Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
We Can Repent Up To The Last Moment Of Our Lives

We Can Repent Up To The Last Moment Of Our Lives

Last updated on: August 6, 2026 at 11:25 am by Henry Karlson

0 Comments

We Can Repent Up To The Last Moment Of Our Lives 2026-08-06T11:25:50-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

When we repent, when we are sorry for our sins, we can receive grace and salvation. Picture: Luca Giordano: Peter Weeping / Wikimedia Commons

Sin’s power over us lies in the way it entices us with some good, but it does so in a way which it has us use and abuse the good, using the good contrary to the greater good, so that, we can desire some particular good, but we desire and use that good in a way it is not meant to be engaged. That is, sin has us see some good, become attached to that good, to desire that good, but to do so in a way which undermines the good itself. This is why, when we act, there is always some motive, some good, however minor it might be, that they want to do or obtain, among which, is the pleasure which we receive from our actions. Pleasure is a good, but like all goods, it is meant to be obtained in a proper fashion, and experienced in its proper place and setting. We can enjoy eating; indeed, it is one of the reasons why many of us eat. The pleasure we get from eating is there, in part, to make sure we eat, so that we do not deprive ourselves of food; but some people get addicted to that pleasure and seek to obtain it, not only when they are not hungry, not only when they are in need, but after they have eaten way more than enough food to sustain them. They become, as it were, addicted to the pleasure, seeking after it in excess, at the detriment of other goods, such as their health. This is what leads many to gluttony, and though they do obtain the pleasure they want from it, a good which they want, their health tends to be adversely affected, in ways which they might not always be able to perceive without special medical examinations. What we see happening with gluttony happens with all other sins; there is some good connected with them, often some sort of pleasure, but the sin has us to seek after and desire that good in an unbalanced fashion, so that we obtain that good, but at the expense of other, often more important goods.

Thus, when talking about sin, we must understand how it acts like a siren, using some good to entice us to act in a certain way, using that good to undermine and destroy the greater good, which is why sin always has some good associated with it, a good which it abuses. When we sin, even if the sin is said, in a way, to be “intrinsically evil,” we always obtain or attain some good, but we also end up hurting ourselves (or others) in ways we do not immediately perceive. As we continue to sin, we will slowly feel the effects of our sin, until, at last, we will end up with pain and suffering (which many great spiritual leaders, Christian and non-Christian alike, understand as a cycle: we sin, we experience some pleasure, but that pleasure ends, leading us to experience some pain which we seek to overcome by attaining a new pleasure to mask it, a pleasure which leads to its own form a suffering. If we are not careful, this can become a never-ending cycle). If and when we perceive what is happening, if and when we see where we have been mistaken, we might at last mourn what we have done and be ready to change. Then, we will seek after the greater good which we neglected; the more we attain it, the more we will find ourselves receiving a joy which we never had, a joy which is greater than the fleeting pleasure we once had, because it can last forever:

Sin promises pleasure and power which are fleeting and illusory, following by mourning, weeping and tears;
Repentances promises us weeping, mourning and tears, following by everlasting joy which no one can take from us.[1]

We would not be able to turn ourselves completely around without help; our sin weakens us, for it has destroyed some of the good, some of the potential which we had. It ends up trapping us with habits which it creates, habits which act like a kind of prison. While some of those habits might be weak enough we can break them if we try hard enough, we will find many of them will only be overcome by some external help. This is why we need grace. We need to repent, to change our ways, to focus on and seek after the greater good, but without grace, we will find we will never be able to attain that greater good. Thankfully, grace is always being given to us and the whole world because God is good and God loves us, no matter what we have done:

In spite of all these things, God remains well disposed toward everyone. To no one does he deny his mercy. Why, he even bestows many good things indiscriminately upon all. He prefers to invite with acts of kindness those whom he could rightly subdue with punishments. Delay in retribution makes room for repentance. It cannot be said, however, that there is no vengeance where conversion does not take place. For, a hard and ungrateful mind becomes already its own punishment. It suffers in its conscience whatever has been deferred by the goodness of God. [2]

