The Unpardonable Sin

[humble_maid]

Through its Catechism, the Catholic Church teaches that:

"‘Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgivness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.’ [Mk. 3:29; Mt. 12:32; Lk. 12:10] 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. [John Paul II, DeV 46] Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss."

Here is the verse from Mt 12:32:
“Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

Can someone tell me how this may apply to Catholics who have had all their sacraments in the church yet leave it to join another religion? Does not a confirmed Catholic sin against the Holy Spirit when they deny the Church to join another?**

 

[Christy_Beth]

They aren’t denying the Holy Spirit if they leave the Church. At least, I don’t think so. I’m a convert, and I grew up with the taught idea that the Catholic Church was wrong about everything. Maybe these people have had someone “prove” to them that the Church is false. If they aren’t grounded firmly in knowing what the Catholic Church believes and teaches, then they are ripe for the picking. This is one reason I like to bring up learning apologetics whenever I can. It’s important to know what scripture supports the Church, that would possibly keep some people from leaving.

 

[Nate13]

I have heard it explained that this came right after the Pharisee’s accused Jesus’ power as coming for the devil. Thus the unpardonable sin would be in relation to this somehow.

 

[COPLAND_3]

There are some good interpretations on what this means, and I won’t go through them all, but I will answer based upon what interpretation I find to be the most likely. Not that other good interpretations are not right to a degree, but what Jesus was specifically talking about in Mark 3:28-30 Matt 12:31-37 Luke 12:10 appears to be concerning those who calls the works of the Holy Spirit to be works from the Devil, but knows that it is a work from God. It takes a massive degree of malice and hatred to do such a thing. Though this does not concern those who would do such a thing out of ignorance, but only those like some of the Pharisees who knew that Jesus was Divine but out of hard-heartedness still rejected Him.

St. Paul rejected Christ and persecuted Christians, and being a Pharisee himself he had great zeal and a hatred of Christianity. But what makes Paul different from those Pharisees that Jesus was talking about was that Paul did what he did out of ignorance of Truth, while those Pharisees that Jesus was talking about did what they did knowing all along that those miracles were from God but still calling it the works of the Devil.

So as to the question conerning those who leave the Church and Her Sacraments. The only way I think it could be unpardonabe is when someone who knows that it is the Truth, but still rejects it and then calls it Satan’s Church and demonic sacraments, not out of ignorance, but knowing they are rejecting and blaspheming the Real Thing.

But the question is this, if those who do such a thing, even out of such hatred, can they ever repent and be forgiven? St. Thomas Aquinas says this, “blasphemy itself against the Holy Spirit is unpardonable, that is, not easily pardonable”. Maybe it is forgivable if the motive of the person changes and then seeks to be forgiven. Maybe it is possible but very unlikely that the motive ever does change to true repentance before they die and it is too late. Maybe Aquinas means by not easily pardonable to be that it could happen and has happened, but very rarely. Because once a person gets to a point to where they can call the work of the Holy Spirit to be the work of the Devil while knowing that it is the work of the Spirit, then such a person is usually so hardened and blinded that recovery is nearly impossible.

Hope this helps.

 

[Adam_Joe]

Some one please respond to me!!!

I am 16 and me and my dad were looking at a YT video about the Blessed Virgin Mother at Fatima, and before watching, all I had ever heard about the Catholic Church was that it was the Harlot, it was evil, that the Devil was running it, that all the Catholics were fooled, ect. ect.

I had even heard about the Virgin Mary at Fatima before, but it was younger and I didn’t remember it really. I didn’t really care because I had never learned the signifigance of her. My dad knew because he was a Catholic, but I was never baptized, never even raised in a Church nor did I ever have anyone teach the Bible to me, so I never really understood.

This was all of that Baptist propaganda that I heard of and when my dad was showing me that video, he stoped on a picture of her and said, “Now, who is this?”. And I replied either in a questionitive or an inquisitive manner, or maybe just flat out stated, “the Devil”. I later found out it was a myrical from Jesus because, well she started talking about Jesus and even showed the Baby Jesus (His image). Did I commit the unpardonable sin? I HONESTLY DIDN’T KNOW FOR SURE! I feel so bad about it please help.