What Is the Sin Against the Holy Spirit? Fr. Hugh Barbour on CA Focus Podcast

Jesus tells us that there is a certain sin that will not be forgiven. Because Jesus is God, we can be sure he is not misleading us. But what is the sin against the Holy Spirit, and how can we avoid it? Father Hugh Barbour explains.

[@mimi_j]

Oh Lord how can I stop being bitter and angry 😩

[@mimi_j]

At least I don’t hate those good qualities of people. Sometimes I may be skeptical 🧐

[@jordangeier2319]

Ask God to help you. I will keep you in my prayers.

[@carissstewart3211]

That's my struggle too. I take comfort in St. Jerome, the patron saint of the poison pen letter. If God could male him into a saint, there's hope for me.

[@AnonOmous-lj1qn]

Jesus is good

[@fromitica5722]

Oh my goodness. A few years ago I spent like 6 months being obsessively anxious about this. Horrifying. There’s so much misinformation and confusion on the internet about this. I’m glad there’s now a clear accessible catholic explanation of this.

[@ericleming1734]

I thank the lord this morning that he woke me up.

[@husq48]

Why can't I get past this, why can I not receive love, acceptance and forgiveness in my heart? The pain is getting unbearable! 😰

[@robertoarkenburg6652]

Hello friend, I do not know if you are still going through this but know of my prayers.

[@user-AMaraj]

Hi friend, do pray Divine Mercy Chaplet and immerse yourself in God's Mercy. I am telling you from my own experience, you will find peace. Always remember,God loves you and He never forsake anyone. Peace to you my brother/sister.

[@susanoberto5303]

Same, I’ll pray for the both of us.

[@raba650]

What an enjoyable conversation. Thanks for sharing!

[@margueritelangton6362]

I'm so glad Father Hugh mentioned praying for the grace to repent! Forgiving some really bad wounds often takes a long time and a lot of prayer to be able to forgive from the heart, and let go of the problem. ❤‍🩹🙏

[@tom8979]

This really helped ! God bless you and thank you!

[@ThePapsforshort]

Have to say this discussion with Fr Hugh Barbour about sins against the Holy Spirit has been really helpful to me in concisely explaining this very fearful Christian act/condition. I wish for everyone Christian to watch Fr Barbours explanation of it..

[@in_defense_of_the_church]

For a while now I, of my own interpretation, thought it somehow related to all the “gospels,” churches, and pastors/prophets/apostles that go around saying they are teaching truth led by the Holy Spirit when in fact they are not. But then again, I’m Catholic so I don’t put my own interpretations above the Church so if the Church says no this is what that means then all that’s left to say is amen and accept the wisdom of the Church.

[@vertox2367]

Amen In Jesus Name I pray, I love this, thank you on explanation my Brothers :)

[@danrugbyman]

Wow fascinating explanation. Thanks guys!

[@McRingil]

the most wise thing I heard recently

[@rickzabala6020]

Really good topic & examples. Said well. Should be expanded & talked about widely & more often. Not that I'm holy or overly rightious but all leads to repentance & forgiveness.

[@indeiktnar3083]

thank you

[@ericleming1734]

5:35 to 5:36 where Father talks about the prodigal son.

[@johsiantorres8495]

My lust is out of control I feel hopeless I keep procrastinating on praying I don’t know what to do what should I do father 🤦‍♂️

[@judeugwu4987]

We’ll pray for you. But prayer is very helpful. Pray to God for aid

[@globens1761]

Ask for the gift of chastity

[@globens1761]

Ask for the gift of prayer too

[@henrylansing9734]

Continue to pray, I would say make a set time for yourself each day, maybe 10-20 minutes but not much more because you don't want to overwhelm yourself. But just know that what it does come down to is you acting on sheer will to stop sinning; God won't do it for you. Same goes for me and everyone else. This may sound harsh -- I just think it's better to be honest though so you that you can move forward. God Bless.

