Did I Commit a Mortal Sin?

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I cannot remember the exact comment I made but today I said something along the lines (without really thinking) of “That TV is not going to work, I swear”. I immediately knew I had said something wrong.

I am now scared that I have committed a mortal sin. I was reading a page the Catholic Encyclopedia titled “Oaths” and under “Lawfullness and Conditions”. I am confused, because (after looking at the bolded text) I DID swear falsley…at least I think i did (because I didn’t use the phrase “I swear” to actually make a promise to God) but yet it says “]To swear without a sufficient reason, being an idle use of God’s name, is a venial sin”:

“**To swear without a sufficient reason, being an idle use of God’s name, is a venial sin; **(2) truth, for what we affirm should be in conformity with the truth. Consequently in case of an assertory oath, our affirmation must be truthful, and in a promissory oath we must have the intention of doing what we are promising. To swear falsely constitutes the sin of perjury, always mortal in its nature: for it is an insult to the Divine Truth to call God in witness to a lie; besides, such an act is likely to do injury to the common good; see the propositions condemned by Innocent XI, prop. xxiv; (3)”

Did I commit a mortal sin?

Thanks
 
Scribbless said:
I cannot remember the exact comment I made but today I said something along the lines (without really thinking) of “That TV is not going to work, I swear”. I immediately knew I had said something wrong.

I am now scared that I have committed a mortal sin. I was reading a page the Catholic Encyclopedia titled “Oaths” and under “Lawfullness and Conditions”. I am confused, because (after looking at the bolded text) I DID swear falsley…at least I think i did (because I didn’t use the phrase “I swear” to actually make a promise to God) but yet it says “]To swear without a sufficient reason, being an idle use of God’s name, is a venial sin”:

“**To swear without a sufficient reason, being an idle use of God’s name, is a venial sin; **(2) truth, for what we affirm should be in conformity with the truth. Consequently in case of an assertory oath, our affirmation must be truthful, and in a promissory oath we must have the intention of doing what we are promising. To swear falsely constitutes the sin of perjury, always mortal in its nature: for it is an insult to the Divine Truth to call God in witness to a lie; besides, such an act is likely to do injury to the common good; see the propositions condemned by Innocent XI, prop. xxiv; (3)”

Did I commit a mortal sin?

Thanks
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From the Catechism of the Catholic Church

1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart133 do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.

1862 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.

and

2155 The holiness of the divine name demands that we neither use it for trivial matters, nor take an oath which on the basis of the circumstances could be interpreted as approval of an authority unjustly requiring it. When an oath is required by illegitimate civil authorities, it may be refused. It must be refused when it is required for purposes contrary to the dignity of persons or to ecclesial communion.

Now did you even use the name of God or intend it? did you really swear was it just a figure of speech that slipped out?

of course one should not swear an oath without good reason etc…but

in any case—remember --in order to commit a mortal sin you need the full knowledge and full consent…either of these being absent it is not a mortal sin…

so one needs to look at what happened and make a judgment…did i that knowledge…did i with that knowledge go ahead and give full consent?
 
From Compendium of the Catechism
  1. When does one commit a mortal sin?
1855-1861
1874

One commits a mortal sin when there are simultaneously present: grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent. This sin destroys charity in us, deprives us of sanctifying grace, and, if unrepented, leads us to the eternal death of hell. It can be forgiven in the ordinary way by means of the sacraments of Baptism and of Penance or Reconciliation.
  1. When does one commit a venial sin?
1862-1864
1875

One commits a venial sin, which is essentially different from a mortal sin, when the matter involved is less serious or, even if it is grave, when full knowledge or complete consent are absent. Venial sin does not break the covenant with God but it weakens charity and manifests a disordered affection for created goods. It impedes the progress of a soul in the exercise of the virtues and in the practice of moral good. It merits temporal punishment which purifies.
 
Scribbless said:
I cannot remember the exact comment I made but today I said something along the lines (without really thinking) of “That TV is not going to work, I swear”. I immediately knew I had said something wrong.

I am now scared that I have committed a mortal sin. I was reading a page the Catholic Encyclopedia titled “Oaths” and under “Lawfullness and Conditions”. I am confused, because (after looking at the bolded text) I DID swear falsley…at least I think i did (because I didn’t use the phrase “I swear” to actually make a promise to God) but yet it says “]To swear without a sufficient reason, being an idle use of God’s name, is a venial sin”:

“**To swear without a sufficient reason, being an idle use of God’s name, is a venial sin; **(2) truth, for what we affirm should be in conformity with the truth. Consequently in case of an assertory oath, our affirmation must be truthful, and in a promissory oath we must have the intention of doing what we are promising. To swear falsely constitutes the sin of perjury, always mortal in its nature: for it is an insult to the Divine Truth to call God in witness to a lie; besides, such an act is likely to do injury to the common good; see the propositions condemned by Innocent XI, prop. xxiv; (3)”

Did I commit a mortal sin?

Thanks
Click to expand...
Good heavens NO you did not commit a mortal sin.

Lets look at what you said - “That TV is not going to work, I swear”
Just who did you swear to or by?? To God?? To the TV?? To …
You made an idle comment out of frustration that had no meaning. In fact it meant so little to you that you cannot even recall exactly what you did say.

