Do regular Catholics (like me) really commit so many mortal sins? Really?!

[Cat]

You are correct that fear can lessen the culpability ( but never remove it, it is intrinsically evil)

But what are they fearful of. If it maintaining a lifestyle, then that is actually materialism, and is no less a fault than the rich young man in Mt 19

If they are fearful that they will not be able to feed the child, then yes, that can lessen the culpability, but even then, the Church, in it’s Mercy, provides a legitimate alternative, NFP

The only ‘advantage’ of contraception is that it allows sex every day of the month.

So what exactly then becomes the fear, of giving up sexual convenience.

That is hardly likely to reduce culpability.

Imagine standing before the Throne of God at Judgment and trying to explain why one violated the Gift of Sexuality “Well God, we didn’t want another the Gift of another child because it might negatively impact our lifestyle, and we didn’t want to use NFP because we wanted to have nookie whenever we felt like it.”

Not a very convincing argument…

Not that this has anything to do with the topic, but I’ll answer the question.

Women, especially older women who have already had several children, can be afraid of pregnancy and childbirth. For many women, it becomes more difficult and more dangerous as they grow older.

And I think that giving birth to a child with Downs or some other serious disability is a legitimate and understandable fear. Such children demand time, money, and energy, and the older we get, the less of these things we have. I know that for many people, a child with a disability turns out to be a blessing, but there are also many people for whom the difficultires of raising a disabled child destroys their marriage. I don’t think that we as Catholics should attempt to minimize the difficulties of raising a child with a disability.

Finally, you mention a lifestyle of materialism. I think for a lot of couples, it’s not a lavish, possession-filled lifestyle that they fear losing. I think a lot of couples are literally afraid of losing their livelihood, home, insurance, and all the other basic necessities of life. Their fears may or may not be legitimate, but we certainly don’t have the right to make that judgment for anyone other than ourselves. I know that many couples in their 40s are still trying to pay off their own college debts and have very little set aside for retirement. It’s no wonder they are afraid.

I agree with you that NFP is available for Catholics and that all Catholic couples should learn the various methods and at least attempt to use them in their marriage. I also know that you have surely read the many hundreds of threads here on CAF from men and women for whom NFP has not worked. It may be their fault for not doing it correctly, or it may just be that silly ol’ human body that doesn’t necessarily work the way it should.

Personally, I would have a very difficult time living a celibate life with my husband whom I love, and I know my husband would find it unbearable, and he is definitely not an over-sexed pig. He’s a kind, unselfish man, but he is a man, and I’m a woman and GOD made us that way. We’re not in heaven yet.

I hope this makes things clearer. We need to be careful not to assume that couples who contracept are just trying to hang onto their Lamborghini.

 

[Jeanne_S]

I’m obviously not trying to speak for you, but I know that I can often overlook my sins when I don’t examine how I am leading my life regularly. In a sense I can become dull to my sins as you say.

By that I mean, when I don’t perform a nightly examination of continence, after a couple weeks I tend to gloss over sins that might well be mortal. I start to justify things in my mind that they weren’t “that bad”. When I do remember to do a nightly examination and actually try to look at how I behaved over the course of the day I tend to find that I probably come much closer to crossing the line from venial to mortal sin much more often than I think. And no I do not suffer from scruples, but rather by examining how I have failed in being the man Christ calls me to be I become much more aware of what He wants of me. I can see how all those flaws weaken my relationship with Christ.

I have seen so many sides of the mortal sin debate that the debate itself can dull you to sin. Some see every grave act as mortal sin, where as others see anything less than a deliberate act to separate ourselves from God as merely venial; to them it is nearly impossible for anyone to commit a moral sin. I’ll be honest, I try not to dwell too much on weather something is venial or mortal. Even venial sin puts a wedge between us and God. No, venial sin doesn’t kill grace, but it can act as a fog that obscures and leads us to mortal sin.

Well said!

