A hypothetical situation involving just one mortal sin

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What i have learnt regarding this issue is that the sinner was simply not given the grace of final perseverance, that grace that you must must have to enter heaven. It does seem unfair to us but who are we to question God, as Thomas Aquinas said these are not his exact words but this is the message he was conveying "why God enables one sinner to die at the right time and go to Heaven and not the other who dies in sin and is condemned is a mystery that God only knows and you have to accept this fact unless you wish to err in your faith.

God abandons who he abandons and raises who he raises, according to the many teachings by various saints when one commits a mortal sin one deserves Hell because of doing so because living where you commit mortal sin is choosing to live apart from God and “in Hell” so to speak. It is Gods decision to allow someone to die in their sins and of course it is that sinners decisions to commit mortal sin knowing that they may die immediately after.
 
The real question would be why did he all of a sudden “intentionally” decide not to fulfil his obligation?

It seems like a stretch to believe that someone who lived their life the way you describe it would just do that unless he had a valid reason to do so (such as illness).
 
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But he did not choose to separate himself from God. He merely mistakenly felt positive that he would please God by watching it through the Internet even though he knew that this went against The Church’s teaching. In other words, does God not judge the heart and would know that the assumption this guy held and felt so positive about was simply a based on a one-time poor judgment.

An absolutist would say no and insist that the Church’s teachings can never be deviated from for any reason whatsoever, and the fact that this deviation from Church teaching was simply based on poor judgment would count for nothing. Others would insist that God would search the soul and perhaps forgive him due to the fact that humans often make poor choices, however naive the person may have been. Is God really that rigid that a near perfect saint, with one sinful blunder made in haste, would be condemned to hell. I believe most of the recent popes would be more cautious and shy away from the absolutists authoritarian position.
 
Let’s start at the end.

God does not condemn anyone to this sever suffering. Period. A mortal sin is an outright, complete rejection of God by placing self superior to God, which is another way of saying that the individual who clearly, consciously and with full intent chooses an act which that individual knows is a complete rejection of God, is an individual who is choosing hell themselves. God honors the choice.

I our rush to minimize sin, we cast God as this vengeful, wrathful being; with the corollary that we “just made a mistake”.

If you have a question as to whether or not a single solitary mortal sin is or is not a complete rejection of God, you may wish to speak with a moral theologian who follows Church teaching.

Second, your example is a poor one as you have an internal conflict within it. The conflict is your attemtp to balance what the Church teaches as a mortal sin - one that is a complete rejection of God - with “well, the individual did watch a Mass, so maybe a mortal isn isn’t really mortal”.

In some circumstances, what is objectively a mortal sin may not be subjectively the same degree.

I can clearly and with a good conscience intentionally miss Mass on a Sunday; for example, if I am trying to puke up my toenails, I can intentionally decide not to attend Mass that day as my illness releases the obligation. So your construct fails. Further, anyone who has lead a complete life as the individual described is not going to make this choice. The construct fails (again).

So to reiterate: the unfortunate soul has specifically and intentionally chosen to violate God’s command as exemplified by Church law (Mass on Sunday) knowing that I am telling God by that choice “I want nothing to do with you”. And God will honor my choice.

A fair and just God will honor my choice - either for good, or for evil. God doesn’t play “Gotcha!”
 
Ecclesiastes said:
My question is how many Catholics believe that a fair and just God would condemn him to this severe suffering throughout eternity given all his righteousness?
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I’m going to read between the lines here, so just bare with me.
This question makes me nervous. It’s the kind of question that someone asks when they have one foot out the door. The answer you’re going to have in your mind is ‘What kind of God is this? He is severe, cruel, punishing. That’s not a God I want any part in.’
The truth of God is Jesus hanging on the cross, paying the ransom for us. Spend time with that reality. It should make you weep with joy.

I know people who have gone to daily mass, for decades. Think about that. They get up an hour and a half earlier than they need too. They go rain or shine or snow. When the priest is away on holiday, they visit another parish. These are the ordinary folks who are impacting the world for Good. They are pulling down a Niagra Falls of blessings on the world. I would like you to ask the question of ‘who are these people? and can I have the kind of faith they are living every day of their lives?’ There is way more than what you know right now about the awesomeness of God. This is why we say at Christmas with joy ‘God is with us!’

I know people who go to noon mass and they spend the afternoon in the church praying 20 decades of the rosary and singing hymns, while fasting. I asked one lady why she does this, and she said simply, ‘This is the Lord’s day! What else should I be doing?’ This is a soldier of Christ who is changing the course of the world. When she spoke of her faith, it was with pauses, with tears. It makes me say ‘I want more of what she has.’

Look upon ordinary people doing extra ordinary things with God. Walking in this world and holding his hand. This is our calling. We are stronger with you joining us. God bless you. God is with us! Let us humble ourselves as he humbled himself to take on flesh and be born of the Virgin.
 