[@judeugwu4987]

@@henrylansing9734 We as humans can never on our own conquer sin without the grace from God

[@AnonOmous-lj1qn]

A sin of weakness (I feel), is that I've called God evil because of the fact of hell. And I have often wondered. Please someone say a prayer for me that God will grant me his grace. Thankyou

[@leejennifercorlewayres9193]

Pretty sure I have committed it by accident because of my crazy brain. OK, probably not. I love goodness and hate evil. Note: Listen to video before commenting. 😂 Don't forget though that God puts desires in our hearts in order to fulfill them. 💖

[@leejennifercorlewayres9193]

@@ferreus Sorry to hear that. I agree. Just ignore thoughts like that. I think the Bible says to hold each thought captive and make them align with goodness.

[@Peterwhitlock]

EVIL is a satanic RELIGIOUS TERM that does not exist on this planet. never has anyone seen evil on this planet because evil is MAGICAL in nature and no magic exist and GOD is MYTH made of lied up definition that does not work and attributes that do not work so MYTH is based on lied up attributes and WHY God is a CLAIM ONLY (bet they never told you god himself is a CLAIM to MYTH that FAILED and has to be MYTH forever by law same as it always was...they lied he was real eh! SATANIST lie a lot all the time)

[@marlenecarter3416]

When you talked about be careful of hating something good just because it’s good.If someone that fell in that sin of hating anything good especially of what Jesus did on earth, can someone repent and be forgiven if they realized they are wrong?

[@chrisenneking9737]

What if I had felt God's presence, but wasn't sure, and thusly HAD attributed His work to evil?

[@elainelksuabernet]

Saint Thomas AQUINAS is the most quotable Saint ever. I still need more info about what can I do to avoid sin against the Holy Spirit, I felt like there’s should add another hour for this topic…

[@elizabethzamorano-gauna7955]

Love yourself as God loves you.

[@ricschneider]

i think i blasphemed like 2 weeks ago my mom and dad were praying for me and my mom was crying and making like a groaning noise and i get like peeved really easily and get mad easily and i’ve been dealing with blasphemous intrusive thoughts for like 2 months before this but i don’t know if in the moment i had intrusive thoughts but for backstory i got really scared in the moment because i turned to her and got reminded of a past situation where i got scared that i might’ve blasphemed and so basically i had a thought that said “thats d3*onic” and since i get mad really easily i’m scared that i might have said that thought out loud because my mom was making a sound that was loud and “annoying” and now i’m scared that i might’ve said it out loud but right after i said whatever i said i was calm for like half a second and then got scared because i forgot completely what i said and it all happened fast i’m pretty sure. But what’s weird is that right after i said to myself let’s calm down either in my head or out loud and told myself that i actually said “Holy Spirit please protect me” because thats a phrase that i constantly repeat when i get intrusive thoughts which would make sense because i had that one thought that i mentioned earlier and also because when i said whatever i said i had my hands cupped and went into a prayer type of position but the thing that gets me is that i don’t remember exactly what i said but i remember mumbling/whispering whatever i said and there’s so much more i could say but idk if there’s a word limit. but right after i told myself to calm down i got calmed down for like 2 seconds and then the fear hit me and my body went cold and i got really scared and now i feel like it’s over and what’s scarier is that i’ve been afraid to do anything because now i feel like it’s over and i’ve been on tiktok and whenever i see christian videos i just skip or put not not interested because i get sad and mad at myself for saying what i think i said and i think that i’ve thrown my chance with God away and i’m scared because it sounds like envy of another’s spiritual good or whatever you said and i want to know if there’s still hope for me.

[@catholiccom]

Hey there :) This is Zach with Catholic Answers. This sounds tough, and I'm sorry the intrusive thoughts weigh on you. It sounds to me like you may want to learn about scrupulosity and possibly seek out a good spiritual director or counselor to help mend you view of God. A review of the Gospel of John will reveal that God loves us more than we could ever imagine and will always forgive us for our sins - big or small - all we have to do is return to him and ask for forgiveness. God is love (1 John 4:8). I hope this helps ease your conscience a bit, and please do check out some resources on scrupulosity here: www.catholic.com/search?q=scrupulosity

[@josephinemugglestone5661]

what can you do if you feel like you are in this position?