 

[ccmcmg]

I try not to get too caught up in the differences between mortal and venial sins. All are sins in Gods eyes and in my opinion all need to be confessed. Plus I am REALLY good at justifying my sins. I tell them all and let God sort them out.

However, it is important that if we have unconfessed mortal sin, we should abstain from the Eucharist, otherwise we commit another mortal sin. I hate having to refrain from His Holy Body and Blood!

 

[steve_b]

I read through the list of sins that you posted (link #15). Oh, my. I don’t do any of these things. Do other Catholics really do these awful things? Witchcraft? Lust? Greed? Sexual debauchery? Idolatry? Fits of rage? Swindling? Orgies?
Wow. It’s no wonder the Church isn’t growing faster. These are some terrible sins. I would be afraid to associate with people who regularly and deliberately committed these sins! These are evil.

What about these mortal sins that were listed

• deliberately missing mass? #22 It’s a sad statistic but 70%+ of Catholics miss mass routinely on Sunday. ~20% of Catholics are faithful mass goers.
• Or unmarried couples living together (fornication)
• Or the divorced and remarried without annulment of former marriage (adultery)

I know lots of “Catholics” who are in these sins. So yes, Catholics really do commit mortal sins.
C:

I believe that Wampa nailed it citing use of birth control, missing Mass, viewing porn, masturbation, and looking at someone other than a spouse (although I’m not sure how much of that is “lust” and how much of it is just a normal male physical response to the sight of a lovely woman).

Then you do see how easy those sins listed, are committed. I just gave a larger list. BTW, that list is not mine. I didn’t make up the list nor did I invent the consequences for those sins if one dies in them.
C:

It’s the same game that Evangelical Protestants used to play (and probably still do). They think they have to be “perfect” before God will accept them or even look at them. So they stop going to church or reading their Bible because they obviously are failures and vile sinners and they don’t feel comfortable with all the people who are so good and pure.

I guess it boils down to my not believing that God considers addictive sins “mortal” because the addicted person has little or no control over the forces that make him/her addicted.

What about the person who gives their yes to begin with, before they became addicted through repeated activity to whatever becomes addicting for them?
C:

At any rate, I do not believe that most Catholics regularly and deliberately commit the sins that are listed in that link.

let’s look at the sins already mentioned that have wide implications

1. • deliberately missing mass on Sunday,
   • Artificial birth control,
   • masterbation,
   • fornication,
   • adultery,
   If Church statistics are correct, 70%+ of Catholics deliberately miss mass on Sunday. That sin ALONE catches alot of Catholics in mortal sin. #22

 

[Usige]

However, it is important that if we have unconfessed mortal sin, we should abstain from the Eucharist, otherwise we commit another mortal sin. I hate having to refrain from His Holy Body and Blood!

That’s true. When in doubt I will refrain from receiving anytime I have committed a grave act regardless if it was done with full consent. I would rather err on the side of caution then play the well maybe it was or wasn’t a mortal sin game. I figure a grave act in of itself should give me pause from receiving. But that’s just me.

 

[Usige]

A couple in their 30s is likely to already have several children, and they are involved in paying for schooling (even public schooling involves a lot of expense, and private schools are a major chunk of the family income). Once the children are in school, Mom (or Dad) might go back to work to bring in a second income to start a college fund. The grandparents are probably getting older and may require a lot of attention. Plus Mom and Dad themselves are getting older, slower, and possibly discovering health problems that they never had to worry about in their 20s.

It’s tough to add a baby to all that.

It’s very scary to have a baby in your 40s. Yes, I know that many women on CAF have had perfectly healthy babies while they were in their 40s. And I know that many families on CAF have children with Down’s Syndrome and testify that the child is an angel in their homes.

But it’s still scary. A lot of women in their 40s have a tough time of it during a pregnancy. And children with Downs grow up into adults with Downs, and that’s hard to deal with.

