from nishant
As for Isaac, I asked you a question you didn't answer on penance.
III. Do you admit in that case the res sacramenti, the sacramental effect can be obtained by desire perfected by contrition, before the reception of the actual sacrament?
That it can is the plain teaching of Trent, because a desire for the sacrament is included in such an act of perfect contrition.
Council of Trent said:
"it happens sometimes that this contrition is perfect through charity and reconciles man to God before this sacrament is actually received, this reconciliation, nevertheless, is not to be ascribed to the contrition itself without a desire of the sacrament, which desire is included in it"
-Pope Paul III, Council of Trent, Sess. 6, Chap. 14 on Justification: “Hence it must be taught that the repentance of a Christian after his fall is very different from that at his baptism, and that it includes not only a cessation from sins… but also the sacramental confession of the same,
at least in desire and to be made in its season, and sacerdotal absolution, as well as satisfaction by fasting, almsgiving, prayers, and other devout exercises of the spiritual life, not indeed for the eternal punishment, which is remitted together with the guilt either by the sacrament
or the desire of the sacrament, but for the temporal punishment…”
-Pope Julius III, Council of Trent, Sess. 14, Chap. 4, On Penance: “The Council teaches, furthermore,
that though it sometimes happens that this contrition is perfect because of charity and reconciles man to God, before this sacrament is actually received, this reconciliation must not be ascribed to the contrition itself without the desire of the sacrament which is included in it.”
Yes, the effects of Sacramental Penance can be attained by a desire for the Sacrament, which the Council explains twice in Session 6 and once in Session 14.
That's three times the council specifically states that the desire for penance can suffice while the Council NEVER says that desire can suffice for Sacramental Baptism. The Council states that both the sacrament of Penance AND Baptism are necessary, but for Penance it adds the exception whereas for Baptism it DOES NOT. Your point is easily refuted.
A near moral certitude that our sins have been forgiven, which Stubborn mentioned earlier, is one outcome of receiving the actual sacrament, but that is not, strictly speaking, the exact reason we must confess our sins even if we are truly perfectly contrite, as seen in the excerpt above.
We'll go from there, because it's exactly analogous with catechumens and baptism, and Trent utilises the same word and principle of desire in reference to the sacramental effect of baptism.
It is not the same thing with Catechumens because they are not in the Church yet. If someone receives the sacrament of penance through perfect contrition without the actual sacrament, they are already in the Church.
-Pope Julius III, Council of Trent, Sess. 14, Chap. 2, On Penance: “This sacrament of Penance, moreover, is necessary for the salvation of those who have fallen after baptism,
as baptism itself is necessary for those not yet regenerated.”
We know that the only entrance into the Church is though Baptism and outside the Church there is no remission of sins.
-Pope Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam, Nov. 18, 1302, ex cathedra:
“With Faith urging us we are forced to believe and to hold the one, holy, Catholic Church and that, apostolic, and we firmly believe and simply confess this Church outside of which there is no salvation nor remission of sin…"
Beside this, since individual Fathers can be mistaken, the point is moot - the Pope and the Church quite clearly settled the issue, and not in your favor. Do you believe Pope Innocent III, the same pope who declared there was no salvation outside the Church, was mistaken in the authoritative response he gave regarding baptism of desire, that I cited earlier?
I wonder if you understand what the difference between fallible and infallible is.
The letter from Pope Innocent III to the Bishop of Metz is not infallible. If it is then the letter he wrote to the Archbishop of Lyons holds the same weight.
-Pope Innocent III, Ex Parte tua, to Andrew, the Archbishop of Lyons, Jan. 12, 1206: “
Although original sin was remitted by the mystery of circuмcision, and the danger of damnation was avoided, nevertheless there was no arrival at the kingdom of heaven, which up to the death of Christ was barred to all.”
This letter is of the same authority as the one you quote, so.... I guess we are to believe that circuмcision remits original sin.