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=== Sacrament of Penance === {{See also|Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation}} Contrition is not only a moral virtue, but the Council of Trent defined that it is a "part", and even more, quasi materia, in the Sacrament of Penance. "The (quasi) matter of this sacrament consists of the acts of the penitent himself, namely, contrition, confession, and satisfaction. These, inasmuch as they are by God's institution required in the penitent for the integrity of the sacrament and for the full and perfect remission of sin, are for this reason called parts of penance." In consequence of this decree of Trent theologians teach that sorrow for sin must be in some sense sacramental. [[La Croix (newspaper)|La Croix]] went so far as to say that sorrow must be aroused with a view of going to confession, but this seems to be asking too much; most theologians think with Schieler-Heuser (Theory and Practice of Confession, p. 113) that it is sufficient if the sorrow coexist in any way with the confession and is referred to it. Hence the precept of the Roman [[Ritual]], "After the confessor has heard the confession he should try by earnest exhortation to move the penitent to contrition" (Schieler-Heuser, op. cit., p. 111 sqq.). For repentance is essential for the effectiveness of this sacrament, as the ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' explains: <blockquote> Jesus' call to conversion and penance ... does not aim first at outward works ... but at the conversion of the heart, interior conversion (1430). Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil, ... the desire and resolution to change one's life, with hope in God's mercy and trust in the help of his grace (1431).</blockquote> For Catholics, where there is mortal sin, use of the [[Contrition#Sacrament of Penance|Sacrament of Reconciliation]] must follow.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Joseph Martos on ''The History of Penance and Reconciliation''.|url=http://johnwijngaardsmoodle.org/pluginfile.php/2040/mod_page/content/12/Audio_Lectures/Sacraments_in_History_09.mp3|access-date=2020-09-22|archive-date=2019-12-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220134012/http://johnwijngaardsmoodle.org/pluginfile.php/2040/mod_page/content/12/Audio_Lectures/Sacraments_in_History_09.mp3|url-status=dead}}</ref> ==== Perfect contrition without the Sacrament of Penance ==== Early Church Fathers, including [[Clement of Rome]], [[Hermas (freedman)|Hermas]], and [[Chrysostom]], held that sorrow was effective for the remission of sins.<ref>([[First Epistle of Clement|Clement]] in P.G., I, 341 sqq.; and Hermas in P.G., II, 894 sqq.; Chrysostom in P.G., XLIX, 285 sqq.)</ref> Similarly, [[Scholastics]] such as [[Peter Lombard]], [[Thomas Aquinas]], and [[Bonaventure]] taught that perfect contrition, with the desire of receiving the Sacrament of Penance, restored a sinner to grace at once.<ref>(Peter Lombard in P.L., CXCII, 885; St. Thomas, In Lib. Sent. IV, ibid.; St. Bonaventure, In Lib. Sent. IV, ibid.)</ref> Later theologians came to emphasize the desire for the sacrament of penance over the sorrow itself, with the Council of Trent declaring that "though contrition may sometimes be made perfect by [[Charity (virtue)|charity]] and may reconcile men to God before the actual reception of this [[sacrament]], still the reconciliation is not to be ascribed to the contrition apart from the desire for the sacrament which it includes." In Catholic theology, perfect contrition is held to forgive sins due to its connection with love. [[Bede]] writes: "What is love but fire; what is sin but rust? Hence it is said, many sins are forgiven her because she hath loved much, as though to say, she hath burned away entirely the rust of sin, because she is inflamed with the fire of love."<ref>(P.L., XCII, 425)</ref> Accordingly, [[Gregory XIII]] condemned [[Michel Baius|Baius]]'s proposition 32, which asserted "that charity which is the fullness of the law is not always conjoined with forgiveness of sins". Catholic theologians argue that it was possible to recover grace after sinning under the [[Old Covenant]], citing Ezech. 33:11 ("As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live.") They reason that the coming of Christ and the institution of the sacrament of penance could not have increased the difficulty of obtaining forgiveness. Therefore, equating this turning to God with perfect contrition, they conclude that the same method must still be effective. A number of Catholic theologians have discussed what forms of love are sufficient to obtain justification. The general consensus is that pure, or disinterested love ({{lang|la|(amor benevolentiæ, amor amicitiæ}}) is effective, and purely selfish love ({{lang|la|amor concupiscentia}}) is not. There is not a general consensus on what motives can constitute perfect love. Some theologians hold that perfect love requires loving God for his great goodness alone; others argue that the love of gratitude ({{lang|la|amor gratitudinis}}) suffices.<ref>[[Hurter]], ''Theol. Dog.'', Thesis ccxlv, Scholion iii, no 3; [[Schieler-Heuser]], op. cit., pp. 77 sq.</ref>
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