…

But I think that many Catholic couples are not certain that they can manage a bigger family than they expected, and they are afraid, and I believe that God takes that human fear into consideration when determining whether they are committing a mortal sin by using artificial contraception.

First, I know exactly the fear people in their 40s have about children. I have 6 kids at home and am 42 and my wife is just shy of 40. We jokingly say that she gets pregnant just from me giving her a kiss on the cheek. Our youngest will turn one this week and my wife is still very much fertile. The thought that we might have a teenager in our 60s certainly has been discussed.

So then the question is if fear justifies immoral means? This is very clearly stated time and time again by the Church. The answer is no, no, 1000 times no. What if we extend the concept of fear to reduce culpability to other sins? If a man is afraid his wife is cheating on him would he be justified to lock her up when he leaves for the day? What if a woman of 45 finds she is pregnant and is afraid the baby might have Down’s Syndrome? If she procures an abortion does her fear reduce the moral culpability?

it should also be pointed out that many of the couples in their early 30s are entering their first marriage. They are bringing no children into the marraige, but simply are waiting until they are more stable. They are often shocked when we show them statistics on how hard it is to become pregnant after 30 if you have been using birth control for 10+ years. It is possible but much more difficult.

Also remember that we are not just talking about ABC. We are also talking about people living together in a sexual relationship (not a guess, but told point blank by the majority) or married without an annulment. We ask them if they understand Church teaching and they almost universally say yes, but we disagree. We aren’t talking about people who are unaware, but rather people who don’t care what the Church says. Where does fear play into grave sins like these.

So can we just say “I don’t agree with Church teachings” and use that as the yard stick for grave matter?

When we all start making up our own rules then we are truly lost. Mercy is pointless without intent to amend our behavior. If we can all define sin as something we don’t do then what is the purpose of the Church or Christ’s sacrifice on the cross? This sounds too close to protestant belief that salvation is only lost when we outright reject Christ.

 

[Vico]

Catholic Dictionary has, for gluttony:
Likewise a person who, by excesses in eating and drinking, would have greatly impaired his health, or unfitted himself for duties for the performance of which he has a grave obligation, would be justly chargeable with mortal sin.

Delany, J. (1909). Gluttony. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

newadvent.org/cathen/06590a.htm

 

[JRKH]

I think this is where things get sticky; what defines full knowledge and full consent?

Quite correct - and this is where we generally will direct an individual to their confessor.
Here on the forums we can say that something is grave matter, but we cannot assess the individual’ spiritual circumstance. Only they, along with their confessor can do that.

Peace
James

 

[Cat]

Have you checked Mass attendance lately, especially on Holy Days? Does everyone work on Jan 1 to excuse himself that day? Or is everyone convinced Mass on a Holy Day is just that not a big deal? And that’s only one sin.

But as we have already stated several times, if people who skip Mass are not aware that it is a serious sin–and that’s very likely, considering the poor state of catechesis in many parishes–then it is not a mortal sin.

Also, if people intended to come to Mass, but were prevented by something; e.g., bad weather, sickness, sick children, etc., then it is not a mortal sin.

Finally, on New Year’s Day, many people travel, and it’s very possible that they could be attending Mass in whatever town they are visiting.

Perhaps we need to consider the possibility that parishes have been committing mortal sin over the years by not providing adequate catechesis. There are plenty of passages in the Bible warning us that teachers will face greater accountability at the judgment. However, if they thought they were providing great catechesis (kum ba ya and love), then they are not guilty of mortal sin.

It seems to me that it’s not easy to commit mortal sin.

 

[pnewton]

I’ve heard a lot about “Catholic guilt.” Does anyone think that’s what’s going on?

I think what is going on is that we are dealing with an area where disagreement is not only allowed, but inevitable, as no one but God alone can judge the state of one’s soul and know the full intent in a sin.

