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Lampo
Guest
According to whom?
Nick…do you believe in mortal and venial sins? Meaning some sins are less than others. Some sins kill the soul and others do not.
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Nick…do you believe in mortal and venial sins? Meaning some sins are less than others. Some sins kill the soul and others do not.
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Lampo
Guest
NJ…I have a proposition for you. If you can show me just *one *Early Church Father that argues the Eucharist is merely symbolic and not the real Body of Christ, I will renounce my Catholic faith. If you cannot, would you convert to Catholicism if I can show you *20 *Early Church Fathers that argue the Eucharist is the actual body of Christ? Keep in mind, these early Christians are closer in time to Jesus and the Apostles and in fact some were directly taught by the actual Apostles.
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Nick_Jones
Guest
I believe that our sinfulness extends throughout every part of our nature as a result of the fall of mankind, and that due to our sinful nature, it isn’t merely our deeds that are sinful; our attitudes, beliefs, and priorities are sinful as well. So, I don’t see any point in trying to grade various deeds on some arbitrary scale when the real problem is our sinful hearts and minds giving rise to evil motives and hatred toward others…even if we don’t always ACT-OUT every one of our evil desires.
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Lampo
Guest
You may not see the point, but do you believe in venial and mortal sins?
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Nick_Jones
Guest
Your proposition is foolish. Do you seek to honor men, or God? What need would I have for a religion–even YOUR religion? Can religion–any religion, save you from your sins? No, my faith is not in mere mortals, my faith is in Jesus, who willingly went to the cross and died in a horribly painful and humiliating way, so that I will live with Him forever.
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Nick_Jones
Guest
I don’t even know what is meant by “mortal” and “venial” sins. How do you define them clearly enough to know which is which?
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Stillkickin
Guest
Q. What is a sin?
A. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (C.C.C.) defines a sin as follows:
"Sin is an offense against reason, truth and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as “an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law.” (C.C.C. # 1849)
"Sin is an offense against God: ‘Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight.’ Sin sets itself against God’s love for us and turns our hearts away from it. Like the first sin, it is disobedience, a revolt against God through the will to become ‘like gods,’ knowing and determining good and evil. Sin is thus ‘love of oneself even to contempt of God.’ In this proud self- exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the obedience of Jesus, which achieves our salvation. (C.C.C. # 1850)
**Q. What is a mortal sin? **
A. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines a mortal sin as follows:
“Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God’s law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him.” (C.C.C. # 1855)
“Mortal sin, by attacking the vital principle within us - that is, charity - necessitates a new initiative of God’s mercy and a conversion of heart which is normally accomplished within the setting of the Sacrament of Confession.” (C.C.C. # 1856)
“Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the private of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance of God’s forgiveness, it causes exclusion to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God.” (C.C.C. # 1861)
“To choose deliberately - that is, both knowing it and willing it - something gravely contrary to the divine law and to the ultimate end of man is to commit a mortal sin. This destroys in us the charity without which eternal beatitude is impossible. Unrepented, it brings eternal death.” (C.C.C. # 1874)
**Q. What is a venial sin? **
A. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines a venial sin as follows:
“Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it.” (To “subsist” means to “exist.”) (C.C.C. # 1855)
“Venial sin constitutes a moral disorder that is reparable by charity, which it allows to subsist in us.” (C.C.C. # 1875)
“One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law,or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent.” (C.C.C. #. 1862)
“Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it impedes the soul’s progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal punishment. Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin. However venial sin does not set us in direct opposition to the will and friendship of God; it does not break the covenant with God. With God’s grace it is humanly reparable. ‘Venial sin does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace, friendship with God, charity, and consequently eternal happiness.’” (C.C.C. # 1863)
**Q. What is the difference between a mortal sin and a venial sin? **
A. For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must exist at the same time.
- It must be of a grave matter;
- It must be committed with full knowledge that it is a mortal sin;
- It must be committed with full consent. [Full consent means to do it “voluntarily.”] (C.C.C. # 1857)
Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: ‘Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger." (C.C.C. # 1858)
“Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s laws. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.” (C.C.C. # 1859)
“When the will sets itself upon something that is of its nature incompatible with the charity that orients man toward his ultimate end, then the sin is mortal by its very object… whether it contradicts the love of God, such as blasphemy or perjury, or the love of neighbour, such as homicide or adultery… But when the sinner’s will is set upon something that of its nature involves a disorder, but is not opposed to the love of God and neighbour, such as thoughtless chatter or immoderate laughter and the like, such sins are venial.” (C.C.C. # 1856)
**Q. What about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? **
A. On this subject, it can be said that,
“Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.” There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss." (C.C.C. # 1864)
“Blasphemy against the Spirit: The saying about blasphemy against the Spirit has long presented difficulty, particularly in Catholic theology, which affirms the possibility of repentance up to the moment of death. This teaching is solidly founded in the NT, and this saying of Jesus cannot be understood in a way that contradicts his invitations to repentance. Refusal to recognize the Son of Man as Messiah can be forgiven; faith atones for previous denial of faith. This Messianic claim is missing in Mk. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, however, attributes the activity of the Spirit to some other power. The present activity of God can be attested only through the actions of the Spirit. If these are not recognized, then there is no means by which God can reach man. The one who will not accept the work of the Spirit has made it impossible for himself to recognize the word and the work of God. Only he can be forgiven who confesses that he has something to be forgiven.” (Taken from: The Jerome Biblical Commentary; The Gospel According to Matthew Part II; Page 85, # 31.)
**Q. Does that mean that those who commit mortals sins will never go to Heaven? **
A. All mortal sins can be forgiven. With a conversion of heart through the Sacrament of Confession, the sinner can seek God’s mercy and reinstate the state of grace that was previously obtained through the Sacrament of Baptism.
To be denied entry into the Kingdom of God, the sinner must: - Commit one or more sins of a grave matter;
- Have full knowledge that the sin(s) is a mortal sin;
- Voluntarily consent to commit the sin;
- Reject the grace of God;
- Reject the mercy of God by refusing to confess his sins through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
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Lampo
Guest
Actually it would be very beneficial for you.
I worship God. There is nothing wrong with honoring people however.
So that when you die you could live with God in Heaven.
So you don’t think the Early Christians had faith in Jesus?
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Nick_Jones
Guest
How is that?
Which early Christians? Not every person who claims to be a Christian really does have faith in WHO Jesus is, and WHAT He has accomplished for them. Only God knows which ones belong to Him.
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Lampo
Guest
God’s plan for you is simple. Your loving Father wants to give you all good things—especially eternal life. Jesus died on the cross to save us all from sin and the eternal separation from God that sin causes (CCC 599–623). When he saves us, he makes us part of his Body, which is the Church (1 Cor. 12:27–30). We thus become united with him and with Christians everywhere (on earth, in heaven, in purgatory).
Why you should convert to Catholicism
These
Do *you *claim to be a Christian? Do *you *really have faith in WHO Jesus is? Do *you *know or have faith in WHAT He accomplished for you?
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RodneyJ
Guest
**Hello, Mike! I seemed to have missed you in the Meet and Greet! I just wanted to go ahead and take this time to welcome you and let you know, as you’ve already found out, this forum is an abundance of intelligence.
God Bless!
Rodney**
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