Does God hear my prayers in a state of mortal sin?

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Irishgal49

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Good Morning,

Day 2 of not being able to take communion. Priests are out of town and it’s tough. It looks like I have to wait until scheduled confession on Saturday. Sometimes you can catch the priests in between those times but with fall schedules in full swing, this is not the case. I feel like I’m adrift and in fear…what if I died before I could make Confession.

I struggle with an addiction. My priest and I have talked extensively about culpability and diminished consent but I do see some consent so I still consider it mortal sin…the priest agrees. I think it could be argued either way if I laid it all out but I take no chances on taking communion…if i have a relapse, I wait until I’ve made Confession before I receive communion.

I just came back to the church after being “out on my own” for 11 years and it has been a struggle. I am told I am doing really well and have grown a lot. But there are a lot of times I’m sitting out communion due to a relapse. I used to engage in this behavior well over 100 times a month and now I may do it 3-5 times a month. That’s in 120 days so obviously God is doing for me what I cannot do for myself. It’s hard when I can’t take communion and have to wait on confession because I’m losing the strength I need to stay on track by not being able to receive the body/blood of my Lord.

That being said, does God hear my prayers when I’m in a state of mortal sin? I am thinking I may just not go to mass and come to the next confession time. I attend mass 7 days a week and never miss but it just hurts too much to sit there knowing God doesn’t hear my prayers and if I die I will go to hell anyway. I hate feeling this way so I wanted to check it out. Please let me know your understanding and thoughts as I’m still waiting it out until Saturday and then the scheduled confession time will be available to me. I will be first in line, I’m telling you. I’m eager to get this out of the way of receiving my precious Lord in the Eucharist.

Thanks for reading this and any responses you may have.

Lorrie
 
Rather than argue the point of mortal sin here (I think you are causing yourself too much distress) I’m going to just address the question.

Of course he hears your prayers!! God isn’t some ogre sitting on a cloud somewhere waiting for you to mess up and then like some pretentious rich parent he “cuts you off” and refuses to have anything to do with you until you make confession.

Trust in God’s grace. If you continue with this as you are now you are going to burn out. Jesus said his yoke is easy and his burden is light. Trust in his mercy and grace and do not live in fear! Yes, a healthy fear of God is necessary, but to live in fear and downtrodden isn’t what Christ wants for us.

IMHO mortal sin - sin that keeps you from communion - isn’t something that can be done by someone who genuinely wants to take communion for it’s spiritual benefits rather than “show”. Mortal sin is effectively giving God the finger and walking away.

But there I go with my debate. Bah! Know that you are loved by our Father and our King, and he doesn’t want you to live in constant fear to the point of despair because of him. He LOVES you. Take joy in that.
 
Continue to go to Mass whenever you can…even if you can’t receive Communion. Mass is the most powerful prayer on Earth, and God will know you are there and hear your prayers despite being in a state of mortal sin. Until you can get to Confession, say a sincere act of contrition in the morning when you wake up, one before you fall asleep, and whenever else you are moved to do so. God knows you would go to Confession if you were able…having the desire and intention to go (despite not being able to do so) is very important.

Just a thought though…have you looked into calling other local parishes (or even other local Eastern Catholic parishes) to see if any priests can hear your confession in the interim? You may have luck in that regard…:highprayer:
 
It could be said that ALL of us have some particular problem,vice,or sin.
 
God hears even the worst sinners in and through His Love for His Creation, and according to St. Faustina’s diary, Jesus says that these sinners have more recourse to His Mercy than sinners of a lesser degree of seriousness. Rules are there to remind us of the reality that we forget due to our fallen nature and are an act of love of God.
 
I know that God can and does hear your prayers in a state of moral sin. I also have something that I struggle with on a weekly basis and when my latest son was being born I was in a state of sin as well. The glorius thing was that my wife was having a difficult labor and I prayed for intercession of st. Anne since she is the patron of pregnant women. At the time I also didn’t think that anything would really happen since I needed to go to confession, but she came through in a seemingly very obvious way for us. God not only heard my prayer but allowed an intercession in our lives during a state of mortal sin. How great is the lord that he would extend his love and mercy to one who in no way deserved it. Mercy comes first, Justice comes second.
 
