Can a sin of omission be Mortal?

[dizzy_dave]

How can I be guilty of a mortal sin when it comes to sins of omission. Can someone give me some examples of sins of omission that could be mortal? Thank you God bless.

 

[geezerbob]

Read Matthew 25 beginning at verse 31. This should clear it up very nicely for you and it’s in the words of Jesus, himself.

 

[baltobetsy]

How about not going to Mass on Sunday and holydays? Or not fasting on the appointed days? Or failing in your duties to parents or children? Not paying your employees a just wage - not giving your employer an honest day’s work for your wages. Anything you are seriously obligated to do and do not do would fall into this category.

Betsy

 

[otm]

There are innumerable testimonies available from young women who got pregnant, and the father abandoned her; she subsequently got an abortion.

He did nothing.

A baby (his child) died.

Can it be any plainer?

 

[dizzy_dave]

What about these:

• I work with several guys at work all fallen away Catholics, they never go to Mass, and get drunk nearly every weekend.
• Abrother who is the same, and a sister also.
• A woman at work a fallen away Catholic, married to a man (civil marriage) who believes in God but that’s it, they never go to any kind of church, kids 2: not baptized.
  
  Am I obligated to tell them they MAY BE committing mortal sins? If I don’t am I guilty of a mortal sin?, Would that be a mortal sin of omission on my part if I don’t “Abmonish the sinner”? Just for clarification, these things they are or aren’t doing COULD be mortal sins, I don’t know what they knoe, etc., I am not judging them, just an observation. One day I just wondered if I didn’t say anything if it was wrong? If they are ignorant and I stay silent, they probably are not committing mortal sin, now if I bring it up to them and then they know it’s wrong and continue to sin, aren’t I doing them more harm than good?
  
  So my main question is is it a mortal sin for me to stay silent? If so how do I bring this up to them without offending them or driving them further away from God?

Thanks and God bless!

 

[otm]

dizzy_dave:

What about these:

• I work with several guys at work all fallen away Catholics, they never go to Mass, and get drunk nearly every weekend.
• Abrother who is the same, and a sister also.
• A woman at work a fallen away Catholic, married to a man (civil marriage) who believes in God but that’s it, they never go to any kind of church, kids 2: not baptized.
  
  Am I obligated to tell them they MAY BE committing mortal sins? If I don’t am I guilty of a mortal sin?, Would that be a mortal sin of omission on my part if I don’t “Abmonish the sinner”? Just for clarification, these things they are or aren’t doing COULD be mortal sins, I don’t know what they knoe, etc., I am not judging them, just an observation. One day I just wondered if I didn’t say anything if it was wrong? If they are ignorant and I stay silent, they probably are not committing mortal sin, now if I bring it up to them and then they know it’s wrong and continue to sin, aren’t I doing them more harm than good?
  
  So my main question is is it a mortal sin for me to stay silent? If so how do I bring this up to them without offending them or driving them further away from God?

Thanks and God bless!

OK, now we get to the meaning of the post.

First, you have to have an identifiable duty. we all have a generiec duty to spread the Gospel, but not necessarily a specific duty. Where you have a specific duty (e.g., your children), the same rules apply to a mortal sin in this area as any other; 1) it must be seriously wrong, 2) you must know it is seriously wrong and 3) you must intentionally choose (to not speak).

1. is problematic; I would hazard a guess that few, if any moral theologians would say that you have any general moral duty to speak to those around you, with perhaps the exception of siblings, and even there, as they are adults and presumed to have been brought up with the correct understanding of their moral duties, you would appear to have little or no responsibility, and certainly not one that would create the occasion for mortal sin.

Morality is not some simplistic formula in black and white that applies to all situations; it is a little more complex than that. In a given circumstance, you may have some moral duty to speak; but if they are not receptive to it, your duty would stop. Nagging didn’t work when you were a teenager; it is not likely to work now that they are adults.

You need also to remember the phrase, attributed to St Francis (among others): “Preach the Gospel; if necessary, use words.”

Too often we assume words are necessary; often they are detrimental.

 

[TOME]

This is just my opinion.

First, I think if this situation is bothering your conscience then there is something there that is telling you to address this issue. However, given what you have written about them, I doubt very much that anything you would say about Mortal Sin would have much effect. Perhaps, you can approach this and talk to them about how their life styles are harming themselves - physically if nothing else. And in an indirect way you would be approach the subject of Mortal Sin because isn’t mortal sin the ultimate in self destruction, and in effect that is what they are doing to themselves. With that as an opening,and more important with the help of God and a lot of prayer they may become open to the reality that yes if they are not commiting grevious sins (which they are when it come to Mass on Sundays) they are certainly on that slipery slope to that self destruction we know Mortal Sin to be.