I am of the opinion that mortal sin is a rarity among people of good faith. The idea that anyone who loves God would ever deliberately and full intent of the will choose to abandon God does not seem realistic. I believe this because I work it backwards. A person in a state of subjective mortal sin has not just damaged his relationship with God, but abandoned it. If these times are a rarity, and from the experiences I have and those I know, then the commission of sin to cause these must also be rare.

 

[Cat]

=steve b;12841829]What about these mortal sins that were listed

• deliberately missing mass? #22 It’s a sad statistic but 70%+ of Catholics miss mass routinely on Sunday. ~20% of Catholics are faithful mass goers.
• Or unmarried couples living together (fornication)
• Or the divorced and remarried without annulment of former marriage (adultery)

I know lots of “Catholics” who are in these sins. So yes, Catholics really do commit mortal sins.

Then you do see how easy those sins listed, are committed. I just gave a larger list. BTW, that list is not mine. I didn’t make up the list nor did I invent the consequences for those sins if one dies in them.

But these are not the sins that so many Christians here on CAF tend to be worried about.

I agree with you that in real life, many Catholics are guilty of these sins. However, we can argue that they honestly don’t believe they are committing mortal sin, again, probably due to the very bad catechesis that so many Catholics received growing up. This would mean that it is not mortal sin.

Now if Father were to teach a homily about any of these sins, and state CLEARLY that they are mortal sins, and the person committing these sins CLEARLY hears and understands the homily…then he/she would be culpable.

But all too often, people don’t clearly hear the homily. It is at that time that a baby starts wailing, or the very bad sound system makes it hard to hear, or they were smiling at a very cute little child who is playing in the pew, or the person is falling asleep in their pew (a lot of people get so little quiet time during the week that when they do get it, they fall asleep).

Yes, I know it sounds like I’m making excuses for people, but I would bet cash that if you asked people after Mass what the priest said in his homily, the vast majority of Catholics, even the devout ones, would have no idea. We just don’t listen very well!

What about the person who gives their yes to begin with, before they became addicted through repeated activity to whatever becomes addicting for them?

Many substances and activities that people become addicted to are not evil. E.g., alcohol. Although I would disagree, over and over again the people here on CAF insist that alcohol is good and created by God for our pleasure! So a Catholic does not commit any sin by saying “Yes” to a drink of alcohol, or even several drinks of alcohol! Right?

Same for food–there is no sin in eating.

Or shopping, or playing a few games of chance.

Or recreational marijuana in certain states in the U.S.

Or exercising. Watching TV. Eating candy or sweets. Collecting stuff. Working.

NONE of these things are sinful!

Now looking at porn, purchasing sex from prostitutes, using illegal drugs—these are sinful and I would agree with you. Although throughout history, some of these things were at one time considered socially acceptable; e.g., in the U.S. heroin was once legal and ASPIRIN was illegal! And right now, prostitution is legal in certain parts of Nevada.

But many people say “Yes” to things that are good. And addictions are gradual, not sudden. A person doesn’t become addicted with one “yes” (possible exception would be crack cocaine). By the time a person realizes that they are addicted, they’re trapped.

let’s look at the sins already mentioned that have wide implications

1. • deliberately missing mass on Sunday,
   • Artificial birth control,
   • masterbation,
   • fornication,
   • adultery,

1. 
   If Church statistics are correct, 70%+ of Catholics deliberately miss mass on Sunday. That sin ALONE catches alot of Catholics in mortal sin. #22
   
   Well, I agree with you, but these are not the sins that most people on CAF seem to be worried about. What I see is people who are afraid that by swallowing their own saliva, they fear that they have committed mortal sin by breaking the obligation fast before Mass. Some of the “sins” that people fear are mortal aren’t even sins, IMO. And some people seem to be afraid to go to Mass because they are convinced that they are never free of evil thoughts, therefore, they cannot receive the Lord.
   