Irishgal49 said:
Good Morning,

(Snip)
That being said, does God hear my prayers when I’m in a state of mortal sin? I am thinking I may just not go to mass and come to the next confession time. I attend mass 7 days a week and never miss but it just hurts too much to sit there knowing God doesn’t hear my prayers and if I die I will go to hell anyway. I hate feeling this way so I wanted to check it out. Please let me know your understanding and thoughts as I’m still waiting it out until Saturday and then the scheduled confession time will be available to me. I will be first in line, I’m telling you. I’m eager to get this out of the way of receiving my precious Lord in the Eucharist.

Thanks for reading this and any responses you may have.

Lorrie
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God hears the prayers of all who sincerely Call on Him.
Think about it for a minute…The one in mortal sin MUST Call out to God from their state of mortal sin. God MUST hear this prayer in order to begin the process of healing and forgiveness. By going to confession we are completing what has already been started.

Do keep going to mass even if you feel that you cannot receive. Also do keep talking to you confessor about these matters. It is my opinion that a person such as yourself who is struggling to overcome an addiction does not slip into mortal sin simply because of a momentary weakness. It is obvious from what you describe that you remain committed to God and to winning this battle.
But I will say no more on that as it is better discussed between yourself and your confessor.

May God continue to give you His strength

Peace
James
 
Irishgal49 said:
Good Morning,

Day 2 of not being able to take communion. Priests are out of town and it’s tough. It looks like I have to wait until scheduled confession on Saturday. Sometimes you can catch the priests in between those times but with fall schedules in full swing, this is not the case. I feel like I’m adrift and in fear…what if I died before I could make Confession.

I struggle with an addiction. My priest and I have talked extensively about culpability and diminished consent but I do see some consent so I still consider it mortal sin…the priest agrees. I think it could be argued either way if I laid it all out but I take no chances on taking communion…if i have a relapse, I wait until I’ve made Confession before I receive communion.

I just came back to the church after being “out on my own” for 11 years and it has been a struggle. I am told I am doing really well and have grown a lot. But there are a lot of times I’m sitting out communion due to a relapse. I used to engage in this behavior well over 100 times a month and now I may do it 3-5 times a month. That’s in 120 days so obviously God is doing for me what I cannot do for myself. It’s hard when I can’t take communion and have to wait on confession because I’m losing the strength I need to stay on track by not being able to receive the body/blood of my Lord.

That being said, does God hear my prayers when I’m in a state of mortal sin? I am thinking I may just not go to mass and come to the next confession time. I attend mass 7 days a week and never miss but it just hurts too much to sit there knowing God doesn’t hear my prayers and if I die I will go to hell anyway. I hate feeling this way so I wanted to check it out. Please let me know your understanding and thoughts as I’m still waiting it out until Saturday and then the scheduled confession time will be available to me. I will be first in line, I’m telling you. I’m eager to get this out of the way of receiving my precious Lord in the Eucharist.

Thanks for reading this and any responses you may have.

Lorrie
Click to expand...
Please read this from the Catholic Catechism. You can confess privately for immediate help, and again with the priest.

1451 Among the penitent’s acts contrition occupies first place. Contrition is “sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin again.”

1452 When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible.

1453 The contrition called “imperfect” (or “attrition”) is also a gift of God, a prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is born of the consideration of sin’s ugliness or the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner (contrition of fear). Such a stirring of conscience can initiate an interior process which, under the prompting of grace, will be brought to completion by sacramental absolution. By itself however, imperfect contrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave sins, but it disposes one to obtain forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance.
 
God loves you, always, and always hears your prayers.
Good luck and I’ll pray for you.
 
I know that this is in older post, but I just wanted to add some thoughts. Actually, I wanted to share with you that I often find myself in the same situation as yourself. Because of a certain addiction I find myself constantly in the state of mortal sin, and it wears on me because of the thought that I need to get to confession as soon as possible. Then there’s the problem of confessing the same sin over and over again, for which I feel incredibly guilty. I try my best to beat this sin, but sometimes it gets the better of me. And, yes, there is the fear that you might die before you get to the next confession and will go straight to hell because of your mortal sin. I’ve been there many times.

So, you’re not alone in what you’re feeling. Just wanted to share my experience with you to point that out. As to whether or not God hears our prayers when we are in the state of mortal sin, I sure hope so . . .
 
I have faith that God hears every one of us and our prayers. I am sorry to hear you struggle with addiction and you really seem to give yourself a hard time. You are working hard on your faith and Catholicism, I believe God sees that and that goodness in your heart.

