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Dear Father Angelo,

First of all, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generous availability in responding to the numerous questions posed to you.

I too take advantage, with gratitude for your charity, for a matter that I consider important.

It is said that the observance of the commandments comes after the reception of grace, as its consequence, and this is clear: observance without grace would be voluntarism. But then where do we place repentance?

In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter declares: “Repent (or convert, metanoèite) and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

At this crucial point in the New Testament, man’s action (conversion, repentance) seems to precede the Lord’s action (the gift of grace). How can we contemplate in this the fact that divine grace always precedes human initiative? Perhaps by supposing that repentance is already an action made possible by the help of God, who inspires change?

Thank you for your answer, dear Father Angelo, and may the Lord reward you for what you do in His name.

United in Christ

Don (Father…)

Answer from the priest

Dear Don..,

1. It is necessary to make a distinction between the natural order and the supernatural order.

The commandments belong to natural law, and their observance is possible even without the help of grace.

Therefore a person can be honest (does not steal, does not kill, respects others) even without being in grace.

2. This is why there is a natural order of repentance that is not the fruit of grace, such as repenting for not keeping one’s word.

3. According to Saint Thomas, after original sin, it is not possible to observe all the commandments without the grace of God, i.e. it is not possible to avoid every single mortal sin.

However, it is possible to observe some commandments that allow one to be honest even without being in the grace of God, such as respecting marital fidelity.

4. For repentance of a supernatural order, instead, grace is necessary.

Indeed, this repentance cannot be conceived unless preceded by that type of grace which theologians call actual grace.

5. Actual grace is an impulse that comes from God and is of a supernatural order.

In our case, it can be an impulse that causes perfect contrition or imperfect contrition.

6. It causes perfect contrition when one is sorry for having offended God and for having caused the passion and death of the Lord.

It causes imperfect contrition when one repents because they have committed a mortal sin, deprived themselves of God’s grace, and exposed themselves to eternal perdition.

7. When it causes perfect contrition, at the same time, that actual grace becomes habitual grace (or sanctifying) because it already brings a soul back into God’s grace.

When it causes imperfect contrition, it does not yet bring a person back into God’s grace but is a very precious stimulus to go confess and find through the sacrament the sanctifying grace.

8. Even in this second case, it is always a gift from God, an actual grace that prepares to receive sanctifying grace.

Therefore, in any case, supernatural order repentance, whether perfect contrition or imperfect contrition, is always a gift from God.

9. When Saint Peter asks people to repent and be baptized, he implies the preceding action of God’s grace, to which man is urged to respond promptly.

According to Dominican theologians, this response is also God’s grace.

I wish you all the best for your precious ministry and remember you in prayer.

Father Angelo