Are these venial or mortal?

[GloriousOrder]

Dear friends ,

I was lately baptised at the Easter Vigil. With great pride and confidence, I thought “I won’t sin again!”, and this was almost certainly a sinful attitude. How silly I was to think such a thing moments after I ought to have used my illuminated intellectual faculty properly! I have committed three sins, of which I am totally aware, since Saturday night.

For one, in my excitement and delirious joy I told a catechumen that I’d be at her baptism the next day: Easter Day proper. I realise that I was very happy and I had just gorged on many embraces from fellow Catholics, but I had also just consumed the most holy God in Communion, so there was no excuse for me to lie like that. I knew she was to be baptised at a Mass I don’t particularly care for the “style” of, so I knew I wouldn’t be going… but I blurted it out anyway.

On Sunday morning, I was immediately conscripted to serve at the altar and it went over so well (despite the 800 people in attendance), and was such a fast “step up”, that I was filled with great pride. I thought that I’ll be a bishop soon enough, and then can change things to my liking! This was terrible pride, and I felt like Satan afterward: disobedient and puffed-up. Is this so terrible that I ought to avoid Communion and go to Confession?

On Monday evening, I was totally full from a celebratory supper given to me by my parents. Despite that, someone offered me fresh chocolate chip cookies and, knowing well that I was totally full, I accepted two out of lust for the taste. I estimated the pleasure I’d get from some cookies above the utility I had from simple, godly sustenance. I put the cookies above my own self-worth.

I’m asking about this for general opinions. Many priests seem to be away from the archdiocese this week, and there are so few here that the ones left are very busy. I don’t want to bother them, and official confessions are at a very awkward hour tomorrow night. I’d rather get this cleared out and confessed by appointment today, than wait for my brain to explode!

We were taught the general outline for identifying mortal sin, but we weren’t particularly well-instructed on exactly what constitutes “Grave Matter”!

 

[1ke]

You need to get some counseling from your priest. It sounds as though you might tend towards scrupuosity. You are seeing sins where there are none.

 

[06convert]

Welcome home to the Catholic Church.

You may or may not be happy to know. There is no list of sins. People have made lists, but ignore them. Sin is different for everyone and it’s not black and white. Pretty much anything you do can be a sin if you do it for the wrong reason. Likewise, any sin you commit may not be as bad as you think given the circumstances. It’s all about intent and the damage done. Sin is something that only you can define for yourself based on an honest examination of your conscience and prayerful decision making. God knows our intent.

In order for a sin to be considered mortal it has to be something very bad, you have to know that the action is sinful, and you have to ignore your moral conscience and guidance and commit the sin anyway. Without those conditions there is no mortal sin. Again, what is very bad? That is something only you can answer for yourself with prayer and consideration of God’s teachings and your conscience. It has to be an honest examination of your conscience. God knows if we are cheating. So we can’t just pretend like something isn’t sinful and somehow remove our culpability.

So ask yourself these questions about your sins. Do you consider them grave? Did you have time to consider the sin and the consequences before you acted? Did you know it was grave at the time and do it anyways, ignoring God? The fact that you are here asking suggests that the conditions for a mortal sin probably are not met.

We all sin. You’re lucky if you make it 60 seconds after baptism without sinning. We fall, and God is there to help us back up. Thank goodness we have such a healing sacrament.

A piece of advice I have is. If you feel particularly bad about something and feel a tug toward confession. Why fight it? Just go, you’ll feel better.

I would also suggest that you look and try to find some classes or discussions on morality and how to make moral decisions. This will help form your conscience to make choices that are good and in the case where all options are bad, how to choose the one that is least bad. Of course make sure to find good Catholic resources. Many non-Catholic resources may not be very helpful as their teachings suggest that there is no need for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

 

[JRKH]

WELCOME HOME!!!
I tend to think that you are tending toward being too hard on yourself. I do not believe that the things you mention are Mortal sins. I DO think that God is showing you areas where you need work.

The term “Sin” carries to meanings from the hebrew and greek. The one most commonly applied is “violating rules” or “offending God”, but another meaning is “to miss the path” to “be in error”.
So while telling the girl that you would be at her baptism might be “breaking a rule”, other things (like the cookie issue) are not.

However, I think you are astute in recognizing the “erroneous thinking” (sinful) aspect of these things. You became “Puffed up” rather quickly and succumbed to some thoughts that were rather vainglorious. But you recognize this fact, have (I assume) made a good act of contrition, and intend to go to confession as soon as you are able.

So don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s easy to get puffed up when so much is happening all at once, and everything seems to be revolving around you…but God has quickly shown you your errors and will give you the grace to explore and fight these tendancies.

Peace
James

 

[ChadS]

I’m going with 1ke on this one. I doubt those are sins at all, so just take a deep breath and calm down a little bit and perhaps these sorts of thoughts will pass on. If not talk to a priest or take your time to really examine a situation to determine if what you did or thought was really sinful.

ChadS

 

[baltobetsy]

They sound like imperfections to me. You should get with a priest and have him help you understand what constitutes grave matter. If you continue on this path, you will end up driving yourself crazy with scrupulosity. It seems your enthusiasm has led you first to a couple of indiscretions and second to overestimating their importance.

 

[markomalley]

First of all, welcome home!

As others have said, imagining a venial matter to be grave can lead one to developing a habit of scrupulosity.

The sin of gluttony is not typically a grave matter. Neither is pride.

However, deliberate venial sin is not a matter to be taken lightly, either. It weakens your communion with God and it slackens your spiritual powers, lowers your resistance to evil, and, in general, makes you an easier target for the enemy of our souls. So don’t just blow it off. Particularly if these kind of things are a habit.

Again, to stress though, nothing you described in your post sounds like grave matter.

 

[JRKH]

First of all, welcome home!

As others have said, imagining a venial matter to be grave can lead one to developing a habit of scrupulosity.

The sin of gluttony is not typically a grave matter. Neither is pride.

However, deliberate venial sin is not a matter to be taken lightly, either. It weakens your communion with God and it slackens your spiritual powers, lowers your resistance to evil, and, in general, makes you an easier target for the enemy of our souls. So don’t just blow it off. Particularly if these kind of things are a habit.

Again, to stress though, nothing you described in your post sounds like grave matter.

Mark,
Very good points…I liken venial sins to minor cuts damaging and painful but not lethal. However if one makes a habit of cutting ones self…Well how many small cuts does it take to fatally weaken someone…

Peace
James

 

[markomalley]

Mark,
Very good points…I liken venial sins to minor cuts damaging and painful but not lethal. However if one makes a habit of cutting ones self…Well how many small cuts does it take to fatally weaken someone…

Peace
James

Really good analogy…