15 Mortal sins Catholics are frequently missing in their confession

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Some of these statements by the Father seem orthodox while others seem a little “too orthodox.” For example, his description of the mortal sin of wearing certain clothing such as leggings and short shorts seems to miss the importance of the intention of the wearer. Would a ballet dancer who wears tights be committing a mortal sin? Would a person who is exercising in tight clothes or an athlete be committing a mortal sin? What about wearing a bikini or speedo to the beach? Is this a mortal sin regardless of the situation or just perhaps a fashion faux pas? More generally, the Father omits the importance of intention in defining mortal sin: that is, if one was not aware that their action constituted a mortal sin, is it still regarded as such? Are there not specific criteria which define what a mortal sin consists of?
 
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Yes. Besides grave matter there must be knowledge of the sin and full consent of the will. It seems that in the list of fifteen, Father was discussing only the matter.
 
It’s not really my place to be critical of a priest but I felt, in this case, I had to offer a little gentle correction.
 
But in Part I, he does say this:
"What constitutes a mortal sin? First, grave deeds, but “besides grave matter, there is also required full consciousness of the gravity of the matter, along with the deliberate will to commit the sin.”
 
You’re perfectly correct. However, I wonder whether he applies that definition in the second part where he gives examples. It doesn’t appear so to me, although maybe it is implicit.
 
Love the British (or Aussie) language! Of course you are correct.
 
I’d be surprised if homosexuals acts are frequently missed in Confession.
Aside from that the whole tone of the work is not a good one. Gentle correction would at least make people more willing to hear what he has to say.
 
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And rightly so. Of the 402,000 priests , a few have run off the rails. Fr. Leonard Feeney (1897-1978) was one such. He was formally excommunicated and the edict was personally translated into English by Pope Pius XII. Ooof!
 
Modesty is always arguable, and the adequacy of catechizing the kids has some nuances. The rest of the list seems reasonable. But the Friday penance seems to be a problem to many, since hardly anyone knows what is an adequate Friday penance anymore. I’m thinking that the USCCB should have just left the meatless Fridays in place.
 
I agree with everything on this list, and quite honestly am considering printing it and leaving it on our parish information table.
 
I didn’t know oral sex in marriage was wrong if it was not the ends.
 
VanitasVanitatum said:
I’d be surprised if homosexuals acts are frequently missed in Confession.
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Good catch! And a graphic description was not necessary to further encourage confession.
Item 14. Skipping Friday Penance.

I thought it odd that he would not mention that in the US the USCCB has specifically ruled that Friday penance is not binding under pain of sin, mortal or venial.

This is well addressed by reference to the USCCB documents by Fr Jerabek [here]((Private Site) (April 2019).

His summary is accurate:
Therefore, from this we may conclude that failure to do penance on a Friday outside of Lent is not a mortal sin. In fact, the Bishops protest that it is not a sin at all.
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Of course not all Catholics are American, but I did think it odd that Fr Nix in declaring mortal sin for any Catholic neglecting Friday penance should not mention this important exception.

To give him the benefit of the doubt I looked up his bio and found that he’s an American himself and a priest in the Archdiocese of Denver!

So he has contradicted his own bishops with a private, more severe, interpretation of the Magisterium and is putting an unnecessary burden on those entrusted to him.

This casts doubt on the whole article. Where else might he be declaring his private interpretation as binding under pain of mortal sin?
Finally, if your parish priest or confessor doubts any of the above are mortal sins, please tell him I will debate him publicly on the Magisterium in any place, in any forum (his parish, street corner, or on YouTube) at any time he wants.
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Same here. In fact I spotted stuff in that list that I didn’t know…so guess where I’m going this morning…
 
I think the ballet dancer example or sports or anything similar is not what Father means, because dancer or sportsman is wearing them for function and nothing else will suffice. Tight leggings worn by girls for ‘comfort’ as indeed I have done in the past, nevertheless can cause sinful thoughts in men. No getting away from that one. So we are responsible as Christians for our brothers and sisters and not do anything which would lead them into sin. Cain alone said, am I my brother’s keeper?
 
A number of the views expressed in that article do not comport with the teachings of the Church on the same subjects. This to me makes the entire article unreliable.

Rather than rely on articles like this, find a good examination of conscience and discuss any questions with your priest. This type of article does more harm than good IMHO.
 
Clothing…

God created Adam and eve naked. The serpent showed them their nakedness.

Mistake number 1.

Drunk or high

Jesus first miricale involved wine from water. So the guest could have their fill of joy.

Mistake number 2

Masturbation before marriage.

No where in scriptures is this written ?

Yes if you are selfish in marriage or a loving relationship.

Mistake number 3

Not all priests are correct and as you should already know some will try to temp you away from the bible.
 
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