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87. Remission of Venial Sins

1. No sin is forgiven without repentance or penance. Yet amore perfect penance is required for the forgiving of mortal sin;each mortal sin is to be detested and rejected. A more generalgrief or sorrow is sufficient in the case of venial sins.

2. Mortal sin is removed by penance (virtue and sacrament)when grace is infused into the soul to drive out and replace sin.Venial sin does not drive out grace, and hence, in one who has nomortal sin on his soul, venial sins can be forgiven without theinfusion of new grace by a movement of grace or charity already inthe soul. Also whenever grace is newly infused, venial sins areforgiven.

3. The pious use of holy water and the exercise ofdevotional acts can suffice to take away venial sins. Such pioususes and practices always tend to remove sin, because theycan be a true movement of grace in the soul arousing love of Godand detestation of what offends him.

4. A man who has both mortal and venial sins, cannot getrid of his venial sins while the mortal sins remain. For by mortalsin a man is turned completely from God, and no sanctifying graceis in him to move for the cancellation of venial sins.

"It is vanity to love what passes quickly and not to look ahead where eternal joy abides. "
Thomas á Kempis

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"Every man naturally desires knowledge; but what good is knowledge without fear of God? Indeed a humble rustic who serves God is better than a proud intellectual who neglects his soul to study the course of the stars."
Thomas á Kempis

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"Before a man chooses his confessor, he ought to think well about it, and pray about it also; but when he has once chosen, he ought not to change, except for most urgent reasons, but put the utmost confidence in his director."
St Philip Neri

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