Relativists teach that there is no fixed moral code given to human beings by their Creator. On the contrary, the Catholic Church teaches that there are moral absolutes, things that are always wrong, whatever one's motive for doing them, for example: voluntary murder, abortion, sodomy, taking advantage of the poor or defrauding the workingman of his wages.
Sins against the Holy Spirit
Despair is a complete and willful abandonment of hope and assurance that God will bring one to eternal life.
Presumption is a rash confidence of obtaining eternal happiness without using the proper means to obtain it,
for example, resisting revealed truth, obstinacy in one's sin and choosing to die in our sins.
When should one go to Confession?
All the faithful who have reached the age of reason are bound to confess their grave sins at least once a year. It is necessary to go to confession as soon as possible if we have committed a mortal sin. We have to confess all the mortal sins we can remember after an examination of conscience. We should make devotional confession frequently.
Do Sins have Punishment?
Are we punished for our sins? Yes, our sins deserve to receive a punishment. There are two kinds ofpunishment due to sin: the eternal punishment of hell, due to unforgiven mortal sins, and temporal punishment, lasting only for a time, due to venial sin and also due to mortal sins after they have been forgiven. Christ, on the Cross, made adequate Satisfaction to atone for all the sins of all. But God wants us to perform acts of penance in order to pay our debt of temporal punishment in union with Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross.The unpaid debt is paid in Purgatory.
The Sacrament of Penance Takes Away Punishment
The Sacrament of Penance, when worthily received, takes away eternal punishment; but it does not always take away all temporal punishment. God requires temporal punishment for sin to satisfy His justice, to teach us the great evil of sin, and to warn us not to sin again. We pay our debt of eternal punishment either in this life or in Purgatory. The chief means to satisfy our debt of temporal punishment, besides the penance imposed at confession, are: prayer, attending Mass, fasting, almsgiving, works of mercy, patient endurance of sufferings and indulgences.
What is an Indulgence?
An indulgence is the remission in whole or part of the temporal punishment due to sins which have been forgiven. Indulgences are granted by the Church in virtue of the power of binding and loosing sins given her by Christ. An Indulgence opens for us the treasury of Christ and the Saints. The Church grants indulgences to encourage us to perform works of devotion, penance and charity. A plenary indulgence remits all the punishment due to forgiven sins. To gain such an indulgence,one must be in the state of grace, perform the good work that's required, have the intention of gaining it and the intention to avoid all sin.The Church has specified the works to which a plenary indulgence is attached. Among these are, praying the Stations of the Cross, saying the Rosary in public, reading the Scriptures for thirty minutes or praying for fifteen minutes before the tabernacle. For the gaining of the indulgence, the work has to be accompanied by receiving the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion and praying for the Pope's intentions. This is refer to as "the usual conditions."
