Does God help you when in mortal sin?

[Nelka]

God hears our prayers and obviously for those of forgiveness and mercy but will He help us in our other need and trials of life?

 

[LawyersGunsAndMoney]

Yes, of course. But the help may not always come in the form we expect, and we may have to take an active role. If we pray for help, it doesn’t necessarily mean God will snap His fingers and magically fix everything.

When you’re in a state of sin, the fact that you want to reach out to God for help is itself a sign of the Holy Spirit nudging you to be reconciled.

 

[Nelka]

I thought you couldn’t receive graces?

 

[Vico]

I thought you couldn’t receive graces?

Catechism

2000 Sanctifying grace is an habitual gift, a stable and supernatural disposition that perfects the soul itself to enable it to live with God, to act by his love. Habitual grace , the permanent disposition to live and act in keeping with God’s call, is distinguished from actual graces which refer to God’s interventions, whether at the beginning of conversion or in the course of the work of sanctification.

2001 The preparation of man for the reception of grace is already a work of grace. This latter is needed to arouse and sustain our collaboration in justification through faith, and in sanctification through charity. God brings to completion in us what he has begun, "since he who completes his work by cooperating with our will began by working so that we might will it …

 

[Bernoulli]

God gives natural help even to the unjust: for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matt 5:45)

As for spiritual help, if someone is in mortal sin, the most important help is to guide them to repent and leave their mortal sin: Do you not know that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? (Rom 2:4)

 

[Gertabelle]

I thought you couldn’t receive graces?

I think you’re confusing graces with merits.

Basically, while in a state of mortal sin, you can’t earn the merits of your good works, acts of faith, etc.

However, you are always being offered God’s grace – without it, you could not do a single good work, think a single good thought, or even consider the need for confession.

 

[snarflemike]

If God didn’t help a person who was in mortal sin, no person in mortal sin could ever repent and seek forgiveness, and yet obviously people do.

 

[goout]

I meditate on psalm 103 at times like this:

Bless the Lord, my soul;
all my being, bless his holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, my soul;
and do not forget all his gifts,
3 Who pardons all your sins,
and heals all your ills,
4 Who redeems your life from the pit,
and crowns you with mercy and compassion,
5 Who fills your days with good things,
so your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.[b]

II​

6 The Lord does righteous deeds,
brings justice to all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
to the Israelites his deeds.
8 Merciful and gracious is the Lord,
slow to anger, abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always accuse,
and nurses no lasting anger;
10 He has not dealt with us as our sins merit,
nor requited us as our wrongs deserve.

III​

11 For as the heavens tower over the earth,
so his mercy towers over those who fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our sins from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.
14 For he knows how we are formed,
remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like the grass;
he blossoms like a flower in the field.
16 A wind sweeps over it and it is gone;
its place knows it no more.
17 But the Lord’s mercy is from age to age,
toward those who fear him.
His salvation is for the children’s children
18 of those who keep his covenant,
and remember to carry out his precepts.

IV​

19 The Lord has set his throne in heaven;
his dominion extends over all.
20 Bless the Lord, all you his angels,
mighty in strength, acting at his behest,
obedient to his command.
21 Bless the Lord, all you his hosts,
his ministers who carry out his will.
22 Bless the Lord, all his creatures,
everywhere in his domain.
Bless the Lord, my soul!

 

[Sarcelle]

I can definitely say from personal experience that he does.

I was not raised Catholic even though I was baptized as one.

Looking back in retrospect I now see the countless ways he tried to reach out to me even when I was deep into mortal sin.

One Biblical support is that of the shepherd leaving his flock to find lost sheep who may or may not be interested in rejoining the flock. That doesn’t stop the shepherd from seeking them out.

 

[awesomecatholic]

God absolutely does help us. I have experienced this myself. He gives us the grace to be able to go to Confession. We might not always get the answer we want, but God always answers our prayers.

 

[TheLittleLady]

Unrepented mortal sin is not something that any of us should stay in. When we mortally sin, repent and get to Confession.