G
gardienbleu
Guest
Can a Christian persevere in deliberate sin until the hour of death in the hope of being saved by a deathbed confession/profession of faith? For Catholics, does Last Rites unconditionally guarantee salvation after a life of neglected spirituality and mortal sin?
What about Catholics who view confession as a spiritual laundry service? They plan to get dirty, really dirty, during the work week, drop off their sins in the confessional on Saturday, and sport a clean soul just long enough receive Communion during Sunday Mass. It’s wash, rinse and repeat week after week. In other words, such Roman Catholics deliberately live like Romans Monday-Friday, go through the motions of being Catholic Saturday-Sunday, and hope that at the end of their lives, with a final Confession, they can keep their spiritual garments clean just long enough to slip by St. Peter and be admitted to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
God pleads with us through his saints and His Church to embrace Him as a God of mercy during our lives precisely because He is a God of justice at our deaths. While anything is possible with God, here is what some saints have said about the probability of deathbed conversions of hardened sinners.
St. Augustine
“He who is abandoned by sin before he abandons it, will scarcely detest it as he ought at the hour of death; for he will then detest it, not through a hatred of sin, but through necessity.”
St. Alphonsus Liguori
“The dying sinner will confess his sins, but, according to St. Augustine, ‘The repentance which is sought from a sick man is infirm.’ And St. Jerome says, that ‘Of a hundred thousand sinners who continue till death in the state of sin, scarcely one shall be saved.’ St. Vincent Ferrer writes, that ‘It is a greater miracle to save such sinners, than to raise the dead to life.’ They shall feel convinced of the evil they have done; they will wish, but shall not be able, to detest it.” Sermon XXXVIII.-On The Death of The Sinner
“Miserable the sick man who takes to his bed in the state of mortal sin! He that lives in sin till death shall die in sin. ‘You shall die in your sin.’ (John viii 21) It is true, that in whatsoever hour the sinner is converted, God promises to pardon him; but to no sinner has God promised the grace of conversion at the hour of death. ‘Seek the Lord while he may be found.’ (Isaiah iv 6) Then, there is for some sinners a time when they shall seek God and shall not find him. ‘You shall seek me, and shall not find me.’ (John vii 34) The unhappy beings will go to confession at the hour of death; they will promise and weep, and ask mercy of God, but without knowing what they do.” Sermon XXXVIII.-On The Death of The Sinner
“It is often said of a person that he led a bad life, but afterwards died a good death; that by his sighs and tears he gave proofs of sincere repentance. ‘The wailing of such persons proceeds not from sorrow for their sins, but from the fear of imminent death. He was not afraid of sinning, but of burning,’ says St. Augustine…It may be said that he appeared to have a sincere sorrow for the wickedness of his past life. But, was his sorrow true sorrow? The devil persuades him that the wish to have sorrow is true sorrow; but he deceives him. The dying man will say: ‘I am sorry from the bottom of my heart,’ etc,; but these words shall come from a heart of stone. ‘From the midst of the rocks they shall give forth their voices.’ (Psalms ciii. 12) But he has frequently been at confession, and has received all the sacraments; he has died in perfect resignation. Ah! the criminal who goes to be executed, appears to be perfectly resigned: but why? Because he cannot escape from the officers of justice, who bring him in chains to the place of execution.” Sermon LI.-Straits And Anguish of Dying Christians Who Have Been Negligent During Life About The Duties of Religion
“At the hour of death sinful actions cannot be committed; but we may then be guilty of sins of thought; and he who has had a habit of consenting to bad thoughts during life, will be in danger of indulging in them at death; for then the temptations of the devil are most violent. Knowing that he has but little time to gain the soul he makes great efforts to bring her into sin.” XLVII.-On Bad Thoughts
St. Faustina
“I often attend upon the dying and through entreaties obtain for them trust in God’s mercy, and I implore God for an abundance of divine grace, which is always victorious. God’s mercy sometimes touches the sinner at the last moment in a wondrous and mysterious way. Outwardly, it seems as if everything were lost, but it is not so. The soul, illuminated by a ray of God’s powerful final grace, turns to God in the last moment with such a power of love that, in an instant, it receives from God forgiveness of sin and punishment, while outwardly it shows no sign either of repentance or of contrition, because souls [at that stage] no longer react to external things. Oh, how beyond comprehension is God’s mercy! But – horror! – There are also souls who voluntarily and consciously reject and scorn this grace! Although a person is at the point of death, the merciful God gives the soul that interior vivid moment, so that if the soul is willing, it has the possibility of returning to God. But sometimes, the obduracy in souls is so great that consciously they choose hell; they thus make useless all the prayers that other souls offer to God for them and even the efforts of God himself…”
What about Catholics who view confession as a spiritual laundry service? They plan to get dirty, really dirty, during the work week, drop off their sins in the confessional on Saturday, and sport a clean soul just long enough receive Communion during Sunday Mass. It’s wash, rinse and repeat week after week. In other words, such Roman Catholics deliberately live like Romans Monday-Friday, go through the motions of being Catholic Saturday-Sunday, and hope that at the end of their lives, with a final Confession, they can keep their spiritual garments clean just long enough to slip by St. Peter and be admitted to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
God pleads with us through his saints and His Church to embrace Him as a God of mercy during our lives precisely because He is a God of justice at our deaths. While anything is possible with God, here is what some saints have said about the probability of deathbed conversions of hardened sinners.