[@ujue1966]

I know so many that say, "I don't want to look bad or what will others think or I don't want to hurt people feelings etc." Plus they also follow up with, "I don't go to confession, cause I know God will forgive me." Is that part of the unforgivable? If so how do I correct them?

[@ericleming1734]

God is loving to his people, and he’s a forgiving father always and forever.

[@Peterwhitlock]

God is UNABLE TO FORGIVE and UNABLE TO ANSWER PRAYERS! It is SATANISM to do such things!!! God is MYTH and does not exist and has no definition and no attributes because they were lied up and do not work so can't be of creator Gods as just lies made up never thinking the future could see them as lies. UNFORGIVABLE IS TO WORSHIP A FALSE GOD TILL YOU DIE AND WE RECORDED YOU AS SUCH FOR ALL TIMES TO COME! Atheist have no such problem as having to repent from satanism before death like YOU HAVE NO CHOICE TO DO OER BE SATANIST EXPOSED FOR ALL TIMES TO COME....lies are not truth and myth is not living...you follow lies on top of lies on top of lies from a book of lies proven end to end and contradicts itself from cover to cover...only FOOLS let themselves be fooled so as to think they are correct as lies and against truth itself OPPOSED TO TRUTH IS THEISM/SATANISM as same thing! Worshippers of myth and lies must repent NOW before it is too late and you be recorded as against truth till death/SATANISTS ALL billions of you.

[@ChristeEleison7]

So Final Impenitence is the Sin Against The Holy Spirit?

[@voltcheckburrows5010]

Amazing explanation, where can I read this in St Thomas?

[@mattsweeney9618]

Summa theologica

[@jameskamei]

Is rebaptism a sin against the holy spirit

[@SlimThuger]

What if you didn’t know that was a sin that couldn’t be forgiven and you did it without knowing

[@TrumpeterOnFire]

Hey, keep Zach employed!

[@catholiccom]

Couldn't agree more!

[@elrico1364]

The Unforgiveable Sin is that grave sin one fails to confess... that is the sin one knows but refuses to confess. God cannot forgive that which one will not confess. To deliberately withhold that grave sin is a SIN. That is a crime and will be held against you both in this world and in the next. All sins are against God and His Holy Spirit. Of course this means the Unforgiveable Sin can be forgiven IF it is confessed. It's always your choice... choose wisely.

[@glamrockchica7692]

I believe I have committed blasphemy when I was 16 years old I made a inappropriate joke about god and I didn’t know it was blasphemy and I’m now 17 years old and I regret it

[@granma_dota]

in chatolic, sins will divided into 2 parts: venial and deadly, i think in your case it would be venial, which is still be forgiven, why? because how come God punish you for the thing that you did not have consent about it and you really did not know about it? but if you know God and you commited blasphemy it would fall to deadly sins

[@brolyui4484]

@@granma_dota how can deadly be forgiven

[@SY-tk2eg]

@@brolyui4484by repentance and then going to a confession. But you need to be Catholic to receive absolution! 😊

[@MrGaldino41]

I am confused now? Father Luis Toro in Mexico said that all non Catholics the ones commiting the unpardonable sin?? Because they don't confess to a prist???

[@vivianeze9640]

Not everyone understands what the sin of the Holy Spirit is all about, even I didn't really understand it properly and priests aren't excluded from that, it's sad but not all priests are biblical scholars, maybe you should tell the priest to watch this episode of catholic answers, God bless you.

[@MrGaldino41]

@@vivianeze9640 tank you this, priest is Mexicos hero he goes around in debates all over Mexico and USA he said that he has all of the answers?? If you Google him you can hear him for your self Padre Luis Toro.

