Choose a topic from Part 3a:
1. A sin forgiven is forgiven. A man may, indeed, commit anothersin like the one forgiven, but he does not fall back intoforgiven sin. It is not possible for the stain of past sins, andthe debt of punishment incurred by them, to return upon theforgiven sinner. A sin may be worse because of like sins previouslyforgiven. But the past sins themselves, once pardoned, do notreturn.
2. Only in the sense that a man who is pardoned returns tosins like those forgiven, and thereby shows base ingratitude to theforgiving God, is it said that forgiven sins return upon thesinner.
3. Therefore, if a man has obtained forgiveness of mortalsins, and later commits others, his ingratitude does not bring backupon him the debt of punishment due to all past mortal sins. Still,there must be some proportion in this business. The more frequentand grievous one's past mortal sins have been, the greater isthe debt of punishment incurred by subsequent mortal sin.
4. We must not say that the ingratitude of a forgivensinner who commits mortal sins anew, is a special mortal sin initself. This ingratitude is regularly a circumstance only of thenew mortal sin which the offender commits. If, however, therelapsing sinner has an actual contempt of God and the favor hereceived in his earlier pardon, his ingratitude is a specialsin.
"A person who rails at God in adversity, suffers without merit; moreover by his lack of resignation he adds to his punishment in the next life and experiences greater disquietude of mind in this life."
St Alphonsus de Liguori
* * *
"God speaks to us without ceasing by his good inspirations."
The Cure D'Ars
* * *
"Whom do you seek, friend, if you seek not God? Seek him, find him, cleave to him; bind your will to his with bands of steel and you will live always at peace in this life and in the next."
St Alphonsus de Liguori
* * *