"The Repentant St. Peter," El Greco
The following is taken from a sermon for Easter Sunday by our Eastertide guide, St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church:
"Let us, then, brethren, tremble at the thought of relapsing into sin, and let us beware of availing ourselves of the mercy of God to continue to offend him. "He", says St. Augustine, "who has promised pardon to penitents, has promised repentance to no one." God has indeed promised to pardon all who repent of their sins; but he has not promised to any one the grace to repent of the faults which he has committed. Sorrow for sin is a pure gift of God: if he withholds it, how will you repent? And without repentance, how can you obtain pardon? . . . . St. Isidore tells us, that the man who repeats the sin which he before detested, is not a penitent but a scoffer of God's majesty. . . . And Tertullian teaches, that, where there is no amendment, repentance is not sincere."
St. Alphonsus Liguori, pray for us.
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