If there is a sin here, it sounds as though it would relate to anger rather than oaths. Losing ones temper causes one to sometimes say things they wish they hadn’t. :tsktsk:
Say a sincere act of contrition and if it still bothers you then mention it at your next confession.

Peace
James
 
Also significant is that (apparently) it was only AFTER you said the words (even if it was only milliseconds later) that you realised it might be wrong. Meaning full knowledge only came to you after you’d actually done the deed.

If you’d thought of saying the words, then thought they might be wrong to say, THEN said them anyway, you might have a case for it being a sin of some kind. Even then, the matter doesn’t appear to be grave matter.
 
Scribbless said:
I cannot remember the exact comment I made but today I said something along the lines (without really thinking) of “That TV is not going to work, I swear”. I immediately knew I had said something wrong.

I am now scared that I have committed a mortal sin. I was reading a page the Catholic Encyclopedia titled “Oaths” and under “Lawfullness and Conditions”. I am confused, because (after looking at the bolded text) I DID swear falsley…at least I think i did (because I didn’t use the phrase “I swear” to actually make a promise to God) but yet it says “]To swear without a sufficient reason, being an idle use of God’s name, is a venial sin”:

“**To swear without a sufficient reason, being an idle use of God’s name, is a venial sin; **(2) truth, for what we affirm should be in conformity with the truth. Consequently in case of an assertory oath, our affirmation must be truthful, and in a promissory oath we must have the intention of doing what we are promising. To swear falsely constitutes the sin of perjury, always mortal in its nature: for it is an insult to the Divine Truth to call God in witness to a lie; besides, such an act is likely to do injury to the common good; see the propositions condemned by Innocent XI, prop. xxiv; (3)”

Did I commit a mortal sin?

Thanks
Click to expand...
Maybe you should have given it a punch and my bet is, it would have lighted up. 🙂 Did I just give you a bad advice? Surely not, what with my extensive knowledge in knowing how a TV works.

I guess it is not a sin being angry over a malfunctioning TV.

God bless.
 
Scribbless said:
I cannot remember the exact comment I made but today I said something along the lines (without really thinking) of “That TV is not going to work, I swear”. I immediately knew I had said something wrong.

I am now scared that I have committed a mortal sin. I was reading a page the Catholic Encyclopedia titled “Oaths” and under “Lawfullness and Conditions”. I am confused, because (after looking at the bolded text) I DID swear falsley…at least I think i did (because I didn’t use the phrase “I swear” to actually make a promise to God) but yet it says “]To swear without a sufficient reason, being an idle use of God’s name, is a venial sin”:

“**To swear without a sufficient reason, being an idle use of God’s name, is a venial sin; **(2) truth, for what we affirm should be in conformity with the truth. Consequently in case of an assertory oath, our affirmation must be truthful, and in a promissory oath we must have the intention of doing what we are promising. To swear falsely constitutes the sin of perjury, always mortal in its nature: for it is an insult to the Divine Truth to call God in witness to a lie; besides, such an act is likely to do injury to the common good; see the propositions condemned by Innocent XI, prop. xxiv; (3)”

Did I commit a mortal sin?

Thanks
Click to expand...
If you sincerely ask, “Did I commit a mortal sin?” by definition, you did not. Relax.
 
No, according to what you have related, you certainly did not commit a mortal sin. 👍 Other posters have listed the three criteria necessary for a mortal sin, which is always the starting point for determining whether a sin is mortal. Here is another way to look at it.

A mortal sin is one that will result in your going to hell if you die without it being forgiven. Despite the common misconception, God does not “send” anybody to hell. He lets people use their free will to turn away from him, and hell by definition is the eternal absence of God. So a mortal sin is one in which you deliberately (using your free will) reject God.

Saying “I swear” impulsively when complaining about balky electronics is not rejecting God.

Entries like the one in the Catholic Encyclopedia on oaths are good for those interested in moral theology, but not everyone is at a stage in their faith formation where that should be their primary resource. It can be like consulting a physics textbook to figure out how to move furniture.

I think the second commandment (You Shall Not Take the Name of the LORD Your God in Vain) is the most misunderstood of them all. Impulsive epithets are certainly not pleasing to God, but they simply do not have the gravity to merit placement as the second commandment. (The Ten Commandments are generally in descending order of importance.) Truly taking the name of God in vain can be one of two things: a deliberate false oath (which is pretty rare in our culture), or doing evil things in the name of God (common in our culture, and often overlooked as a violation of this commandment). For example, the adherents of a certain “church” (really a family cult) who protest at soldiers’ funerals and claim that God hates certain people are, in my opinion, gravely violating the second commandment. They are not only doing Satan’s work, but doing it in the name of God. :mad:
 
Wow.

I have trouble with impurity. I am trying to break the bonds of this pernicious sin. When I go to confession, generally, it is because of impure thoughts or acts, I sometimes have to confess to taking the Lords name in vein, due to some lack in paitence on my part. So, I confess my lack of paitence. Using the word, I swear, in the wrong way, I’ll admit, has never come up, especially over a TV. I don’t think you were calling down God’s wrath (which television is liable to get me to do) or promising in the name of Our Lord and Savior that it won’t work you were using a common turn of phrase. That you are aware of this is great but I think that you are reading a little to much into it. Thank the Lord for your discerning conscience (gosh my spelling must be bad). Just beware the sin of scrupuloustiy, scroupulusi… scrituouloutsty…, oh forget it you know what I mean.

Love

Joe
 
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