Chapter III. Mortification and the Results of Personal Sin

We have seen how necessary mortification is because of the results of original sin that continue to exist in the baptized : concupiscence, proneness to evil and error, and weakness for good. Mortification is no less necessary because of the results of our personal sins; and from this point of view it proceeds especially from the virtue of penance. This virtue, under the higher inspiration of the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity, makes temperance, particularly chastity, and fortitude and patience as well, serve to destroy sin and its residual disorders. If penance belongs to the essence of Christian life, as much must be said of mortification.

As a matter of fact, we must not forget that penance is a special virtue, with its own proper acts. If each virtue formally excludes its contrary vice, as white excludes black, penance has for its special end to work effectively for the destruction of sin, of all sin, so far as it is an offense against God that can be remitted by grace together with the cooperation of man.¹

For a good understanding of this, we shall consider the three chief effects of penance: (1) the remission of sin, whether mortal or venial; (2) the remission of the punishment due to sin (reatus poenae) 3 (3) the destruction of the remains or marks of sin {reliquiae peccati) and the struggle against temptation.

Remission of sin, St. Thomas teaches, is effected chiefly in virtue of the passion of our Savior through the sacrament of penance, and secondarily by the acts of the penitent that appertain to the virtue of penance, 2 that is, by the acts of contrition, confession, and satisfaction, which are the proximate matter of the sacrament of penance. 3

For a sin to be forgiven us, we must detest it for a supernatural modve. Perfect contrition, inspired by the very motive of charity or love of God above all things, remits mortal sin, even before the reception of the sacrament of penance, if we have at least an implicit desire to receive die sacrament. 4 This implicit desire is contained in the will to accomplish all that is necessary for our salvation. Imperfect contrition, or attrition, is sorrow or detestation of sin which proceeds from a supernatural motive less than charity. This motive is either the vileness of mortal sin, as an injury done to God and an evil for the soul, or fear of losing eternal happiness, of being separated from the source of all good and drawing

'Ibid., q.oo, a.i, 2, 3; Council of Trent, sess. XIV, chap. 3. * Council of Trent, sess. XIV, chap. 4.²

down upon ourselves the divine chastisement. 8 Even in attrition, since it excludes the will to sin and implies hope of pardon, there is supernatural love of God, as the source of all justice. 6 Alone this love does not suffice to justify us, but, united to sacramental absolution, it obtains the remission of mortal sins by the infinite merits of the passion of our Savior.

As to venial sins, they cannot be remitted without at least virtual regret for having committed them and the intention to avoid them in the future: not that in this world it is possible for us, widiout a special privilege, to avoid all venial sins all the time, but we can and we should avoid each in particular, and their number should obviously diminish as we progress in charity. 7 At least virtual regret for venial sins committed and a firm purpose to do whatever possible to avoid falling again are contained in any fervent act of love of God. The Our Fadier, the use of holy water and other sacramentals, dispose us to make fervent acts of charity and penance; so, a fortiori, do Holy Communion and die sacrament of extreme unction. 8

The Imitation of Christ tells us that "through levity of heart and neglect of our defects we feel not the sorrows of the soul. . . . Happy the man who eastern away from him whatever may strain or burden his conscience. . . . Have always an eye upon thyself in die first place, and admonish thyself preferably to all thy dearest friends." 9 "As thine eye observeth others, so again thou art also observed by others. . . . Ever keep in mind thine end, that time lost returneth no

• Council of Trent, sess. I, chap. 6.

more. . . . But if thou give thyself to fervor, thou shalt find great peace; and thou shalt feel thy labor light, through the grace of God, and for the love of virtue." 10

The special virtue of penance does not merely bring us to detest sin as an offense against God but leads us on to make reparation for sin. To stop sinning is not enough. Satisfaction must be offered to divine justice, since every sin deserves punishment. 11

Mortal sin, when not remitted in this life, deserves eternal punishment because it works an irreparable moral disorder by turning us away from God, our sovereign good and last end. As long as it lasts, its punishment must last. 12 When, on the contrary, mortal sin is remitted in this life and the sinner is converted, eternal punishment is also remitted; but often temporal punishment remains to be undergone. This is merited by sin, whether mortal or venial, so far as it is directed in an inordinate way toward a finite good. 13 "Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that worketh evil. ... But glory and honor and peace to everyone that worketh good." 14

There is a profound reason why every sin merits punishment, just as every act inspired by charity merits a reward. St. Thomas explains it to us in this way:

THE RESULTS OF PERSONAL SIN 279 For we observe in natural things that when one contrary supervenes, the other acts with greater energy. . . . Wherefore we find that the natural inclination of man is to repress those who rise up against him. Now it is evident that all things contained in an order are, in a manner, one, in relation to the principle of that order. Consequendy whatever rises up against an order is put down by that order or by the principle thereof. And because sin is an inordinate act, it is evident that whoever sins commits an offense against an order: wherefore he is put down, in consequence, by that same order, which repression is punishment.