   I’m guessing that a lot of these Catholics are teenaged boys who are growing up, producing mega amounts of sex hormones (NORMAL!), and who have constant thoughts about sex (NORMAL!), but they are convinced that they are going to hell because they experience an erection just thinking about a female (NORMAL!). They stop going to Mass because they can’t be in Confession every minute of every day, and then they become one of those statistics who no longer practices their Catholic faith.
   
   So sad, IMO. This is what the priest needs to teach homilies about. But so many Catholics prefer to err on the side of caution and state that all sexual thoughts and arousals outside of marriage are sinful. In other words, they hold Christians to an impossible standard. We are HUMANS, with human bodies. We can’t be otherwise.
   
   So very sad.

 

[Blessedwithfive]

But as we have already stated several times, if people who skip Mass are not aware that it is a serious sin–and that’s very likely, considering the poor state of catechesis in many parishes–then it is not a mortal sin.

Also, if people intended to come to Mass, but were prevented by something; e.g., bad weather, sickness, sick children, etc., then it is not a mortal sin.

Finally, on New Year’s Day, many people travel, and it’s very possible that they could be attending Mass in whatever town they are visiting.

Perhaps we need to consider the possibility that parishes have been committing mortal sin over the years by not providing adequate catechesis. There are plenty of passages in the Bible warning us that teachers will face greater accountability at the judgment. However, if they thought they were providing great catechesis (kum ba ya and love), then they are not guilty of mortal sin.

It seems to me that it’s not easy to commit mortal sin.

As a catechist for almost twenty years, just last year I was told not to teach that missing Mass is a mortal sin. We should encourage people to go but we cannot say it is a mortal sin for we do not know if the three conditions are there for the person.

 

[Joan_M]

But these are not the sins that so many Christians here on CAF tend to be worried about.

I agree with you that in real life, many Catholics are guilty of these sins. However, we can argue that they honestly don’t believe they are committing mortal sin, again, probably due to the very bad catechesis that so many Catholics received growing up. This would mean that it is not mortal sin.

Now if Father were to teach a homily about any of these sins, and state CLEARLY that they are mortal sins, and the person committing these sins CLEARLY hears and understands the homily…then he/she would be culpable.

But all too often, people don’t clearly hear the homily. It is at that time that a baby starts wailing, or the very bad sound system makes it hard to hear, or they were smiling at a very cute little child who is playing in the pew, or the person is falling asleep in their pew (a lot of people get so little quiet time during the week that when they do get it, they fall asleep).

Yes, I know it sounds like I’m making excuses for people, but I would bet cash that if you asked people after Mass what the priest said in his homily, the vast majority of Catholics, even the devout ones, would have no idea. We just don’t listen very well!

…

Let’s be real. People who are adults really cannot get away with the poor catechesis excuse! Yes, there was poor catechesis, BUT there are many, many good Catholic web sites out there (including this one) where you can read up on what the Catholic Church teaches, spirituality, etc., and learn your faith - if you want to know.

A person just cannot say - I was never taught that in school - and get away with it.

Besides, if any priest makes sin and its consequences the subject of his homily, I bet that most people will sit up and listen - even if some (maybe many) only do so to be able to complain to the Bishop about him after!!

 

[Usige]

As a catechist for almost twenty years, just last year I was told not to teach that missing Mass is a mortal sin. We should encourage people to go but we cannot say it is a mortal sin for we do not know if the three conditions are there for the person.

We have ran into the same thing with contraception so we state that using contraceptives is grave matter and provide references from scripture, the catechism and encyclials. We then remind them of the three conditions for mortal sin (it is grave matter, full knowledge, free consent) and ask them if they understand Church teaching. If they say yes (have never had anyone say no) they have meet the first two conditions. It is then up to them to do the mental gymnastics to show lack of consent with a positive action (not in class, but just sowing the seeds).

 

[pnewton]

Let’s be real. People who are adults really cannot get away with the poor catechesis excuse! Yes, there was poor catechesis, BUT there are many, many good Catholic web sites out there (including this one) where you can read up on what the Catholic Church teaches, spirituality, etc., and learn your faith - if you want to know.