[@kingofhearts222]

I haven't seen/heard what he said himself, but is it possible that he was just saying that those who don't confess to priests are not forgiven currently? That doesn't necessarily mean they've committed the unforgivable sin, but rather, they're not forgiven YET. The same way if I stole something, I would not be forgiven until I confessed. That doesn't mean stealing is the unforgivable sin, but I'm not forgiven yet. I could be wrong since, like I said, I didn't see the quote for myself. But it's a possible interpretation based on how you described it.

[@dawnalaia9984]

If I committed apostasy according to Hebrews 6 which says if you fall away you cannot be brought back to t repentance. If I come back to faith with a godly sorrow can I be forgiven ? Please help✝️🙏

[@fortniteflex9471]

Any sin is forgivable. Seek confession asap. God is totally bigger than your sin. Think about it. It’s the whole universe essentially versus one small little sinner. God wins, he always does, just let him into your heart and he will forgive you.

[@carhubshorts6830]

Please can you help me if someone reject the holy spirit does have any hope form god to be forgiven to came back or this rejection is one time and no more?

[@bluetipsvol2973]

You have hope don't worry. I've been scared of the same situation as you was. God will forgive you as long as you repent from it and you didn't really blasphemy against it did you hate it?, did you Attack the holy Spirit?

[@ipso-kk3ft]

All who sincerely want to change and be forgiven, can be forgiven! What's important is humility and love of God most of all. Those who won't be forgiven are those who believe repentance is useless for them, because they think either their sins are "too great for God" or their sins are of no concern.

[@jimnewl]

The unforgivable sin is not a class of sins, but one sin in particular which affects one's attitude toward all sins, or sin in general. No one who fears committing the sin is capable of it, so fear not, repentant sinners. Jesus says in Mark 3 and Matthew 12 that no one can break into a strong man's house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. That is a description of the nature of this sin, as we shall see. He also says that one may commit this sin against the Son and be forgiven, but not against the Spirit. The reason for this is that the sin involves thinking evil good and good evil. If one calls Jesus evil, it may be, and usually is, because the person is confused or doesn't understand the truth. That is correctable and forgivable, as he is not rejecting objective truth as the standard he judges by. But calling the Spirit of Goodness--i.e. Goodness itself--evil is not correctable, and hence, not forgivable. It is not correctable because by rejecting the fundamental standard by which the rational mind is able to correctly judge things, one plunges oneself into an abyss of irrationality completely at odds with one's nature. Such a thing cannot be recovered from by one's own efforts, since one is now by definition incapable of reasoning to the truth. Therefore also, one has made oneself incapable of seeking or accepting correction and forgiveness from others, including God. The only possibility for such a person would be an entirely gratuitous act of mercy on the part of God, which, if it occurred in this life would miraculously set the person's mind back on solid ground, or after death would obliterate all negative effects of such thinking. In either case, it would not be an act of forgiveness per se since forgiveness was neither sought nor desired. It is well to reiterate that Jesus, in these passages, is not warning the Scribes about attributing evil to himself, but rather to the Holy Spirit, by whom he is casting out demons. The Scribes are calling the Holy Spirit an evil demon, an opinion that if seriously clung to would take them down an unrecoverable path of self-destruction. That's my view of it anyway...

[@Super-chad]

Hmmm.... I'm not so satisfied about this one. Christ said that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven _whether in this world of the next_ hence, if one becomes envious of his brother, will he not have committed this sin, which would then make him unable to receive pardon for his transgression?

[@user-AMaraj]

I don't know what to answer to your question because I am not a theologian but do pray Divine Mercy Chaplet, have faith in God's Mercy and fully immerse yourself in God's Mercy. Jesus Himself had promised us to be our Merciful Saviour (not a judge) at the hour of our dead.