Am humbled by that. I was really not feeling in the mood for mass this evening and I am ashamed of myself I’m going
 
Ecclesiastes said:
He merely mistakenly felt positive that he would please God by watching it through the Internet even though he knew that this went against The Church’s teaching
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It can’t be both. If what you say is true, then our obligations to God and to the Church are separate.
 
I remember going to mass in the morning and there were 2 ladies attending, with a toddler. They would go up for communion, receive only a blessing from the priest, and come back to their spot with tears going down their face. When I chatted with them I found out their were sisters, had a Lutheran background, and were not in the Catholic church yet. They were aching to receive the Eucharist, but came every morning, rain or shine. They knew to offer up that aching for those who came to the Eucharist with a lukewarm heart. They offered their obedience to the church. They went to confession often. “I got stuff I want to get rid of today!” I thought ‘I want more of what they have!’ They came into the church at Easter time, some years back.

Just try to watch that every morning and not be moved. I went up for communion with a new awakening of what a tremendous gift it is and how I am not worthy.

God wishes to have such an intimacy with us. He is ready to start our heaven while we are still here on earth. I want more of that.
God is with us!
 
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Ecclesiastes said:
he intentionally missed one Sunday Mass
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The committing of a mortal sin is a knowledgable and willful choice to say with one’s actions “I don’t want to be with my Creator”.
Ecclesiastes said:
Moreover, imagine that this guy was extremely loving, peaceful, forgiving, humble, non-judgmental, etc.
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We cannot earn our way to heaven by being 'good enough". We are saved by grace, through faith, not of our own works.
Ecclesiastes said:
a fair and just God would condemn him to this severe suffering throughout eternity given all his righteousness?
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God does not condemn us when we choose to sin. We bring condemnation upon ourselves. The wages of sin is death.

As far as “his righteousness” is concerned, it is like filthy rags to God, whose purity is beyond our imagination.

Titus 3:5 he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy
 
Ecclesiastes said:
But he did not choose to separate himself from God. He merely mistakenly felt positive that he would please God by watching it through the Internet even though he knew that this went against The Church’s teaching.
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This makes no sense.

A rational person who knows the Church’s teaching KNOWS that they will not please God through going againsf that teaching.

What you describe above sounds like a person who took leave of their reason, was suffering some sort of mental or emotional breakdown. Persons who are not in their right mind are not consenting to sin.
 
God’s grace and providence does not permit this type of unfair scenario. Either, he would repent promptly, due to grace, or he would have more time to repent, due to providence, or he would not commit the sin in the first place, due to grace (if he were as holy as you described). These types of hypotheticals, which seem unfair, don’t occur in real life, as God is not unfair, and He can intervene with grace and providence.
 
Why is everybody assuming that this guy intentionally rejected God? As I stated elsewhere, he honestly believed that watching Sunday Mass through the Internet was a valid form of worship. Never did he intentionally and willfully deny God.

If attending an actual Catholic Mass in person is the only way to accept God, and anybody who does not attend a Catholic Sunday Mass is rejecting God, would this not mean that all non-Catholics who are fully aware of Catholic teachings, and all Catholics who fail to go to attend Sunday Mass without repenting, are condemned to hell? In fact the Church is very clear that all Protestants and Jews can be saved. Is this teaching of the Church not clear evidence that not honoring all the Catholic teachings is not applicable to everyone? Moreover, if honoring Catholic teachings is not applicable to everyone universally to those who have full knowledge of them, why is honoring all Catholic teachings so absolutely necessary for the guy in my scenario? Again, he honestly felt certain that watching Sunday Mass through Internet, and actively taking part in the Mass the best he could, would be acceptable to God. Does not God search the heart to see if each individual is sincerely accepting Him?

PLEASE, explain these things to me!
 
Just popping by to say that little girl on your profile pic is adorable 🙂
 
Thanks! My lovely granddaughter! Too bad she’s being brought up in an atheistic environment!
 
That really is too bad 😦 but she has a good example in you I am sure and I will pray for her
 
Ecclesiastes said:
Why is everybody assuming that this guy intentionally rejected God? As I stated elsewhere, he honestly believed that watching Sunday Mass through the Internet was a valid form of worship. Never did he intentionally and willfully deny God
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As I said before.
You no longer describe a mortal sin.
 
When you leave the house for an afternoon, you expect more from a 16 year old than a 6 year old.

Luke 12:48 New International Version (NIV)​

48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Do you have someone in your family who has left the faith? Are you in a conversation about going back to the church and they don’t want to?
 
I said that he knew full well that it was a mortal sin according to Church teachings, but later I added that he did not consider it a mortal sin because he truly believed that watching the Mass over the Internet was acceptable to God.
 
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