I hope things get easier for you, God bless
xox
 
jeberle1970 said:
I know that this is in older post, but I just wanted to add some thoughts. Actually, I wanted to share with you that I often find myself in the same situation as yourself. Because of a certain addiction I find myself constantly in the state of mortal sin, and it wears on me because of the thought that I need to get to confession as soon as possible. Then there’s the problem of confessing the same sin over and over again, for which I feel incredibly guilty. I try my best to beat this sin, but sometimes it gets the better of me. And, yes, there is the fear that you might die before you get to the next confession and will go straight to hell because of your mortal sin. I’ve been there many times.

So, you’re not alone in what you’re feeling. Just wanted to share my experience with you to point that out. As to whether or not God hears our prayers when we are in the state of mortal sin, I sure hope so . . .
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An act may be grave and mortal due to its object, but addiction (and other factors) mitigates this mortal aspect due to this act not being freely chosen.
 
zorrosidekick said:
I know that God can and does hear your prayers in a state of moral sin. I also have something that I struggle with on a weekly basis and when my latest son was being born I was in a state of sin as well. The glorius thing was that my wife was having a difficult labor and I prayed for intercession of st. Anne since she is the patron of pregnant women. At the time I also didn’t think that anything would really happen since I needed to go to confession, but she came through in a seemingly very obvious way for us. God not only heard my prayer but allowed an intercession in our lives during a state of mortal sin. How great is the lord that he would extend his love and mercy to one who in no way deserved it. Mercy comes first, Justice comes second.
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Nice
 
Sin causes us to turn away from God - not the other way around. The simple fact that you are concerned about your relationship with Him and still seek Him through prayer, shows that sin does not have total control of you and that God is winning the battle for your soul. Even better is the fact you worry enough about it to post this great question here and now others in your/our situation can learn as well - and the fact that many wonderful Catholics end up praying for you by merely reading your post. Besides praying for yourself, pray for the millions like you/us that have no hope in God.

Yeah, God is hearing your prayers. Good luck with your recovery.
 
A couple of thoughts here: 1) Spiritual communion, for those times when you have relapsed and believe that the relapse is mortal sin, and 2) in addition to Mass attendance and the sacraments, professional addiction counseling. Getting some good professional help, and maybe even attending one of the “Anonymous” groups, would be a great step towards “firm purpose of amendment and resolve to sin no more.”

Any good prayer book has a formula for spiritual communion, or you can easily make up your own, in similar words, you ask Jesus to come into your heart, and stay there, since at this time you cannot make a sacramental communion. A lot of the old traditional prayers are great, too, like “Prayer before a Crucifix,” “Anima Christi,” and the Fatima Prayers. The Divine Mercy chaplet is a wonderful devotion to focus on those mercies God has shown you already, and to remind yourself that His mercy is infinite, and yours for the grateful receiving.

Use the time you spend while others are receiving communion to stir your heart toward a deeper appreciation of the times that you can receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Ask Him to take away your compulsion to use. Ask Him to send the Holy Spirit to inspire you as to how you can avoid using in the first place.

And on those days when you wake up clean and sober, ask Him to help keep you that way just for that day. I’m happy to hear that your use is getting less and less, may God bring you to the point where you can leave it behind you.

In case you are addicted to alcohol, there is a group of Catholic recovering alcoholics and their families called the Calix Society. There may be a group active in your diocese, if you are familiar with twelve step programs, Calix focuses on the eleventh step in the light of Catholic tradition of prayer and meditation. They are not a group that you get involved with when you are just getting sober, they are for spiritual growth once you do manage to put together some sober time. Check out their website (google “Calix,”) and if it looks like something useful to you, check them out.
 
jeberle1970 said:
I know that this is in older post, but I just wanted to add some thoughts. Actually, I wanted to share with you that I often find myself in the same situation as yourself. Because of a certain addiction I find myself constantly in the state of mortal sin, and it wears on me because of the thought that I need to get to confession as soon as possible. Then there’s the problem of confessing the same sin over and over again, for which I feel incredibly guilty. I try my best to beat this sin, but sometimes it gets the better of me. And, yes, there is the fear that you might die before you get to the next confession and will go straight to hell because of your mortal sin. I’ve been there many times.