Accordingly man can be punished with a threefold punishment corresponding to the three orders to which the human will is subject. In the first place a man's nature is subjected to the order of his own reason; secondly, it is subjected to the order of another man who governs him cither in spiritual or in temporal matters, as a member either of the state or of the household; thirdly, it is subjected to the universal order of the divine government. Now each of these orders is disturbed by sin, for the sinner acts against his reason, and against human and divine law. Wherefore he incurs a threefold punishment; one, inflicted by himself, namely, remorse of conscience; another, inflicted by man; and a third, inflicted by God. 15

Here we have the basis for the virtue of penance, and the reason why reparation or satisfaction for offenses committed against God are due Him in justice. Every sin merits punishment, whether voluntary or involuntary. The vindictive justice of a judge inflicts punishment on the guilty against his will to make the principles of the law respected. Penance is that part of justice which impels the guilty either to submit voluntarily to punishment or to impose on himself whatever punishment he has merited. Although unable to offer God

reparation absolutely equal to his offense, he does offer a satisfaction proportionate to his own capacities. This derives its value from the love inspiring it and, even more than that, from the merits of Christ, the principle of our justification. 16

Sacramental absolution takes away sin, but a penance or satisfaction is imposed on us besides, that through it we may obtain remission of the temporal punishment which ordinarily remains to be undergone, even when the sin itself has been remitted. Satisfaction is part of the sacrament of penance, and in this capacity does its share to restore or to increase grace. 17 By it the sinner pays in part at least the debt contracted with divine justice. For the same end he should also bear patiently the sufferings of life, and if his patience does not suffice to purify him entirely, he will have to pass through purgatory, for nothing defiled can enter heaven.

The dogma of purgatory serves as a strong confirmation of the necessity for mortification because it shows us that we must pay our debts either in this life while meriting, or after death without meriting. This fact makes the author of The Imitation say: "Didst thou also well ponder in thy heart the future pains of hell or purgatory, methinks thou wouldst bear willingly labor and sorrow, and fear no kind of austerity." 18 On the contrary, repentance full of love washes away both sin and punishment, like those happy tears Christ blessed by saying: "Wherefore I say to thee: Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much." 19

For the adult who receives it properly, baptism remits both all his sins and all the punishment due to them, for the bap-

18 Ilia, q.85, a. 3, c. et ad 2um, ad 311m; Suppl., q. 15, a.i. 17 Ilia, q.86, a. 4, ad 2um; Supply q. 10, a. 2, ad 211m. « Bk. r, chap. 21. "Luke 7: 47.

tized receives at that moment everything that should be produced in him by the power of the Savior's passion. By absolution, on the other hand, we receive the effect of the Passion according to the mode of our own proper acts, which are the matter of the sacrament of penance and so cooperate in our restoration; that is why the remission of the punishment is complete only when the acts of penance, satisfaction included, are complete. 20

According to the fervor of his contrition, the justified penitent recovers a grace either higher than, or equal to, or less than the grace he lost. 21 Merits lost by mortal sin revive according to the fervor of contrition. 22 And the fervor of a penitent's contrition and first satisfaction alone can be such that all the temporal punishment due to sin is instantly remitted, sometimes together with all the remains of sin, as evidently happened in the conversion of Magdalen. 23

Even after being remitted, sin generally leaves its traces in us, especially when, through repetition, it engenders a bad habit, a vice. Absolution does indeed wash away the sin and convert our will towards God, but we still have an inclination to fall again into a fault often committed. This inclination

23 Ilia, q.86, a.5, ad ium: "He (God) sometimes turns the heart of man with such power that it receives at once perfect spiritual health, not only the guilt being pardoned, but all the remnants of sin being removed, as was the case with Magdalen (Luke, chap. 6) ; whereas at other times He sometimes first pardons the guilt by operating grace, and afterwards, by cooperating grace, removes the remnants of sin by degrees."

is no longer as strong as it was before contrition, but it continues to exist in some measure, just as the fomes peccati, the tinder for sin, although diminished by baptismal grace, remains in the baptized. 24

Daily experience shows that this is so. A man who has formed the habit of drunkenness, on being converted, receives through absolution the infused virtue of temperance, together with sanctifying grace; but he does not have the corresponding acquired virtue. On the contrary, he has as inclination to fall again into the sin so frequently committed. And he will fall into it again if he does not avoid its occasions and fails to have recourse to earnest mortification, to destroy the remains of sin now impregnating his temperament.

The same thing can be said of unresisted antipathies and aversions that have grown in our hearts; even after sincere repentance and absolution, they somehow stay with us, no longer as sins but as dispositions to fall again. These remains of sin must not be simply covered over, moderated, regulated ; they must be put to death, mortified. Unless diey are, they will so completely impregnate our whole being that profound and grievous passive purifications will be necessary to deliver us from them. Our temperaments come under our own fashioning influence. Even our faces, after thirty, are our own creations so far as diey reveal our self-sufficiency, presumption, pride, fatuity, or envy.

