help, they forge character and give facility in the practice of the good. The virtuous man is happy to practice them.”

We are given the three Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity, but we must work at prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude to the point where grace infuses these in us. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are related to the virtues:
* The gift of wisdom corresponds to the virtue of charity.
* The gift of understanding corresponds to the virtue of faith.
* The gift of counsel (right judgment) corresponds to the virtue of prudence.
* The gift of courage corresponds to the virtue of fortitude.
* The gift of knowledge corresponds to the virtue of hope.
* The gift of piety corresponds to the virtue of justice.
* The gift of fear of the Lord corresponds to the virtue of temperance.

All this helps one to rise above both excesses of presumption and despair in ones practice of virtue.