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Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be for an individual

The sin that cannot be forgiven before death for an individual can absolutely be none and therefore when Jesus says the blasphemy against the holy spirit will never be forgiven before the age he could not at all be talking about an individual human being since otherwise it would nullify either the sacraments of confession or the anointing of the sick. St John Paul II discusses this he attributes this sin to the final impenitance.

For imagine the absurdity that a person committed this sin and then repented and went to the priests and the priest said well I can't forgive you you can't go to confession because this is unforgivable that's absurd

There is nothing that cannot be forgiven in the confessional absolutely nothing and that is whether it is an abortion whether it is murder whether it is pedophilia and whether it is any other thing that slanders God even slandering the holy spirit because of a person repents a slander in the Holy Spirit they will be forgiven

Hence Jesus can only be talking apocalyptically

And he must be referring to the great apostasy at the end of the world

At the end of the world after having seen a dress rehearsal for the end of the world in the minor chastisement that is coming in our day

being shown what happens when humanity discards God and thinks they can do things on their own

And if there were not enough but having the Holy Spirit descend from heaven and bring peace for a great age with faith and science reconciled

And then accuse this great age of peace to have bén existed merely because of the secular developments rather than the Holy Spirit

Will be saying that by the the powers of this world was the devil restrained from imposing his wrath on the human race

And this would be saying that since the prince of this world is the devil then by the powers of this world or the powers of the devil was the devil restrained

since peace is the absence of murder and the devil is the murderer from the beginning

This is what the blasphemy of the holy spirit is most likely to be

This thing could only be the great apostasy which historically will not be forgiven because it will be the most radical spitting in the face of God the most depraved rejection of God like the demons

11 answers0 replies

Comments (11)

fatheratchley

Aug 07, 2023

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Taking delight in hating God's goodness. Here's an example: https://crusadergal.substack.com/p/making-holy-the-mutilated

These Anglican women priests are offering blessings for transgender transitioning. The article continues: "If that wasn’t low enough, an entire custom liturgy has been invented, so that those who have decided to pretend to be the opposite sex can be celebrated publicly in the midst of an attempt at worshiping God. How one can claim to worship God at the same event where he denies the inherent nature of one of His children and encourages the mutilation thereof is beyond my understanding. That’s an incongruent act, unless it’s a different god that they’re worshiping."

This seems to be another kind of sin against the Holy Spirit, if not all three Persons of the Trinity, rejecting God's goodness for one's own warped vision of creation that rejects the Creator's design. St. Thomas would have nothing good to say about these wicked women insulting God (as Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier) for their own devious delight in the complex sin of transgenderism in deference to homosexuality.

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cathtres

Aug 07, 2023

So, the sin is enjoying sin for it's own sake. Like adulterers who would not leave a 3rd wife for a life of celibacy in order to receive Holy Communion again. Or anyone addicted to any sin. It seems they are already in an unforgivable conditon, however in time, they may come to repentance. The man dying in sin seems to have final unrepentance if he dies in that state since he cannot access a priest to confess to. I guess it is necessary to nit pick every sin because there is always Murphy's law working on all of us. Whatever can possibly go wrong - will.

fatheratchley

Aug 07, 2023

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Replying to

It seems to be both: "taking delight" in "hating God's goodness." I've met some people who love to malign holiness. This seems to be the essence of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. It perhaps helps to understand that a sin is defined by the action itself, the intention of the person and the circumstances in which both occur.

It may also help to see what Aquinas goes on to specify what are the different sins against the Holy Spirit, which he addresses in the question following this one we have focused on. He says: "The sins of despair and presumption consist, not in disbelieving in God's justice and mercy, but in contemning them." Contemn isn't a word we use everyday, but it implies a vehement condemnation of a person or thing as worthy of scorn or contempt. In other words, we're looking at some of the most base emotions man can manifest against his Creator, such as to hold holy things like forgiveness of sin as vile and execrable (extremely bad). Such is the human heart! We can turn at a moment's notice away from God, but when we do so when hating things which could bring about our pardon or forgiveness--that is when we are guilty of removing the conditions under which we would want to be forgiven ourselves. This is a kind of presumption--or despair, depending on how you look at it--and that is what the Jews did in their offense against the Holy Spirit, by hating the forgiveness that could bring them mercy. We're talking pretty dark things, although I fear these evils are not uncommon today. If we but realize that by turning from God we reject his grace to help us to turn back to him, we'd be less inclined to invest ourselves in our pitiable love of evil and rejection of God's graces.

