Why is imperfect contrition sufficient for Confession, but not outside of Confession?

[thistle]

Your wooden interpretation is not the same as Church teaching. You are wrong. Your interpretation makes God Molloch, not YHWH.

I am not interpreting. I am quoting the Church teaching.

CCC 1453 The contrition called “imperfect” (or “attrition”) is also a gift of God, a prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is born of the consideration of sin’s ugliness or the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner (contrition of fear). Such a stirring of conscience can initiate an interior process which, under the prompting of grace, will be brought to completion by sacramental absolution. By itself however, imperfect contrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave sins, but it disposes one to obtain forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance.

 

[thistle]

You have no idea what “obtains forgiveness” means. You just assume it means people will go to Hell if they didn’t reach the confessional first.

Sorry but through the entire thread you have simply been using your own interpretations about this topic and only come up with unrelated scripture quotes and opinions of individuals.
I quoted the Church teaching. It is clear. No interpretation needed.
I accept the Church teaching.
Further debate fruitless.

 

[thistle]

CCC 1453 The contrition called “imperfect” (or “attrition”) is also a gift of God, a prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is born of the consideration of sin’s ugliness or the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner (contrition of fear). Such a stirring of conscience can initiate an interior process which, under the prompting of grace, will be brought to completion by sacramental absolution. By itself however, imperfect contrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave sins, but it disposes one to obtain forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance.

 

[thistle]

No need for interpretation. Teaching is clear.

CCC 1453 The contrition called “imperfect” (or “attrition”) is also a gift of God, a prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is born of the consideration of sin’s ugliness or the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner (contrition of fear). Such a stirring of conscience can initiate an interior process which, under the prompting of grace, will be brought to completion by sacramental absolution. By itself however, imperfect contrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave sins, but it disposes one to obtain forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance.

 

[Rubee]

“No need for interpretation”…Spoken like a good literalist. All the while furiously interpreting.

 

[thistle]

CCC 1453 The contrition called “imperfect” (or “attrition”) is also a gift of God, a prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is born of the consideration of sin’s ugliness or the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner (contrition of fear). Such a stirring of conscience can initiate an interior process which, under the prompting of grace, will be brought to completion by sacramental absolution. By itself however, imperfect contrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave sins, but it disposes one to obtain forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance.

 

[Rubee]

I suspected that would end the conversation.

Anyhow, to the OP, @RealisticCatholic, you asked why attrition/imperfect contrition was enough for penance but imperfect contrition is required beyond confession.

Here’s my interpretation, following this commentary from the old Catholic Encyclopedia on attrition based on the teaching of the Council of Trent: Attrition - Encyclopedia Volume - Catholic Encyclopedia - Catholic Online

From what I gather, even in confession, attrition (imperfect contrition) is NOT sufficient to obtain forgiveness per se. That’s why we have a sacrament for forgiveness of sins: We need the grace of the sacrament to “fill up” what is missing in our imperfect love for God.

Attrition makes us open to receiving this grace. It does not obtain forgiveness by itself, it only makes us open to or capable of receiving the forgiveness of God that is in the sacrament.

Perfect contrition, being perfect love of God, does not have that “something lacking” in it, which is why it obtains forgiveness all by itself.

I suspect the only reason we still need to go to confession even then, is not because there is something lacking in a true perfect act of love (perfect contrition) but because we can never be sure we have made a true/perfect act of love…it is not an easy thing to achieve for imperfect souls.

The question we must ask is if God grants the same grace in confession that “makes up for” our imperfect contrition, outside the sacrament itself. And I think Church teaching is perfectly clear that God is not limited to the activity of the church.

 

[Vico]

Still awaiting what “obtains forgiveness” means. Should be easy since you’re not interpretting, just applying like a good robot.

Forgiveness is obtained when absolution is given in the sacrament of confession.

 

[Rubee]

I will go with Fr. Spitzer’s interpretation. God will not refuse to grant grace to a soul with an open door to grace, i.e. with imperfect contrition. Thank you.

 

[Vico]

I will go with Fr. Spitzer’s interpretation. God will not refuse to grant grace to a soul with an open door to grace, i.e. with imperfect contrition. Thank you.

The Catechism states that: “By itself however, imperfect contrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave sins”. Something more has to be added.

 

[Rubee]

Thats what I discussed just above. Do you find something wrong there? Even in the sacrament, it is not our imperfect contrition that obtains forgiveness. It is just an open door. It is the grace in the sacrament that does that.

No one can say that God never gives this same grace to people with an “open door” who never got to confession before their death.

 

[Rubee]

i.e. Confession, Baptism, and Annointing of the sick are the “ordinary way” of accessing this Grace/Divine love/Mercy/forgiveness that is already available in the church through Our Lord’s sacrifice; but we can’t say there is no other way that that grace can be communicated to souls.

It makes sense that perfect contrition is sufficient because love is the only adequate response to love and failure in love can only be remedied by love.

So if a soul is inspired by the Holy Spirit to the capacity they can make an act of perfect charity like the prostitute who anointed Our Lord’s feet; that person will have answered God’s love for his soul, an invitation for communion, with an adequate response of love; and so his will and God’s will can enter into communion immediately. (Even then, this inspiration will have been through grace).

