Recovery of Virtue by Penance

Sins are pardoned through penance, especially by means of the sacrament of penance. Now, pardon of sin means infusion of grace. And from grace all virtues flow. Hence, virtues lost by sin are recovered by penance, and notably by the sacrament of penanceworthily received.

A man rises through penance to the virtue he lost, buthe has not always the full strength of that virtue immediately upon regaining it.

A man is restored by penance to his former dignity; bythe grace infused, he is numbered again with the children of God.

If a man with virtuous deeds to his credit commitsmortal sin, his good deeds are rendered lifeless and ineffective,because mortal sin turns the man completely away from God and eternal life.

But if a man by penance recovers the grace of God, his good deeds, deadened by his sin, come to life again. Hencemeritorious deeds done formerly are revived by penance. The lost merits are regained.

However, good works done in the state of mortal sin have not any power of merit in them when they are performed. Nor is such power infused into them when penance restores their author to grace. Dead works (that is, good and meritorious works done in thestate of mortal sin), stay dead. They are not brought to life by penance.