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cathtres

Aug 07, 2023

So, the sin aginst the Holy Ghost is final impenitence?

fatheratchley

Aug 07, 2023

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Replying to

Impenitence seems to be the effect of "blaspheming against the Holy Spirit," but the sin itself is taking pleasure in committing sin for its own sake, as noted below. It is a vicious of hatred of God's goodness. The instance Jesus refers to is that the Jews attributed his forgiveness of sin (as God) to Satan. So malignant is their view of Our Lord, that they called his mercy a diabolic thing. Theirs was the delight of scorning God's goodness, and once you're in that state...how do you get out of it? Being a habitual vice, such a sinner ends life in either presumption or despair--but these are the consequence of that sin, and not the sin of loving the evil of hating God's goodness. There can be no greater evil, and for that, no greater punishment.

Aquinas mentions malice several times when defining this sin. So vehement was the Jews' hatred of Jesus, that it closed their eyes that might otherwise see God working to save sinners. The sin is called blasphemy, which literally means "to injure the reputation" of another. Because of Our Lord's exalted esteem, the Jews' deliberate pleasure in maligning him through their hatred, are guilty of a gross irreverence against God. Aquinas says that the Jews blasphemed Jesus in his human nature by calling him a drunkard and a friend of sinners. But they blasphemed against the Holy Spirit by saying Jesus' forgiveness of sins (by the action of the Holy Spirit) was an act of Satan. So even if the Jews' failed to recognize Jesus as God in their ignorance, there was no excuse to claim that doing good (forgiving sin of all things!) is evil--such was their contempt for the Lord.

I would say this simpler if I could, but it is a very complex situation and an extremely devious sin. Still, sifting through this answer should help you understand what the sin against the Holy Spirit is and why it is so malignant.

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scottpauline444

Aug 01, 2023

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Okay father I thank you for your response.

I would never want to presume the Saint Thomas Aquinas did not have the unfathomable wisdom that he had nor similarly Saint Augustine.

Nevertheless I would suggest a doctrine does develop and subsequently if Saint John Paul the second in modern times has taken aquinas's ideals and extended them into final impedance is not trying to denigrate aquinas's wisdom but to say that effectively what you are talking about that disposition must be taken unto death in order to be unforgivable because who knows maybe repentance is possible by the grace of God for example dearest same faustina talk to jesus's revelation that even unto the last millions of a second before death the heavenly father will call the sinner and say accept my mercy

And I still think that we can suggest an apocalyptic meaning because it makes good sense it really does and I can give you my article for a fuller argumentation if you like thank you and I'm sorry if I come across as up as antagonistic God bless you

fatheratchley

Aug 01, 2023

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Replying to

Indeed, God (please) bless us all!

Aquinas nails what the sin against the Holy Spirit consists of. Doctrines and definitions don't change their essential truths; otherwise they'd not be true. But we all agree that sinners can and do repent, which, I suppose, is your point of bringing in Saint Pope JPII. And there's the rub. Will we sufficiently repent, any and all of us, in time? An atheist professor for my teaching credential program taught us that people usually die the way they live; to expect something different is just that--extraordinary. His point was that even unbelievers don't expect miracles when it comes to matters of salvation.

One can always repent, but one is more likely not to do so when living with a firm disposition and outlook. Liberal friends just ignore me when I try to point out essential problems with their worldview. Of course, God alone knows our hearts and judges fairly and accordingly. But to carry about an habitual perspective that rejects God's mercy, as the Jews did whom Our Lord addressed...well, if his wake-up call wasn't received and attended to, it would have gone very badly for them. That's basically what any of us, including St. Thomas, can say regarding salvation.

