Characteristics of the State of Mortal Sin

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Hubertus

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Hello all, I’m not sure if this topic’s been done before (or if it’s on another part of the website), but I tried doing a search and I couldn’t find anything on it.

My question(s) is about what you can and can’t do when you’re in mortal sin. I know that we are cut off from God’s grace when we are in this state. But can someone in mortal sin pray for others? Does it do any good? Can they pray for themselves? Can they still receive grace from that prayer in order to, say, resist committing more sins?

And what is there to prevent someone from sinning up a storm once they have made that initial mortal sin? It’s always seemed to me that once someone has made that initial step into that state, they’re likely to start sinning habitually since they have nothing to lose now until they’re able to make it to Confession. I know this is a sin of presumption of God’s mercy, but what do you tell the sinner when they know they’re already in a state of sin anyway?

Thank you for your answers
 
Hubertus said:
Hello all, I’m not sure if this topic’s been done before (or if it’s on another part of the website), but I tried doing a search and I couldn’t find anything on it.

My question(s) is about what you can and can’t do when you’re in mortal sin. I know that we are cut off from God’s grace when we are in this state. But can someone in mortal sin pray for others? Does it do any good? Can they pray for themselves? Can they still receive grace from that prayer in order to, say, resist committing more sins?

They can pray…but yes their prayer is …well not as it was.

And what is there to prevent someone from sinning up a storm once they have made that initial mortal sin? It’s always seemed to me that once someone has made that initial step into that state, they’re likely to start sinning habitually since they have nothing to lose now until they’re able to make it to Confession. I know this is a sin of presumption of God’s mercy, but what do you tell the sinner when they know they’re already in a state of sin anyway?

Yes such is a serious temptation for them…they ought to a quickly as possible repent and turn to Jesus …and get to confession. The more mortal sins …well the more mortal sins…the greater the effect…

Thank you for your answers
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Good question. I would say, this is my opinion, that if you were considering praying or helping someone you would not be in a state of mortal sin because why would you have desire to to do good? I am sure you ask for forgiveness when you do fall so with that in mind what you do after would be considered by our Lord it may not be the full indulgence quality but I think God would hear you.

This is my opinion and it seems “fuzzy” to me. If you ask God for forgiveness you are forgiven. Why would God put limitations on that by only granting partial graces until you get to confession??

Very good question, I am looking forward to this thread.
 
I would tend to agree with Michaelmas.

Bookcat, you say that a person in mortal sin’s prayer is “not as it was.” What exactly do you mean by that?
 
VonDerTann said:
I would tend to agree with Michaelmas.

Bookcat, you say that a person in mortal sin’s prayer is “not as it was.” What exactly do you mean by that?
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Well…

Can a person in a “state of mortal sin” pray? Yes! please do…Jesus came for sinners…one ought to run to him!

And can he pray for others and God hear him? Yes of course.

But is true too that as Paul notes sin (he mentions anger) can “hinder” ones prayer…and as Scripture also says --the prayer of the *just man *avails much…
 
And what is there to prevent someone from sinning up a storm once they have made that initial mortal sin? It’s always seemed to me that once someone has made that initial step into that state, they’re likely to start sinning habitually since they have nothing to lose now until they’re able to make it to Confession. I know this is a sin of presumption of God’s mercy, but what do you tell the sinner when they know they’re already in a state of sin anyway?
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Good question–in fact, one I used to ask myself all the time.
You have to remember that you are not sent to hell for a mortal sin, but for an *unrepented *mortal sin. If someone commits a mortal sin, and later makes an act of perfect contrition, they are forgiven. However, because one must be reconciled with the Church as well as with God, and because the Church (and therefore Christ) commands that we go to confession after committing a mortal sin, we still must go to confession even if we are already perfectly contrite.

The problem with thinking, “Well, I’ve already committed one mortal sin, I may as well commit even more,” is that you’re precluding the possibility of having that contrition before confession–and therefore, if you die before making it to the confessional, you will go to hell. You’re also making it much, much harder for yourself to have contrition at the time of confession, and forming sinful habits that will require a lot of effort to be broken later.
My question(s) is about what you can and can’t do when you’re in mortal sin. I know that we are cut off from God’s grace when we are in this state. But can someone in mortal sin pray for others? Does it do any good? Can they pray for themselves? Can they still receive grace from that prayer in order to, say, resist committing more sins?
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Yes, you can and should pray. This is what brings you to repentance. Pray especially for perfect contrition, and most definitely pray not to commit another mortal sin! Although you are not in a state of sanctifying grace and your soul is not capable of absorbing grace (so to speak), God always hears the prayer of a “humble and contrite spirit,” and if you are truly sorry for having offended Him, and intend to go to confession as soon as possible, He will certainly not refuse you His help. As far as praying for others–from what I’ve heard, the prayers and sacrifices of a soul in mortal sin for another soul have no effect. However, as I noted above, if you truly are perfectly contrite, you are placed in a state of grace in advance of confession, and in this case your prayers may be effective.