A person just cannot say - I was never taught that in school - and get away with it.

With whom is the person going to “get away with it” from? God? Again, such a statement would involve judging the actual state of the heart in the commission of a sin. Christians have always had the responsibility to inform their conscience. You are true that today it is easier, though I question whether the internet makes it easier for all. For every site like this there is one out there that is not a Catholic apostolate. Yet the greater problem is that for one to form one’s conscience, he must first know that he needs to form his conscience. I think all we do here is push culpability back one step earlier.

 

[Usige]

I am of the opinion that mortal sin is a rarity among people of good faith. The idea that anyone who loves God would ever deliberately and full intent of the will choose to abandon God does not seem realistic. I believe this because I work it backwards. A person in a state of subjective mortal sin has not just damaged his relationship with God, but abandoned it. If these times are a rarity, and from the experiences I have and those I know, then the commission of sin to cause these must also be rare.

If you read section 1855 of the catechism it says:

“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.”

Notice it speaks about the sin turning man away from God. Not that man turns away from God, but the sin itself destroys charity. I would agree that no one of good will intentionally flips God the bird, but sin is insideous. Sin in of itself weakens and even destroys our relationship with God.

Let’s use a stand in for God. Instead of talking about a relationship with God let’s look at our relationship with our spouse.

Let say after a long, frsutrating week at work you are out with some friends playing pool. A couple tables over there is a couple of attractive ladies. Throughout the night you catch one of them looking at you with a soft smile. As you head to the restroom later that evening, you accidently bump into someone comming around the corner. It’s the cute lady you saw smiling earlier. You strike up a conversation and while talking she gently touches your arm and shoulder. It is loud so you lean in to hear her better and catch a heady scent of her perfume. At that moment you start to think this is a bad idea. As you start the pull away you feel her breath on you ear as she whispers she want to kiss you. You are stressed and know it’s a bad idea, but here is an atractive woman that really seems to like you so you say, heck it’s only a kiss and fall for the temptation. You know its wrong, but the feel of her lips and body are too much to ignore. Unknown to you, your wife had walked in to suprise you and saw the whole thing.

How do you think this will impact your relationship? You did not intend to walk away from your marriage, but have you violated the foundational trust merely by your actions? Yes your wife should and likely would forgive you, but only if you ask for forgiveness. If you simply tell her you didn’t mean to walk away, but don’t think you did anything wrong and leave it at that then should she simply forgive you anyway?

I don’t believe that mortal sin requires you to intentionally strive to destroy your relationship with God. Full consent speaks to the freedom of will to act. At the high level if you know murder is a grave evil, but you chose to kill anyway it does not matter if you thought “man, this will destroy charity in my soul.” The free choice to commit evil is what destroys charty and turns us away from God. It is an unintended consequence of our choice to commit evil, but a consequence none the less.

I would agree with the original premise that many questions on CAF tend towards the scrupulous, but I reject the notion that most people never commit mortal sin. The thought that moral sin only includes a direct, deliberate act of rejecting God seems to imply that we can willingly commit any evil as long as we love God in our heart of hearts. That does not jive with my understanding of mortal sin and how it turns us away from God.

 

[pnewton]

The thought that moral sin only includes a direct, deliberate act of rejecting God seems to imply that we can willingly commit any evil as long as we love God in our heart of hearts. That does not jive with my understanding of mortal sin and how it turns us away from God.

That too is the understanding of many. I do not agree, that the sentence above implies we can commit any evil, but I do think the definition of mortal sin makes it a rarity in my life, and that of most Christians. I think the second part of your sentence is a logical impossibility, and is sort of the basis for my opinion. The Catechism says mortal sin results in the loss of charity, in other words, one cannot love God.

The analogy of God and one’s spouse differs in that a spouse is subject to the same human frailties of all. God is willing to die for us even in our time of greatest sin. Oh, and we should never attempt to tell our wife, or God, that we did not do anything wrong. Your analogy does address that we cannot justify sin, but that is not what anyone is saying. We are discussing mortal sin specifically.