St. Augustine
“He who is abandoned by sin before he abandons it, will scarcely detest it as he ought at the hour of death; for he will then detest it, not through a hatred of sin, but through necessity.”
St. Alphonsus Liguori
“The dying sinner will confess his sins, but, according to St. Augustine, ‘The repentance which is sought from a sick man is infirm.’ And St. Jerome says, that ‘Of a hundred thousand sinners who continue till death in the state of sin, scarcely one shall be saved.’ St. Vincent Ferrer writes, that ‘It is a greater miracle to save such sinners, than to raise the dead to life.’ They shall feel convinced of the evil they have done; they will wish, but shall not be able, to detest it.” Sermon XXXVIII.-On The Death of The Sinner
“Miserable the sick man who takes to his bed in the state of mortal sin! He that lives in sin till death shall die in sin. ‘You shall die in your sin.’ (John viii 21) It is true, that in whatsoever hour the sinner is converted, God promises to pardon him; but to no sinner has God promised the grace of conversion at the hour of death. ‘Seek the Lord while he may be found.’ (Isaiah iv 6) Then, there is for some sinners a time when they shall seek God and shall not find him. ‘You shall seek me, and shall not find me.’ (John vii 34) The unhappy beings will go to confession at the hour of death; they will promise and weep, and ask mercy of God, but without knowing what they do.” Sermon XXXVIII.-On The Death of The Sinner
“It is often said of a person that he led a bad life, but afterwards died a good death; that by his sighs and tears he gave proofs of sincere repentance. ‘The wailing of such persons proceeds not from sorrow for their sins, but from the fear of imminent death. He was not afraid of sinning, but of burning,’ says St. Augustine…It may be said that he appeared to have a sincere sorrow for the wickedness of his past life. But, was his sorrow true sorrow? The devil persuades him that the wish to have sorrow is true sorrow; but he deceives him. The dying man will say: ‘I am sorry from the bottom of my heart,’ etc,; but these words shall come from a heart of stone. ‘From the midst of the rocks they shall give forth their voices.’ (Psalms ciii. 12) But he has frequently been at confession, and has received all the sacraments; he has died in perfect resignation. Ah! the criminal who goes to be executed, appears to be perfectly resigned: but why? Because he cannot escape from the officers of justice, who bring him in chains to the place of execution.” Sermon LI.-Straits And Anguish of Dying Christians Who Have Been Negligent During Life About The Duties of Religion
“At the hour of death sinful actions cannot be committed; but we may then be guilty of sins of thought; and he who has had a habit of consenting to bad thoughts during life, will be in danger of indulging in them at death; for then the temptations of the devil are most violent. Knowing that he has but little time to gain the soul he makes great efforts to bring her into sin.” XLVII.-On Bad Thoughts
St. Faustina
“I often attend upon the dying and through entreaties obtain for them trust in God’s mercy, and I implore God for an abundance of divine grace, which is always victorious. God’s mercy sometimes touches the sinner at the last moment in a wondrous and mysterious way. Outwardly, it seems as if everything were lost, but it is not so. The soul, illuminated by a ray of God’s powerful final grace, turns to God in the last moment with such a power of love that, in an instant, it receives from God forgiveness of sin and punishment, while outwardly it shows no sign either of repentance or of contrition, because souls [at that stage] no longer react to external things. Oh, how beyond comprehension is God’s mercy! But – horror! – There are also souls who voluntarily and consciously reject and scorn this grace! Although a person is at the point of death, the merciful God gives the soul that interior vivid moment, so that if the soul is willing, it has the possibility of returning to God. But sometimes, the obduracy in souls is so great that consciously they choose hell; they thus make useless all the prayers that other souls offer to God for them and even the efforts of God himself…”