[@southernlady1109]

The sin against the Holy Spirit is refusing Gods gift of mercy by rejecting repentance, rejecting forgiveness of sins and salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. Envy, malice, despair, etc. Those who don’t believe in God or His Sacraments reject His gift of mercy. If a person repents, goes to Confession, receives absolution and serves penance they are forgiven. 2 Corinthians 5:18 But all is of God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:19 For certainly God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not charging them with their sins. And he has placed in us the Word of reconciliation. John 20:21 Therefore, he said to them again: “Peace to you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” John 20:22 When he had said this, he breathed on them. And he said to them: “Receive the Holy Spirit. John 20:23 Those whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and those whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.” Matthew 18:18 Amen I say to you, whatever you will have bound on earth, shall be bound also in heaven, and whatever you will have released on earth, shall be released also in heaven. Matthew 9:8 Then the crowd, seeing this, was frightened, and they glorified God, who gave such power to men. Matthew 16:18 And I say to you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:19 And I will give YOU the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatever YOU shall bind on earth shall be bound, even in heaven. And whatever YOU shall release on earth shall be released, even in heaven.” The keys to the kingdom of Heaven are Gods authority and Sacraments.

[@trishkearney]

Sound doctrine is not there to satisfy you, but to lead you to God.

[@charnelallan7159]

Wat r the sins against the holy spirit

[@ericleming1734]

Despair.

[@CatholicProdigal]

I always thought that sinning against the Holy Spirit would include speaking against the anointing that Jesus Christ imparted upon his chosen Apostolic succession, wouldn't it be blasphemous to speak against the works of the Holy Spirit through these blessed leaders, especially the Pope. For example, Christ himself was blasphemed by the Pharisees they likened the works done by the Power of the Holy Spirit to the works of the devil. This is why I am so careful with my tongue and thoughts, the moment I witness something before my tongue or thoughts roam unbridled I say a Hail Mary and Our Father and a Glory Be.

[@kingofhearts222]

Is Saint Paul really an example of the unforgivable state miraculously being forgiven? No doubt Saint Paul did horrible things, but I don't know if his heart was ever truly hardened to the point of resisting the truth. He just didn't know or believe what the truth was when he was persecuting Christians. For instance, he didn't realize that by persecuting Christians, he was actually persecuting God. And when he DID realize that, he repented. He was never CONSCIOUSLY impenitent, by my understanding. So I don't think his heart was ever truly hardened to the point of resisting Goodness Itself like it would be in the case of someone who truly did blaspheme the holy spirit. That's my interpretation at least and I could be very wrong. I'd appreciate some clarification please. Thank you!

[@ericleming1734]

We will, and should pray for the people who doesn’t want to see the goodness of God.

[@user-AMaraj]

Hope this will help, you should read about Blessed Bartolo Longo🤗

[@Lulue_90]

answer at 18:05

[@ericleming1734]

16:09 if one stays in Penetent.

[@carrotontherun6412]

Hurry. How can I do it?

[@charnelallan7159]

Wat is the holy Spirit

[@judeugwu4987]

The third person of the Blessed Trinity

[@charnelallan7159]

@@judeugwu4987 wat does it do in ones life it's purpose

[@tesschavit3009]

Other denominations they hates the catholic church that God founded, hope they repent

[@bassman_0074]

@Qw3rtyGuy youthfulness Statics Dude if they know Jesus is Christ and reject him then yes, they can blaspheme against the spirit. If they didn’t know what they were doing then their culpability is reduced, perhaps even to the point of not being counted against them at all as a sin. The difference is that one is penitent and the other isn’t.