 

[Sophie_Lawrence]

I think what is going on is that we are dealing with an area where disagreement is not only allowed, but inevitable, as no one but God alone can judge the state of one’s soul and know the full intent in a sin.

I am of the opinion that mortal sin is a rarity among people of good faith. The idea that anyone who loves God would ever deliberately and full intent of the will choose to abandon God does not seem realistic. I believe this because I work it backwards. A person in a state of subjective mortal sin has not just damaged his relationship with God, but abandoned it. If these times are a rarity, and from the experiences I have and those I know, then the commission of sin to cause these must also be rare.

I tend to agree with this.

I’ll add that frequent reception of the sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist keep us close to God and His Church and away from mortal sin.

I call myself a revert, although I hadn’t “left” the Church to join another religion. I didn’t practice Catholicism well, or often.

It started at age 14 when I would miss Mass first occasionally, then frequently then for long stretches of time, then not at all.

I didn’t go to confession. When I was younger confession scared me, so by the time I was 14 I had perhaps only gone 3 or 4 times.

As I got older, I added more sins to the list. I rationalized what was wrong, and what was right according to my rationale.

I was pro choice, pro contraception, a contraception user, I wasn’t chaste, even though I thought I was. I waited to get married, but we were intimate in ways that were sinful.

I was like this for about 20 years.

And at 34, I went to confession, for the first time in years and years, and it was probably one of the more sincere confessions that I had ever made.

Since then, I have really tried to put God at the center of my life. I am aware of many venial sins. Mortal sins? Nothing like my life was before. There have been a number of times where I* needed* to go to confession, But I think there have been just a few mortal sins, other times were scrupulous thoughts. Fortunately, I’ve had good confessors to guide me.

I just wanted to add, I do try to get to confession often, even just for venial sins. I think I remember a priest saying those type of confessions were “check-ups” as opposed to “sick-visits” for mortal sins.

 

[Usige]

That too is the understanding of many. I do not agree, that the sentence above implies we can commit any evil, but I do think the definition of mortal sin makes it a rarity in my life, and that of most Christians. I think the second part of your sentence is a logical impossibility, and is sort of the basis for my opinion. The Catechism says mortal sin results in the loss of charity, in other words, one cannot love God.

Yes, but it says the act causes us to turn away from God, not that we chose to turn away from God and then act. I think most people are good at deluding themselves about loving God while committing grave acts. In my analogy is it loving your wife to flirt and kiss another woman? Yes, you might love her before and after, but is it a loving act when you chose to do what you know is wrong?

We have had several homilies and a parish mission recently because our pastor says that we as a society have lost a sense of sin. We brush everything off as nothing major. We have issues rather than sin. He has talked repeatedly that love is active, not passive. We chose to love and we chose to sin. When we chose to sin we chose not to love. We place our love of other above love of Him. Think of one of the lines from a popular act of contrition: “in choosing to do wrong, and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things.” It speaks to our choice, not our intent.

It seems we as a Church have embraced a theology that says mortal sin requires a very narrow and specific intent. It’s a little like saying death only occurs with murder one. Since manslaughter involves an accident or negligence then the intent is lacking and therefore it is not possible for anyone to have died. Obviously this is false. Intent only exasperates it, it does not negate the fact that someone is dead. The same would seem to apply with mortal sin. To knowingly chose to commit a grave act does not require intent to destroy our relationship with God. That intent just exaserbates the choice to do evil.

 

[Jeanne_S]

That’s true. When in doubt I will refrain from receiving anytime I have committed a grave act regardless if it was done with full consent. I would rather err on the side of caution then play the well maybe it was or wasn’t a mortal sin game. I figure a grave act in of itself should give me pause from receiving. But that’s just me.

I agree,I refrain as well under these circumstances.