6 sins against the Holy Ghost

[Melkite]

I just looked at this list on the main FE site, and now it has me a little worried.  Are all 6 of these included in the "unforgivable sin?"  Or is final impenitence the only unforgivable sin?

[Walty]

It has always been my understanding that the only unforgivable sin is not believing God can or will forgive you (final impenitence).  I'm no moral theologian, but I know that God forgives every single thing you can do no matter how absolutely despicable.  He is that sort of God.  Bless His Name!

[Padre_Ricardo]

You are right, Walty.  The only sin that can't be forgiven is the one that the sinner does not want forgiven.

[Melita]

Despair is an insidious sort of sin..... probably because it's tied in with pride.

[Padre_Ricardo]

You are right, Melita, and despair is connected closely to final impenitence.

I've heard it said that Judas' despair must have hurt Jesus even more than his betrayal.

[StrictCatholicGirl]

According to the website, the 6 Sins against the Holy Ghost are...

Presumption
Despair
Resisting the known truth
Envy of another’s spiritual good
Obstinacy in sin
Final impenitence

Not all of these 6 sins against the Holy Ghost are the "unforgivable sin." Only the last one, final impenitence, is the sin that will keep you from heaven. From what I've read in scripture, however, the "unforgivable sin" is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit - that is, knowingly attributing the power of God to the power of Satan, as the Pharisees did when they accused Jesus of dispelling evil spirits by the power of Beelzebub.

Mark 3:28-30: "Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven all their sins and all the blasphemies they utter. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, but is guilty of an eternal sin. He said this because they [the Pharisees] were saying, ‘He has an evil spirit’."

Matthew 12:30-32: "And so I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy. But the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."

Luke 12:8-10: "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven."

In the context of all three of these passages the Pharisees ascribe Our Lord's miraculous works to Satan. While the Church teaches that there are no limits to God's mercy, anyone who engages in this kind of pride rejects the Holy Spirit, which can lead to hardness of heart, which can lead to final impenitence, which results in eternal loss.

- Lisa

[Dust]

You are right, Melita, and despair is connected closely to final impenitence.

I've heard it said that Judas' despair must have hurt Jesus even more than his betrayal.

I once heard a priest preach on this, who asked (rhetorically) what would have happened if Judas had repented, come to the foot of the cross begging for Jesus' forgiveness.  The priest said that Judas would likely have been forgiven and gone on to preach with the 11, and ultimately be canonized.  Churches might have been named things like: "St. Judas the Repentant."  But as with all what-if type situations, we will never know.

[glgas]

You are right, Walty.  The only sin that can't be forgiven is the one that the sinner does not want forgiven.

It is correct

1864 "Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin."[136] There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit.[137] Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss.
http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a8.htm#III

however the quite frequent sin, the presumption (oh I can do anything, God is merciful anyway) needs some special consideration. I always feel uneasy about the radiant mercy of St Faustina, and one of the reason I left my territorial Church is that when I enter that Church the radiant grace is in the Center, the tabernacle is hidden at the corner, even the altar is on side.