So, you’re not alone in what you’re feeling. Just wanted to share my experience with you to point that out. As to whether or not God hears our prayers when we are in the state of mortal sin, I sure hope so . . .
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It sounds like you are mixing two immiscibles here. It one has an addiction or a compulsive behavior, it is, by definition, outside the full control of the will. Since a sin, to be mortal, must have full consent of the will, then it can’t be both.

I understand the point that we can make conscious choices that place us in the grip of the behavior, and that we are responsible for those, our level of culpability is not the same as one who is not struggling to free themselves of the behavior.

And along the lines of struggling, for most compulsive behaviors, the solution is not trying to battle against the addicition itself by use of the will (since will power has been compromised already) the solution lies in substituting activities, thoughts, and affectations with those things that strengthen the soul against the inevitable pull olf concupiscence. For example, if there is a certain time of day, that time needs to be filled with adoration of the blessed sacrament or Rosary. If there is a certain location, it should be avoided, and another holy place visited if possible. If it is certain persons, then one needs to fellowship with the godly, rather than the ungodly. If it is reading material, it needs to be replaced with that which is life giving, etc.

One cannot overcome addiction by willpower. That is the nature of addiction.
 
guanophore said:
It sounds like you are mixing two immiscibles here. It one has an addiction or a compulsive behavior, it is, by definition, outside the full control of the will. Since a sin, to be mortal, must have full consent of the will, then it can’t be both.

I understand the point that we can make conscious choices that place us in the grip of the behavior, and that we are responsible for those, our level of culpability is not the same as one who is not struggling to free themselves of the behavior.

And along the lines of struggling, for most compulsive behaviors, the solution is not trying to battle against the addicition itself by use of the will (since will power has been compromised already) the solution lies in substituting activities, thoughts, and affectations with those things that strengthen the soul against the inevitable pull olf concupiscence. For example, if there is a certain time of day, that time needs to be filled with adoration of the blessed sacrament or Rosary. If there is a certain location, it should be avoided, and another holy place visited if possible. If it is certain persons, then one needs to fellowship with the godly, rather than the ungodly. If it is reading material, it needs to be replaced with that which is life giving, etc.

One cannot overcome addiction by willpower. That is the nature of addiction.
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👍👍

Very nicely put.

It is not by our own will power but by God’s Grace.

Peace
James
 
The answer to the question posited in the thread is yes. Think of it this way did Christ when he was on earth hear both verbal and mental thoughts of those around him especially sinners? YES.

God hears all sinners mortal venial and non-believers. He does not turn away from us rather we from Him. We are all created by God in his image, He loves us all. Unfortunately, not all will go to heaven.

Jeberle 1970 “And, yes, there is the fear that you might die before you get to the next confession and will go straight to hell because of your mortal sin.” Lastly as has been stated here before if you are driving to confession and get in an accident and die. God will understand your intention was to go to confession. Not HA HA he fell 50 feet short of the confessional now off to HEll. The intention of the heart matters - contrition and desire not to offend rahter love - as well as the act of confession. So be sorry and go to the next available confession.
 
I think that we have a tendency to put our own limits on God’s grace and mercy. Like, for example, if we sin and then die before confession that we’re supposedly then destined for hell. God is not going to throw you into hell just because you fell down and won’t be in a state of grace again until Saturday. I think that we need to stop putting these limits on Gods grace and boundless mercies.
God loves you. He knows that you love him and want to please him. He knows your struggles and your regret. If sin was so easy to overcome then He would not have needed to sacrifice Himself for us. Did God’s work end with John the Baptist? NO! It had barely just begun. Then along came Jesus Christ.
Do you truly believe that your sin is more powerful than the blood of Christ? Think again.
Do not underestimate the power of God’s sacrifice for you, and the power of his love for you.
 
St. Thomas Aquinas, invoking Augustine and John Chrysostom, explains that the mortal sinner’s prayers for help are heard.

Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 83, a. 16: Augustine says (Tract. xliv, super Joan.): “If God were not to hear sinners, the publican would have vainly said: Lord, be merciful to me a sinner”; and Chrysostom *Hom. xviii of the same Opus Imperfectum] says: “Everyone that asketh shall receive, that is to say whether he be righteous or sinful.”
I answer that, in the sinner, two things are to be considered: his nature which God loves, and the sin which He hates. . . . God hears the sinner’s prayer if it proceed from a good natural desire, not out of justice, because the sinner does not merit to be heard, but out of pure mercy, provided however he fulfill the four conditions given above, namely, that he beseech for himself things necessary for salvation, piously and perseveringly.
 
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