Extreme Anger Mortal Sin?

  • Thread starter Thread starter SFX
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

SFX

Guest
IS RAGE A SIN I NEED TO CONFESS BEFORE RECEIVING COMMUNION? WHAT IF IT’S PMS-RELATED? SOUNDS FUNNY, I KNOW, BUT SOMETIMES (THE FREQUENCY VARIES) I AM OVERCOME WITH ANGER AND/OR RAGE BECAUSE OF THE SMALLEST THINGS, BUT I CAN’T STOP IT. I HAVE TRIED WALKING AWAY, BUT SOMEHOW I CAN’T SEPARATE MYSELF FROM THE ANGER. ANY ADVICE IS WELCOME. THIS HAS TO STOP.

SFX
 
Sin is both Objective and Subjective. The fact that you showed anger/hatred? Towards another is Objectively a sin. However because of the additional circumstances the degree to which you are responsible will vary. The best place to discuss this is in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Today many people are under the impression that in order to sin one must willfully and knowingly committ a sin. However a sinful act is a sinful act objectively speaking.
 
Br. Rich SFO:
Today many people are under the impression that in order to sin one must willfully and knowingly committ a sin. However a sinful act is a sinful act objectively speaking.
Click to expand...
Brother Rich, you are referring to the concepts of material sin and formal sin.

Material sin is an act that is objectively wrong. As distinguished from formal sin, it is committed without full knowledge and/or consent, and therefore, one is not culpable before God.

Formal sin occurs when a person commits an act which either is objectively wrong, or is thought to be objectively wrong. In either case, the person is guilty in his conscience before God.

For example: You don’t know that your friend’s shoulder is injured, and you give him a friendly slap on the back. This causes him terrible pain, but he doesn’t blame you because you had no idea that the friendly backslap would hurt him. This is analogous to material sin.

Another example: You think your friend’s shoulder is injured, and, because you are angry with him and wish to hurt him, you give him a “friendly” slap on the back. Unbeknownst to you, his shoulder has healed, and you cause him no pain. You have committed a formal sin here, because you intended your “friendly” slap to have a painful result, even though it didn’t. If your friend figures this out, he will rightfully be angry with you.

Final example: The most common is the sin you are aware of and consent to. You know your friend’s shoulder is injured, you want to hurt him, and you slap his back, causing pain. It’s all out in the open, and he has every right to blame you for his pain. This is also formal sin.

The sins that you intend to commit, the formal sins, are the ones for which you will be held responsible, and which you must confess if they involve grave matter. The sins you do not intend to commit are not imputed to you. But, of course, a sincere “I’m so sorry; I never meant to hurt you” is always appreciated both by the person you have harmed and by God.

Betsy
 
I would not presume it a sin. I have sympathy for you. There are many stresses today and our blood sugar level etc. can also affect us. It sounds like you did not purposefully dwell on your anger and seek to cause harm for others. I think the key thing is we sometimes have to consider what it’s like to be on the receiving end of the anger and control it. I have compassion, who knows what kind of stress you may have in your life.

Greg
 
40.png
SFX:
IS RAGE A SIN I NEED TO CONFESS BEFORE RECEIVING COMMUNION? WHAT IF IT’S PMS-RELATED? SOUNDS FUNNY, I KNOW, BUT SOMETIMES (THE FREQUENCY VARIES) I AM OVERCOME WITH ANGER AND/OR RAGE BECAUSE OF THE SMALLEST THINGS, BUT I CAN’T STOP IT. I HAVE TRIED WALKING AWAY, BUT SOMEHOW I CAN’T SEPARATE MYSELF FROM THE ANGER. ANY ADVICE IS WELCOME. THIS HAS TO STOP.

SFX
Click to expand...
If it’s PMS related and out of control, you might want to speak to your doctor about a medication that can help. In the meantime, it can’t hurt and might help to confess it and receive a load of grace and some good advice from the priest.

I’ve been where you are - the most ridiculous things set you off, and then you look back and ask, what was that about! It can be scary. God bless you in your struggles.

Betsy
 
We need to differentiate between righteous and unrighteous anger before we label anything a sin.
 
40.png
Andyman1517:
We need to differentiate between righteous and unrighteous anger before we label anything a sin.
Click to expand...
Ok raise you hands. Who can list the “Seven Deadly Sins”?
 
Pride, Gluttony, Sloth, Lust, Anger, Greed…

Do I get a “B” for 6 out of 7?
 
Br. Rich SFO:
Ok raise you hands. Who can list the “Seven Deadly Sins”?
Click to expand...
The one I was looking for was “Anger”. (OTM got it) It does not differentiate between righteous and unrighteous anger. Anger is a Capitol Sin, that must be addressed before it leads into other sins.
 
Avarice is the $.50 term for greed in a $.10 conversation. And it sounds really interesting… but then, isn’t all sin “interesting”?

And could it be said that each of the deadly sisn is something good gone bad?
 
Article 2302 of the Catechism says:
If anger reaches the point of a deliberate desire to kill or seriously wound a neighbor, it is gravely against charity; it is a mortal sin. The Lord says, “Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment.”
Click to expand...
What if someone was in a frenzy, having been consumed by violent thoughts (think of the “Satsui no Hadou” from the Street Fighter video games) even just for a few minutes but does not intend to kill someone, even his own blood brother. Suppose he is “urged” to kill the other guy, but instead, he just gives him a massage on the back of his neck with both his bare hands. Has the first guy committed a mortal sin because he thought of himself killing his brother, as in it appears that he would intentionally do it, only to restrain himself at the last minute?
 
baltobetsy said:
If it’s PMS related and out of control, you might want to speak to your doctor about a medication that can help. In the meantime, it can’t hurt and might help to confess it and receive a load of grace and some good advice from the priest.

I’ve been where you are - the most ridiculous things set you off, and then you look back and ask, what was that about! It can be scary. God bless you in your struggles.

Betsy
Click to expand...
Frequent confession cured my extreme pms-induced rage.
 
If I was you I would talk to my priest about it in some way and seek his guidence and stick to what he says. People mean well but you will get mixed reactions here. I only know what my priest told me in confession and he knows me to know where I was coming from. I’m not going to share my situation because it is different as it all is for each other. But I really recommend you find a way of talking to your priest for guidence. Priests are far kinder than we are on here because they understand things better than we can.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top