Classification of Sins

[Marcus_T]

I have a question that I have been wondering about for some time and that is who makes the determination on what category a sin is, mortal or venial? I’ve looked at many examination of conscience guides and they are not all equal. Some sins are listed as mortal while in other guides the same sins are listed as a venial sin. There is an old saying that the punishment should fit the crime. I think that is true of our sins. For example, take eating meat on Friday during Lent. Some guides list it as a mortal sin while others list it as venial. I find it hard to believe that someone could spend eternity suffering in hell just for eating a hamburger on Friday with someone who committed a willful murder for example. So, is there some kind of committee within the Vatican that determines if a sin is mortal or venial or is this up to the Pope to make the determination and what do they use as a criteria?

May the Peace of God be with you ALWAYS,

Mark

 

[Heuchler]

I think it is really hard to understand what was mortal and venial. But I think if a mortal sin is going to be eating meat on fridays, it would have to have malice behind it, and not someone just forgetting. So, for eating meat to become a mortal sin you would have to eat meat out of defiance to God or something of that sort.

 

[aluminumthuribl]

This is my first post on CA (I’ll introduce myself in the proper thread), however, this topic caught my attention.

To answer your question, no, there isn’t a special committee at the Vatican that determines what is mortal sin and what is not. Remember, there are requirements for a sin to be “mortal”. We know that ALL sin is an offense against God and a rejection of his perfect love and justice for us. However, we do not “throw the baby out with the bath water” like some Evangelical would by saying “sin is sin! There is no such thing as big sins and little sins.” That’s absolutely NOT true. Jesus made a distinction between what we call mortal and venial sins. Mortal sins destroy the grace of God in the heart of the sinner. By their very grave nature, a mortal sin cuts our relationship off from God and turns man away from Christ and it damages our relationship with the Church.

In order for a sin to be mortal, it must meet three conditions:

1. It must be grave matter.
2. Must be committed with full knowledge of the sinner
3. Must be committed with deliberate consent of the sinner

What this means is that mortal sin cannot be committed “accidentally”. A person who commits a mortal sin is one who knows that their sin is wrong, but still deliberately commits the sin anyway. This means that mortal sins are “premeditated” by the sinner and thus are truly a rejection of God’s law and love.

I understand your perplexity when you look at different examinations of conscience and you see different sins listed as mortal and venial and sometimes these do not agree. Remember though, that for a sin to be mortal it must be premeditated, it must have the full and willful participation of the sinner. Therefore, one can commit a grave offense against God or the Church and not realize or premeditate the offense and therefore wouldn’t be guilty of a mortal sin.

I would advise you to take this matter up with your confessor. If you find yourself slipping into a sin often, go ahead and confess it…remember, we CAN confess venial sins in confession (as a matter of fact it is a pious practice). It can help up form our consciences more and more and perfect our souls.

It is true that some sins are mortal and others are venial. All sin is an offense against God, however, a mortal sin isn’t something you can just accidentally do. So, if you have a examination of conscience that lists this sin as venial and this sin as mortal I would scrap it (or at the very least take it with a grain of salt) and really examine in your heart if you committed this act with full participation of the will. If not then no mortal sin, if so…then it’s mortal. However, as a pious practice I would confess both.

Just my two cents.

In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,

-Cody

 

[steve_b]

1. • I have a question that I have been wondering about for some time and that is*** who makes the determination on what category a sin is, mortal or venial***? I’ve looked at many examination of conscience guides and they are not all equal. Some sins are listed as mortal while in other guides the same sins are listed as a venial sin. There is an old saying that the punishment should fit the crime. I think that is true of our sins. For example, take eating meat on Friday during Lent. Some guides list it as a mortal sin while others list it as venial. I find it hard to believe that someone could spend eternity suffering in hell just for eating a hamburger on Friday with someone who committed a willful murder for example. So, is there some kind of committee within the Vatican that determines if a sin is mortal or venial or is this up to the Pope to make the determination and what do they use as a criteria?
   May the Peace of God be with you ALWAYS,
   
   Mark

1. 
   Re: the old saying, actually scripture defines that very principle.
   
   Example.
   
   mortal sin should keep one out of heaven if one dies in that sin…right? Does scripture list such sins? Yes
   • Titus 3: 10 Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, 11knowing that such a man is )perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned. note: the Greek word for factious is (αἱρετικός hairetikos) schismatic, heretical,
   • Ephesians 5: 3-5 fornication, covetousness……5 Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure man, or one who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
   • Hebrews 10:25-26 missing mass deliberately on Sunday, no sacrifice for sin for THEM but a fiery judgement that consumes the adversaries of God.
   • Hebrews 12: 16 - 17 immoraliy, is selling your inheritance
   • Galatians 5: 19 - 21 sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, will not inherit heaven
   • Romans 16:17… dividers don’t serve our Lord but themselves. Stay away from them. Satan will soon be crushed under your feet
   • Colossians 3: 5-6 immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry, …rath of God is coming
   • 1 Corinthians 6: 9 - 10 no sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexual offenders, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers, will not inherit the kingdom of God.
   • Matthew 15: 19 - 20 murder, adultery, false witness, slander…defile a man
   Where do all these souls go who die in these sins? As scripture says…Hell. They therefore, qualify as mortal sins…agreed?
   
   As 1 Jn 5: says
   16 If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal. . [1 Jn 5:16-17]
   **
   ergo one can pray for forgiveness for venial sins and God forgives the sin, but John says he doesn’t recommend that approach for mortal sin. That’s because all sins particularly the most serious ones can all be forgiven by the sacrament of confession