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scottpauline444

Aug 01, 2023

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Replying to

Yes Father I think I agree with everything you say because I have heard the same thing people pretty much died the way that they have lived so that if a person has lived with an obstinency that they simply don't need forgiveness in any conceivable sense and can live as they want they are unlikely to change their mind in the face of death even if they encounter suffering because they will probably blame it on God rather than come to that senses we have a brother like that my wife's brother and we only hope to God that he will painted because he's bitterness and arrogance toward the church was very severe we only hope that he had a last-minute repentance

cathtres

Jul 31, 2023

Teachers of children would simplify by telling them, "The sin against the Holy Ghost (the Lord and giver of Life) is to deny and reject the known truth." We have the Church to declare the known truth Jesus taught when she uses the Creeds and Ex Cathedra pronouncements and all defined dogmas as the "known truth." A person may commit this sin, then repent of it. It is still a sin. But those who die in the state of rejection of known truth will take their place with the fallen angels who knew God and yet rejected their one chance at eternity with Him. My 7 children liked the simple answers!! Hope I'm right!

scottpauline444

Aug 01, 2023

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Replying to

Well yes I think that's a good answer a person who knowingly rejects something that they believe to be true in their conscience out of arrogance and ill will and carries it unto death will not be saved that's true and hence if someone knows and their conscience that the Catholic church is true but does not make an effort to try to enter they will not be saying that's true

In this regard to however we must realize that there are many non-catholic Christians who are not fully culpable for not being Catholic because they don't have enough information for really understanding or completely and or do not suspect her to be true because they have misinformation remember how dear blessed Bishop Fulton j Sheen talk about this

There are maybe 100 people in the world that hate Catholic Church but there are millions who hate what they mistakenly believe the Catholic Church to be

fatheratchley

Jul 31, 2023

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I can only respond with the thoughts of St. Thomas Aquinas, who argues to the contrary of your starting point and conclusion. In his Summa Theologiae, Second part of the second part, question 14, the angelic doctor tells us that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a specific sin of malice to which a sinner can be held accountable. As usual, he offers distinctions in his answer, in which he differs from St. Augustine, who thought malice was a sin against the Holy Spirit himself, the source of the remission of sin (which seems to be what this article here begins and ends in saying, a sin of final impenitence). But St. Thomas corrects this misunderstanding by clarifying what our Lord actually said. I quote:

Nor did Our Lord say this to the Jews, as though they had sinned against the Holy Ghost, since they were not yet guilty of final impenitence, but He warned them, lest by similar utterances they should come to sin against the Holy Ghost: and it is in this sense that we are to understand Mark 3:29-30, where after Our Lord had said: "But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost," etc. the Evangelist adds, "because they said: He hath an unclean spirit."

Clearly, Jesus was not addressing the sin of final impenitence to the Jews who had not yet been complicit in such a sin. Rather, St. Thomas clarifies that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit entails taking pleasure in committing sin for its own sake. He refers to it as a "vicious habit" of hatred of God's goodness in forgiving sins. This is not the same as presumption and despair but it leads to those further sins by removing what might otherwise help the sinner to repent of his hatred of the Holy Spirit's goodness in forgiving sin. Again, I quote St. Thomas here: The Jews who Jesus accused of committing an unpardonable sin... "blasphemed against the Holy Ghost, when they ascribed to the prince of devils those works which Christ did by the power of His own Divine Nature and by the operation of the Holy Ghost."

The unpardonable sin was the malice of the Jews who ascribed to God the works of Satan. Such forethought was deliberate and intentional, although terribly mistaken, but the hatred of the Jews would not be pardoned because they themselves did not deem themselves in need of forgiveness. Maybe, one can hope, that upon realizing their plight, they did repent and convert. But in the meantime, St. Thomas explicitly notes he is not referring to some apocalyptic sin yet to be committed; for he agrees with Augustine that final impenitence can be committed not only through words but extends to thoughts and actions as well.

Part of the "un-pardon-ability" of this specific sin which despises God as the source of good--something only Satan and his spawn would do--is that it is a disposition to which one is habitually inclined as a way of thinking and living. It may take a bit of diving into Aquinas' thought to understand that by vice and virtue he means a habitual inclination towards evil or good, which is part of the horror of sin in the first place, namely, that it becomes entrenched in one's heart as a value and way of life. The Jews who rejected forgiveness of sin did so as a way of thinking and living; they wholeheartedly rejected that a person would need the Lord's forgiveness or that one could accept such forgiveness. Funny, because that is exactly what our Lord accused them of failing to do.

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