[@claudiozanella256]

Who is the Holy Spirit? Jesus states “The words I say to you, I say not on my own but from the FATHER who DWELLS IN ME.” We are sure that the Holy Spirit is inside Jesus and helps Him in speaking. With that verse Jesus thus reveals that the HOLY SPIRIT inside Him IS THE FATHER. Indeed, we know that the Father is a spirit "God is a spirit". Not only in Jesus, exactly the same kind of relief (when speaking) also occurs inside the disciples: "because it is not ye that will speak, but the SPIRIT OF YOUR FATHER...". However, you can notice there that the term "SPIRIT" is used instead. Well, confusion arises because Jesus has the "Father who is a spirit" and calls Him sometimes "FATHER" (generally when Himself is concerned), sometimes "SPIRIT" (of God, Holy, of the Father...) when other people are concerned (see the apostles above). But they are just TWO NAMES for the SAME ONE SPIRIT: THE FATHER. No further "omnipotent spirit Lord who gives life" exists: it's an invention. But this was obvious: the Devil could be INSIDE you, trying - UNNOTICED as much as possible - to steer your mind and to convince you do something. Well, God is no less, He is able to perform that action too! If God is inside you, trying to lead you, then the HOLY SPIRIT IS IN YOU. Thus, "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" is SYNONYM of "blasphemy against the Father". No one has been FORGOTTEN there: just TWO blasphemies are possible, one against the Father and one against the Son! This also means that when Jesus was baptized, simply the Holy Spirit - i.e. the Father who is a spirit - SAID "...you are my beloved Son...". Just the Father and the Son were there, TWO ! No one else exists "I am not ALONE because the Father is with me". The "omnipotent spirit Lord giver of life" is thus just an invention. The Father is now ONLY ACTIVE in His "Spirit form" (see for example the Holy Spirit and Mary's pregnancy), but He also existed in His "normal form" (see "the Father" of the baptismal formula). God existed in his "normal form" ONLY BEFORE the birth of the universe "Righteous Father, the world has not known you..." this is why "No one has ever seen God..." and why Jesus inherited the kingdom of God "The Father loves the Son and has given him all things into his hand." . The "Spirit of God" PROCEEDS FROM God dwelling in that remote past, but He can just be considered to be AN ATTRIBUTE of God.

[@Spookie425]

If someone speaks or thinks something bad about the Holy Spirit can they be forgiven? "Verbal blasphemy or mental as described in the dictionary" - the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; profane talk??? Or are you doomed forever because of this?

[@dannyboy6598]

Wrong wrong wrong. Totally wrong. Isn't the sin against the Father also against the son n the HSpirit? Shocking. The sins tht Hugh mentioned are all forgivable. This shows tht catholicism is dangerous. The most important thing tht affects the salvation of 1.2 billion Catholics is misunderstood by a priest and explained on CATHOLIC ANSWERS. So if a meal tastes good n u say tht it's bad, is it the unpardonable sin? No. N if a sermon is good n u say it's bad, is it unpardonable? No. So Mr priest u hv deceived many already. The sin against the Holy Spirit is attributing things of God to the devil. Jesus was doing the works of God but the pharisees attributed them to the devil. Alban Douglas gives few more ways that we may blaspheme the HSpirit

[@trishkearney]

Wrong, wrong, wrong. You are not a theologian.

[@dannyboy6598]

@@trishkearney if we must be theologians to understand the message of God then no one can understand God. The holy spirit teaches. Even this is in the bible. So shame on u for not reading the bible

[@trishkearney]

@dannyboy6598 so shame on you. You have no teachers. You have been left orphaned and abandoned to you own devices. So if you had ever read the bible and understood what you read - 'Do not rely on your own understanding'.

[@dannyboy6598]

@@trishkearney read n obey the bible n u will leave the Catholic Church. It is not of God. If priests can be deceived n u can support wrong teachings then u are on the broad road to destruction. What are your fruits. Jesus said U WILL KNOW THEM BY THEIR FRUITS. Some of your fruits are known worldwide..... Pedophilia, sodomy, idolatry drunkeness, n even cocaine within the walls of the vatican. Pls ref to Taylor Marshall video. He is a Roman Catholic n has exposed these. Shame on u

[@dannyboy6598]

@@trishkearney normally when I talk about fruits n pedophilia the foolish n proud Roman Catholic will know that he is done. But strangely in spite of all the evidence tht the rcc is a false church, followers cannot seem to break away from falsehood n deceit. Catholics love to be deceived by the vatican. Don't know why.