The remains of sin weaken us very much, leaving us languid, debilitated, and reluctant to try what virtue demands. Mortification must eradicate these evil roots and make our souls healthy, doing its part to win the recovery of all our spiritual energies.

We need to remember that we have to fight the results of sin and also temptations that come from the spirit of the world and the spirit of evil. "Put you on the armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places. . . . Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth and having on the breastplate of justice: and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." 25

We have enemies of wonderful powers, and the evil they can do is in proportion to their strength and greatness. Remembering Aristotle's statement that a wicked man is worse than a wild beast, we may well wonder what to think of the devil. To resist him, we must have the armor of God, the virtues, "taking the shield of faith, wherewith you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one." 26 "Resist the devil ; and he will fly from you." 27 On the contrary, the more we yield to him, the more he pursues us.

God permitted man, when in a state of innocence and living in divine familiarity, to be tempted by the devil, and it is true today that the devil always tempts more directly those who aspire to perfection and lead other souls there as well; for he has a keen interest in making them fall from their height. As for great sinners, he tempts them through die flesh

25 Eph. 6: 11-15. *»Ibid., 16. «J«. 4:7- and the world, having no need to seduce them by direct action.

Our Lord Himself willed to be tempted, after the days of fasting spent in the desert, that He might teach us to resist temptation and give us strength and confidence. 28 And we see from this example that the devil does not attempt to lead a spiritual man immediately into mortal sin, but tries to bring him by way of slight faults to grave sin.

He brought Adam and Eve to evil by the temptations of pride, curiosity, disobedience, and gluttony (cf. St. Thomas Ila Ilae, q. 163, a. i, c, and ad ium, ad 2um) : "Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise? . . . No, you shall not die the deadi. For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened; and you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil." 29

In like manner he sought to seduce Christ by three successive temptations — desire for food after a long fast, vainglory or ostentation, and extreme pride: "If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. ... If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down [from the pinnacle of the temple]. ... All these things [the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them] will I give Thee, if falling down Thou wilt adore me." 30 Following the example of our Lord, let us answer with the words of God and without argument; then temptation will become an occasion for meritorious acts of faith, trust, and love of God. In such moments we are in the happy necessity of not being able to content ourselves with acts of imperfect virtue (remissi) ; we must have recourse to intense meritorious acts.

The principal works of satisfaction for resisting temptation and expiating our sins are generally and fittingly distinguished as these three: almsgiving, fasting, and prayer. Every satisfaction offered to divine justice ought, for the honor of God, to deprive us of some of the goods we have abused. Now there are three kinds of goods: (1) those of the soul, which are abused by pride and which ought to be atoned for by humble prayer that bows us down before God; (2) goods of the body, which are abused by concupiscence of the flesh and which ought to be expiated by fasting; (3) exterior goods, which are abused by concupiscence of the eyes and which ought to be expiated by almsgiving. 31

All other sins stem from the two concupiscences and pride, as from three roots; and all other works of satisfaction are reduced to the three we have just enumerated. Whatever afflicts the body, like the discipline and austerities of that kind, has the same reason for existence as fasting; watching ought to be consecrated to prayer, so as to become a true work of satisfaction; and all the works of mercy we do for our neighbor are like an almsgiving made to him.

When patiently borne, the trials of life are also, of course, a satisfaction, remitting the punishment due to sin, wiping away the traces sin leaves in us, and preserving us against temptation.

In the old religious orders, penance has an important place. Their religious, both men and women, must offer satisfaction to God not only for themselves, but for sinners who are unmindful of the necessity for reparation. All the saints have understood this truth, particularly the founders of orders, and they have never stopped reminding their children: "Miti-

gate the observance, and you mitigate the spirit; relaxation of rule infallibly leads to relaxation of thought and of life. God, who inspired the rule, will not bless its decadence." 32 The world today, ravaged by so many evils,, has no less need of prayer and penance than it had in the first days of Christianity, as the Blessed Virgin reminded us when she appeared at Lourdes. Reparation offered, as it should be, in a spirit of love and adoration, becomes a sublime act proceeding from the three subordinate virtues of charity, religion, and penance. It renders God the glory that sin took from Him. And by it we become closely associated with Christ, our priest and our offering, in the work of redemption.

82 The observances of orders such as St Dominic's constitute, as it were, the bark of the religious tree, serving, despite their seemingly non-essential character, to protect the tree and keep it alive. Religious observance and study have no quarrel between them but work together at means to contemplation and divine union, the fountainhead of apostolic life.

Footnotes

1. Cf. Summa, Ilia, q.85, a. 2: "Now it is evident that there is a special reason for praising the act of penance, because it aims at the destruction of past sin, considered as an offense against God, which does not apply to any other virtue. We must therefore conclude that penance is a special virtue." Ibid., ad 3um: "Every special virtue removes formally the habit of the opposite vice, just as whiteness removes blackness from the same subject: but penance removes every sin effectively, inasmuch as it works for the destruction of sins, according as they are pardonable through the grace of God if man cooperate therewith." ↩

2. Ilia, q.86, a. 6. ↩