Questo articolo è disponibile anche in: Italian English

Question

Dear Father Angelo,

Thank you for your detailed reply, which I am attaching to this letter for your convenience. Regarding the possibility of asking forgiveness for other sins, for which true repentance has matured, I would like to ask you how to do it: through a prayer, or through confession, obviously specifying to the priest that it is a partial confession? And finally, even if the state of grace remains precluded, is it nevertheless possible to consider as absolved the sins for which forgiveness has been asked?

Best regards,

Francesco

p.s.: the previous answer is the one entitled “I ask if the fact that I live with my girlfriend precludes the possibility to confess and obtain absolution for other sins”

Answer of the priest

Dear Francesco,

1. As far as you ask me, the answer I gave you at the end of the previous email and which I reproduce here is still valid: “You surely can ask for forgiveness, but you can’t return to grace because of its incompatibility with the presence of any mortal sin. You can’t be friends with the Lord (that is exactly what being in a state of grace means) and at the same time crucify Him in your heart, as it is said in Hebrews 6:6“.

2. You can certainly ask for forgiveness, but you don’t get that until you recover the state of grace.

Nor can you make a partial confession.

Here we are not like in a human court where the various crimes can be released one at a time with separate judgments or sentences.

3. Here it is a question of entering into communion of life with the Lord, of being grafted into him, of receiving life-giving nourishment from him for one’s thoughts, feelings and actions.

How would it be possible for you to receive all this while you voluntarily continue to crucify him?

That’s why you can’t even start making a partial confession. You would expose the sacrament to be fruitless and yourself to commit a sacrilege.

4. Recently a boy told me that he had received this illumination from the Lord on sins against the sixth commandment: “It is like he who at the foot of the cross is happy with the death of Jesus, is happy that he is crucified. He is just like those who at the foot of the cross were satisfied with what was being done.

Impure carnal satisfaction is just that: laughing, being satisfied with having crucified the Lord”.

This enlightenment gave him further confirmation to remain in purity forever.

It is true that they do not deem to crucify the Lord. But the reality is the same.

5. The answer is therefore only one, that of the Lord: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”.

He did not say: “Repent in half or in part; it’s already a good thing, I am content with that”.

Jesus said: “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (Mt 12:30).

In this way the Lord wants to tell us that there is no middle ground: in fact, we are either his friends or his enemies.

6. However, if you feel the desire to at least make amends for other sins and to do extra sacramental penance, do it willingly.

Although it does not bring you back to the state of grace and sins cannot be considered absolved, it is like an invocation of grace: may the Lord give you the joy of a complete conversion.

Sins cannot be considered absolved because only those who are absolved are absolved.

Jesus said: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (Jn 20:23).

Since they have not yet been forgiven by Christ’s ministers, they have not yet been forgiven by Him.

7. I have the impression that the Lord is knocking on the door of your heart and is inspiring a generous and cordial openness.

For this to happen soon, I gladly assure you of my prayers.

I bless you.

Father Angelo

Translated by Chiara P.