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Dear catholic.com visitors: This Catholic Answers website, with all its free resources, is the world’s largest source of explanations for Catholic beliefs and practices. We receive no funding from the institutional Church and rely entirely on your generosity to sustain this website with trustworthy, accessible content. If every visitor this month donated $1, catholic.com would be fully funded for an entire year. If you’ve never made a gift, now is the time. Your donation will be matched dollar for dollar this week only. Thanks and God bless.
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Q&A

What about Matthew 12:31-32, which says that anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven?

Jim Blackburn

Question:

According to Matthew 12:31-32, anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. What do you think?

Answer:

Forgiveness of sins requires repentance (contrition). The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “Among the penitent’s acts, contrition occupies first place. Contrition is sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin again” (CCC 1451).

Unwillingness to repent and accept God’s forgiveness is what Jesus was talking about when he referred to “blasphemy of the Spirit” (Matt. 12:31-32). The Catechism explains, “By rejecting grace in this life, one already judges oneself, receives according to one’s works, and can even condemn oneself for all eternity by rejecting the Spirit of love” (CCC 679).

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