Reply Obj. 3: Venial sin does not preclude every act of grace whereby all venial sins can be removed; whereas mortal sin excludes altogether the habit of grace, without which no sin, either mortal or venial, is remitted. Hence the comparison fails. _______________________
QUESTION 88
OF THE RETURN OF SINS WHICH HAVE BEEN TAKEN AWAY BY PENANCE
(In Four Articles)
We must now consider the return of sins which have been taken away by
Penance: under which head there are four points of inquiry:
(1) Whether sins which have been taken away by Penance return simply through a subsequent sin?
(2) Whether more specially as regards certain sins they return, in a way, on account of ingratitude?
(3) Whether the debt of punishment remains the same for sins thus returned?
(4) Whether this ingratitude, on account of which sins return, is a special sin? _______________________
FIRST ARTICLE [III, Q. 88, Art. 1]
Whether Sins Once Forgiven Return Through a Subsequent Sin?