If I have said anything incorrect here, please forgive me. I do sincerely believe that I have stated the position of the Catholic Church, but if I have made any error, please correct me.
 
I would say the entire scenario requires one thing to determine what their prayers do. Are they perfectly contrite? Are they intending to go to confession? Are they repentant at all? A man who is sorry for what he has done and is praying for others is much different than a man who has turned his back on God (and likely would have no desire to pray to God for or about anything).
 
So once one repents of his mortal sin(s) and sincerely resolves never to sin again, he may again pray and benefit from God answering his prayers and giving him grace? To go further, what about spending an hour in adoration, attending Mass (without receiving), praying the Divine Office, etc. Can he benefit from those? (I’m not indicating that one can or should do without Confession–I just want to consider all the things he might want to do before that sacrament is available.)
 
So once one repents of his mortal sin(s) and sincerely resolves never to sin again, he may again pray and benefit from God answering his prayers and giving him grace? To go further, what about spending an hour in adoration, attending Mass (without receiving), praying the Divine Office, etc. Can he benefit from those? (I’m not indicating that one can or should do without Confession–I just want to consider all the things he might want to do before that sacrament is available.)
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You should continue living your life as a devoted Catholic to the very best of your ability. If you’re able to get to Mass, this would mean you’re also able to get to confession, as you can certainly ask the priest for confession either before or after Mass. I myself have done this many times with many different priests, and they have always been happy to oblige.
If you normally go to Adoration, pray the Divine Office, etc., go ahead and continue to do so. Although you may not benefit from them as much as if you were free from sin, they will at least keep you in a state of mind and heart that will help you to stay out of further sin. God will also see your sincerity and desire to please Him and to amend your life.

May I ask (and you don’t have to answer this question): are you a fairly new Catholic? Or if not, have you had much catechesis or moral training?
 
Thank you very much for the (name removed by moderator)ut! You have been very helpful.

I guess I’ll skip the third persons and admit the person in question is in fact myself. I’m not a new Catholic, and I would say I’ve actually had a lot of catechesis and moral training, but this is an area I’ve been a bit iffy on… because, frankly, I haven’t really had to deal with it much.

I’ve somewhat recently moved to a more urban area, and the priests here are constantly busy. I’ve tried calling my priest’s secretary before to set up an appointment, but it’s always a week out, or more, so by that time I can already make it to a scheduled Confession. As far as asking them after a Mass goes, they just seem so busy that I’ve been a bit shy about causing them to deviate from their plans.

Which leads me to this funny thing. I went to a Mass at a different parish this evening specifically because they had Confession on the schedule immediately following Mass. However, the priest celebrating Mass was a fill-in for the normal priest, and he left right after Mass. I didn’t try to catch him as he was heading out the door because there were other people standing around and I figured, “Well, if I ask him, everyone will start asking him.” So I went out to my car, and as soon as I turned the key, J.S. Bach’s “O Man, Thy Grievous Sin Bemoan” started playing over the radio. Needless to say, I was quite distressed. I take it that’s a sign that I need to get over myself and just ask him next time. :o
 
Wow, it sounds like your priests must be insanely busy! I’ve never had to wait more than a couple days for a scheduled confession.

Are there other parishes in your area? If so, perhaps try calling one of them. You really don’t have to be a parishioner to ask to go to confession to any parish priest.

And trust me, I know what it’s like to be afraid to ask people for things when I don’t want to inconvenience them–this is one of my biggest faults, and I have to consciously make sure I don’t use this as an excuse. If you’re in a state of mortal sin, *please *don’t be afraid to ask the priest if/when he’s available! I got a lot of experience doing this when I was dealing with intense scrupulosity a couple years ago (as in, confession every couple days–it was really bad). Although I know a couple of the priests I regularly went to for confession became frustrated with me after a while, they were always gentle and willing to help. So trust that you won’t be putting the priest out–after all, this is what they’re here for.

I’ll offer up a Memorare for you, and I really hope you’ll be able to work something out.
 
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