But mostly we can’t respond adequately and so God has given us this extra boost in the sacraments; which are merely a means of accessing the grace/communion earned by Our Lord’s perfect and infinite act of Love and sacrifice.

Sacraments are visible signs for the communication of grace because God knew we needed visible guarantees for what he was doing invisibly in our souls.

But my point is, God can communicate grace to souls beyond the ordinary means and the clear guarantees and assurances he has given the church. It’s for our own assurance and peace of mind that the sacraments have the form they have; not to bind God’s hands.

So we can confidently say,

*"YES, as long as there is no closed disposition in the heart to grace, anyone who does visible thing 1, 2, 3, has the perfect assurance of the reception of the Grace of God, however imperfect he may be himself."

But that does NOT mean we can equally say, and with the same emphasis,

"NO. As long as one has NOT done visible thing 1, 2, 3, we can be sure that they have NOT received the Grace of God, if imperfect, however willing."

We have, thanks to Revelation, certainty in the first statement; but we have NOT the certainty to state the latter; Indeed we have VERY MANY REASONS to say the opposite of the latter statement.

 

[Cjbhoward]

But I guess the question would be: Why doesn’t Jesus provide this kind of grace to all people who sincerely repent with imperfect contrition, outside of sacramental confession?

As others have been saying above, sacraments are supposed to make things easier not harder: God is merciful so he establishes the sacraments for our sake.

But if God can forgive with just imperfect contrition, then why not every time someone asks God for forgiveness?

I’m confused. You say the sacraments should make things easier, but ask why God doesn’t make forgiveness outside the sacrament easier.

 

[Vico]

…

The contrition must be interior, supernatural, universal, and sovereign. (See Hanna, E. (1908). Contrition. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04337a.htm.)

The dogmatic teaching on forgiveness with attrition given at the Council of Trent is shown below. The Church must speak against certain movements, in this case, denying that sins are forgiven in the sacrament of confession when there is attrition.

And as to that imperfect contrition, which is called attrition, because that it is commonly conceived either from the consideration of the turpitude of sin, or from the fear of hell and of punishment, It declares that if, with the hope of pardon, it exclude the wish to sin, it not only does not make a man a hypocrite, and a greater sinner, but that it is even a gift of God, and an impulse of the Holy Ghost, --who does not indeed as yet dwell in the penitent, but only moves him, --whereby the penitent being assisted prepares a way for himself unto justice. And although this (attrition) cannot of itself, without the sacrament of penance, conduct the sinner to justification, yet does it dispose him to obtain the grace of God in the sacrament of Penance. For, smitten profitably with this fear, the Ninivites, at the preaching of Jonas, did fearful penance and obtained mercy from the Lord. Wherefore falsely do some calumniate Catholic writers, as if they had maintained that the sacrament of Penance confers grace without any good motion on the part of those who receive it: a thing which the Church of God never taught, or thought: and falsely also do they assert that con-trition is extorted and forced, not free and voluntary.

CANON V.–If any one saith, that the contrition which is acquired by means of the examination, collection, and detestation of sins,–whereby one thinks over his years in the bitterness of his soul, (b) by pondering on the grievousness, the multitude, the filthiness of his sins, the loss of eternal blessedness, and the eternal damnation which he has incurred, having therewith the purpose of a better life,–is not a true and profitable sorrow, does not prepare for grace, but makes a man a hypocrite and a greater sinner; in fine, that this (contrition) is a forced and not free and voluntary sorrow; let him be anathema.

http://www.thecounciloftrent.com/ch14.htm

More condemnations were given alter by later Popes to later contrary movements.

They were followed by Baius, Jansen and his disciples, who taught that fear without charity was bad, since it proceeded not from the love of God, but love of self (see prop. 7, 14, 15 condemned by Alexander VIII, 7 December, 1690; also 44, 61, 62, condemned by Clement X, “Unigenitus”, 8 September, 1717. Also Bull of Pius VI “Auctorem Fidei”, prop. 25). – Catholic Encyclopedia, Attrition.

 

[Mboo]

I refuse to believe God would simply refuse to forgive a repentant soul for lack of perfection

Perfection is essentially in the will, we must want to love God for Himself, we must want to regret our sins for the glory of God. If having this will of perfect contrition, but we can not actually feel pain out of pure charity, then Jesus will forgive us because God is essentially looking at our good will.
As for one who does not want to love God for himself, I do not see why he should merit the forgiveness without confession

 

[Mboo]

I do not believe this to be true at all. This is not the God of Mercy Pope JPII wrote about in his two encyclicals on Mercy and the Holy Spirit. That’s very arbitrary and unmerciful, to take away eternal life from a person who was going to confess. Why would a God who went as far as the humiliating death on a cross keep a soul from heaven that had determined to be reconciled with him? Makes no sense.

because God is just too. In certain circumstances he must send sinners into Hell, because if he does not, it will be contrary to his justice and wisdom. and in that case, his mercy will be to make the sinner’s Hell less painful.

 

[Mboo]

If we have the will to make a perfect contrition and we do not succeed in doing it effectively, then yes we can go to purgatory because we had at least the good will. But if we do not want to make a perfect contrition and die with an imperfect contrition of a mortal sin, but without confession, then it is normal that we go to Hell, because we did not want to do the will of God, knowing that this will have as punishment Hell.