Confession and "mortal" sin

[Maxply]

Help me out. I’m having a rough time getting a square answer on this.

One confesses mortal sins in confession. But the DEFINITION of mortal sin is confusing to me.

For instance, I understand murder is a mortal sin. But what about missing church on a Sunday? Or just thinking negative, hard thoughts about a person. . . is this truly the equivalent of KILLING someone?

I use a little book to help me consider my “sin history” prior to confession, and it seems to interpret small molehills into major mountains.

 

[LilyM]

Help me out. I’m having a rough time getting a square answer on this.

One confesses mortal sins in confession. But the DEFINITION of mortal sin is confusing to me.

For instance, I understand murder is a mortal sin. But what about missing church on a Sunday? Or just thinking negative, hard thoughts about a person. . . is this truly the equivalent of KILLING someone?

I use a little book to help me consider my “sin history” prior to confession, and it seems to interpret small molehills into major mountains.

Missing church on a Sunday (without good reason like illness, childcare, urgent and necessary work etc) is a breach of the commandment to honour the Sabbath day.

Think about it, you’re saying that all the worldly stuff God has given you to do and amuse yourself with is more important or worthwhile than spending an hour or less in HIS house. In his unique presence in the Eucharist - which you can find nowhere outside a church.

More important than being present at Calvary (the greatest single event in history). More important than worshipping him. More important than receiving his body and blood, without which we have no life. Above all, more important than ‘doing this in his memory’ as HE has commanded us.

That’s a serious insult when you think about it - so much so that he put it into the ten Commandments!

 

[thistle]

Help me out. I’m having a rough time getting a square answer on this.

One confesses mortal sins in confession. But the DEFINITION of mortal sin is confusing to me.

For instance, I understand murder is a mortal sin. But what about missing church on a Sunday? Or just thinking negative, hard thoughts about a person. . . is this truly the equivalent of KILLING someone?

I use a little book to help me consider my “sin history” prior to confession, and it seems to interpret small molehills into major mountains.

Mortal sin (assuming the 3 conditions are met) is the consequence of someone deliberately rejecting God’s love and putting their will above that of God. Which mortal sin they commit is not relevant. If that person dies in unrepented mortal sin they are not being condemned by God but they have chosen to condemn themselves to eternal separation from him.

 

[Spirithound]

One confesses mortal sins in confession. But the DEFINITION of mortal sin is confusing to me.

For instance, I understand murder is a mortal sin. But what about missing church on a Sunday? Or just thinking negative, hard thoughts about a person. . . is this truly the equivalent of KILLING someone?

I use a little book to help me consider my “sin history” prior to confession, and it seems to interpret small molehills into major mountains.

One must confess all mortal sins, but one is not prohibited from confessing venial sins also. It’s a good exercise in humility.

 

[tradcathconvert]

One must confess all mortal sins, but one is not prohibited from confessing venial sins also. It’s a good exercise in humility.

It is an good exercise in humility. And ideally, we will have only venial sins to confess. But, in any case, we need the grace a good reception of the sacrament of penance gives us.

 

[Maxply]

I guess somewhere along the line I heard someone say the difference between “mortal sin” and “venial sin” was that mortal sin were those which broke the 10 commandments.

And then seeing how widely interpreted this kind of commandment breaking could be. . . so that small things were equated with, say, murder. This creates confusion here.

Yes, I regularly go to confession, and yes, it’s a serious good thing!

 

[VociMike]

You can’t go wrong if you confess everything that you think is a serious sin. By definition that will include all of one’s mortal sins (unless one’s conscience is so poorly formed that they really are incapable of recognizing serious sin, in which case the priest will have to take a more active role in the confession).

 

[dylanschrader]

I guess somewhere along the line I heard someone say the difference between “mortal sin” and “venial sin” was that mortal sin were those which broke the 10 commandments.

And then seeing how widely interpreted this kind of commandment breaking could be. . . so that small things were equated with, say, murder. This creates confusion here.

Just because, for example, calumny and abortion are both grave sins does not mean that abortion is not worse than calumny.

Not all mortal sins are being “equated” with murder in terms of the objective evil done. In other words, lying and murder can both make a person lose sanctifying grace–a devastating subjective effect of mortal sin–but a greater evil is done by murder than by lying.

Even between two grave sins, one may be graver than the other.

 

[jc-servant]

Help me out. I’m having a rough time getting a square answer on this.

One confesses mortal sins in confession. But the DEFINITION of mortal sin is confusing to me.

I’m a convert, so I understand your confusion. Here is my “dummies” version of the definition from the catechism

In plain language here are the 3 things that are required before a sin is “mortal”:

1. It must be a “serious sin” according to the church
2. The person must know that the sin is serious
3. The person commits the sin anyway

Missing Sunday mass through our own fault when we are not ill or otherwise excused is defined as “serious” by the church. All of the 10 commandments are obviously “serious” also. I think reading the actual catechism or the compendium of the catechism (summary) would be more helpful to you on finding what is “official” than reading a pamphlet no matter who published it.

I hope this info helps. BTW the catechism is searchable online for free at this link
scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

 

[Greg27]

Sins vary in their seriousness. While both stealing and murder are grave sins, theft is clearly not as bad as murder. A mortal sin is basically any sin your moral conscience (well formed) knows is clearly and utterly wrong and you do it anyway with full consent. Clearly murdering someone and knowing it is gravely wrong but going ahead and doing it anyway will sear the conscience much worse than stealing would, though both would sear the conscience (or rather your conscience’s judgement on you for doing it) so badly it seems like hell until it is somehow forgiven. So it is with any grave sin; if you sense anything like this you will feel an urge to go to confession as soon as is possible.