So long as God sees a true conversion taking place in us, that is, so long as God sees that we are sorry for our sins, gives us the grace and pardon we need, even if the conversion of our heart takes place right before our death:

While being a sinner for a small fault, at once <God> calls him righteous; and because of the good of one day, He pardons all the iniquity of his life. The one who speak all his days in sin, for one good <deed> God decrees him innocent. If only in his conscience he is sorry, God cancels great faults and instead of good deeds. He accepts from him a feeble will. And for the sins of years, weighty and prolonged, sufficient for him is the repentance of one moment. [3]

If someone who has not been baptized truly seeks God’s mercy and grace right before they die, God can give it to them. And while Catholics might wonder what that means about the necessity of baptism, that is because they do not understand what the necessity entails. What is needed is the grace of baptism, the thing of baptism, which God is able to give in ways beyond sacramental baptism because God is not bound by the sacraments. This does not mean we should forgo baptism if we come to believe in Christ and his teachings, but it means God has a way to act with us, to give us grace, if through no fault of our own, we are not able to obtain baptism once we are ready for it (or if we do not know about baptism, but come to God with the spirit of penitence and love). Likewise, if someone had been baptized, and later falls into grave sin, a true conversion of the heart right before death can still lead to the person’s forgiveness of sins, giving them the grace normally conferred in confession. We must always place our hope in God and with it, accept that God is able to give everyone the grace they need for their salvation, in ways beyond the sacraments, which is why should never judge anyone as necessarily condemned to hell. We do not know what took place in the heart of anyone right before their death. This is why we can hope for the salvation of anyone and everyone, though we must not let this hope lead us to presume we shall be open to such graces at the time our death, thinking we can therefore sin now and wait until the end of our lives to repent. For such an attitude itself can get in the way of our conversion. What we do know is that God offers the means of salvation to everyone, and no one, so long as they are alive, are truly lost; it is only if someone remains stubborn in their sins, and never properly repents, throughout all eternity, can they ever be said to be lost.

[1] George A. Maloney, SJ, Your Sins Are Forgiven: Rediscovering the Sacrament of Reconciliation (New York: Alba House, 1994), 11-12.

[2] St Leo the Great, Sermons. Trans. Jane Patricia Freeland CSJB and Agnes Josephine Conway SSJ (Washington, DC: CUA Press, 1996), 153-4 [Sermon 35].

[3] St. Isaac the Syrian, “The Third Part.” Trans. Mary T. Hansbury in An Anthology of Syriac Writers From Qatar in the Seventh Century. Ed. Mario Kozah, Abdulrahim Abu-Husayn, Saif Shaeen Al-Murikhi and Haya Al Thani (Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2015), 334 [V.34].

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook.
If you liked what you read, please consider sharing it with your friends and family!

N.B.: While I read comments to moderate them, I rarely respond to them. If I don’t respond to your comment directly, don’t assume I am unthankful for it. I appreciate it. But I want readers to feel free to ask questions, and hopefully, dialogue with each other. I have shared what I wanted to say, though some responses will get a brief reply by me, or, if I find it interesting and something I can engage fully, as the foundation for another post. I have had many posts inspired or improved upon thanks to my readers.

General Christian

Previous Post

August 3, 2026

The Shared Struggle Against Antisemitism And Islamophobia

Next Post

August 6, 2026 The Hidden Grace That Transfigures All Things

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"First things first is the easiest way forward. "If someone is bleeding profusely, we must ..."

Dr.Cajetan Coelho

Why We Must Embrace Empathy, Sympathy ..."

"Gosh, did that hit the spot. I have been having great anxiety lately. And I ..."

Mark Wilson

Rejecting Doom: Christian Hope And Human ..."

"Justice and peace are two sides of the same coin. Where there is justice, there ..."

Dr.Cajetan Coelho

Justice First, Charity Beyond It: Serving ..."

"Thank you for your very, very powerful and very, very insightful analysis of the relationship ..."

alwayspuzzled

Justice First, Charity Beyond It: Serving ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Halloween Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Vainglory Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month November 2026 October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz