Divine Mercy and the Unrepentant Sinner with Saint Alphonsus
Originally called “The Number of Sins God pardons no more” by Saint Alphonsus on his Sermons for All Sundays of the Year
In today’s fast-paced world, many find themselves ensnared in a web of modern vices, from the ceaseless lure and addiction of social media to the relentless pursuit of material gains.
Amid these distractions, a dangerous complacency has taken root, with many assuming that divine mercy is an inexhaustible resource. This presumption that forgiveness is guaranteed, regardless of the frequency or gravity of one’s sins, reflects a profound misunderstanding of the divine principle that mercy, while vast, is not limitless for the unrepentant sinner.
Such an attitude not only underestimates the severity of unrepentant sin but also overlooks the fundamental call for sincere repentance and moral accountability.
Four Important Factors to Consider
Many are trapped by modern vices like social media, drug & alchohol addictions, and materialism.
A dangerous complacency exists, assuming divine mercy is unlimited…
Well Yes and No.
This assumption underestimates the severity of unrepentant sin.
It overlooks the essential need for sincere repentance and moral accountability.
St. Alphonsus Liguori uses many Biblical References Throughout the Text of this Sermon
Numerous biblical accounts illustrate God’s judgment reaching a tipping point for sinners, such as the…
-Israelites in the desert (Num. 14:22, 23)
-King Saul (1 Sam. 15:25-26)
-King Belshazzar faced swift retribution for his arrogance (Dan. 5:30)
Introduction
In today’s Gospel*, Jesus confronts temptation in the desert. He’s urged by the Devil to perform a reckless act, but Jesus responds with Scripture, refusing to test God. This passage warns against tempting fate and presuming on divine mercy.
Read Full Text of the Intro by St. Alphonsus
Limits on Divine Mercy
According to theologians like St. Basil and St. Augustine, God sets limits on forgiveness for each person. Once these limits are reached through unrepentant sin, further pardon is denied.
Full Text from St. Alphonsus
“The Lord hath sent me to heal the contrite of heart” – Isa. 61:1
God is ready to heal those who sincerely wish to amend their lives, but cannot take pity on the obstinate sinner. The Lord pardons sins, but He cannot pardon those who are determined to offend Him. Nor can we demand from God a reason why He pardons one a hundred sins, and takes others out of life and sends them to Hell, after three or four sins. By His Prophet Amos, God has said: “For three crimes of Damascus, and for four, I will not convert it” – 1:3. In this we must adore the judgments of God, and say with the Apostle: “O the depth of the riches, of the wisdom, and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are His judgments” – Rom. 11:33.
He who receives pardon, says St. Augustine, is pardoned through the pure mercy of God; and they who are chastised, are justly punished.
Going to Hell after First Offense?
How many has God sent to Hell for the first offense? St. Gregory relates, that a child of five years, who had arrived at the use of reason, for having uttered a blasphemy, was seized by the Devil and carried to Hell.
The divine Mother revealed to that great servant of God, Benedicta of Florence, that a boy of twelve years was damned after the first sin. Another boy of eight years died after his first sin, and was lost. You say: I am young; there are many who have committed more sins than I have. But is God on that account obliged to wait for your repentance if you offend Him?
In the Gospel of St. Matthew (21:19), we read that the Savior cursed a fig tree the first time He saw it without fruit. “May no fruit grow on thee henceforward forever. An immediately the fig tree withered away.”
You must, then tremble at the thought of committing a single mortal sin, particularly if you have already been guilty of mortal sins.
Quote from St. Alphonsus
God is ready to heal those who sincerely wish to amend their lives, but cannot take pity on the obstinate sinner.
Adding Sin to Sin
Ecclesiastes cautions against presuming on forgiven sins, as each new offense may tip the scales of divine justice against the sinner. God’s patience has a limit, and repeated transgressions invite severe consequences.
Full Text of St. Alphonsus
Say not then, O sinner: “As God has forgiven me other sins, so He will pardon me this one if I commit it.”
Say not this; for, if to the sin which has been forgiven you add another, you have reason to fear that this new sin shall be united to your former guilt, and that thus the number will be completed, and that you shall be abandoned.
Behold how the Scripture unfolds this truth more clearly in another place.
“The Lord patiently expecteth, that when the day of judgment shall come, He may punish them in the fullness of sins” – II. Mac. 6:14.
God waits with patience until a certain number of sins is committed but, when the measure of guilt is filled up, He waits no longer, but chastises the sinner. “Thou hast sealed up my offenses as it were in a bag” – Job 14:17.
Sinners multiply their sins without keeping any account of them; but God numbers them, that, when the harvest is ripe, that is, when the number of sins is completed, He may take vengeance on them. “Put ye in the sickles, for the harvest is ripe” Joel 3:13.
Quote from St. Alphonsus
Say not then, O sinner: “As God has forgiven me other sins, so He will pardon me this one if I commit it.” Say not this; for, if to the sin which has been forgiven you add another, you have reason to fear that this new sin shall be united to your former guilt, and that thus the number will be completed, and that you shall be abandoned.
The Divine Response to Repeated Sins in Scripture
The Bible frequently addresses the consequences of persistent sinning, as illustrated by the Hebrews, the Amorrhites, King Saul, and Balthassar. These narratives highlight God’s patience and eventual judgment when sins accumulate beyond a divine threshold, leading to severe outcomes such as abandonment or death, emphasizing the peril of continuous disobedience.
Full Text of St. Alphonsus
Quote from St. Alphonsus
If God chastised sinners the moment they insult Him, we should not see Him so much despised.
Divine Patience and Inevitable Judgment
God’s mercy delays immediate punishment for sins, encouraging further transgression, yet His patience has limits, leading to eventual severe judgment.
Full Text of St. Alphonsus
Quote from St. Alphonsus
If God chastised sinners the moment they insult Him, we should not see Him so much despised.
The Paradox of Divine Patience and Punishment
St. Chrysostom warns that God’s leniency is more fearsome than His immediate wrath, as those shown mercy but continue to sin face harsher punishments, often without a chance for repentance.
Full Text of St. Alphonsus
Quote from St. Gregory
They to whom God has shown most mercy shall, if they do not cease to offend Him, be chastised with the greatest rigor.
A Stern Warning Against Repeating Sins
God urges sinners to not compound their sins but to seek forgiveness for past wrongs. Persisting in sin risks closing the gates of divine mercy, potentially leading to eternal loss. This message emphasizes the severity of mocking God’s mercy through repeated transgressions.
Full Text of St. Alphonsus
Quote from St. Alphonsus
Should the Devil in reply, say: ‘fear not, God is merciful;’ answer him by saying: ‘What certainty or what probability have I that, if I return again to sin, God will show me mercy or grant me pardon?’
The Folly of Procrastinating Repentence
Sinners often take great care in worldly matters but risk eternal salvation for momentary pleasures, assuming they can confess later. St. Gregory warns that while pardon is promised, tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Full Text of St. Alphonsus
Quote from St. Gregory
He who has promised pardon to penitents, has not promised tomorrow to sinners
The Grave Risk of Temporal Pleasures
St. Augustine criticizes the foolishness of risking eternal damnation for fleeting pleasures, questioning the wisdom of trusting in future salvation when the stakes involve losing one’s soul, Heaven, and God.
Full Text of St. Alphonsus
Quote from St. Alphonsus
If, after this sermon, you do not firmly resolve to give yourself to God, I weep over you and regard you as lost.