Grave Matter

[Holland]

Is the breaking of any of the Ten Commandments considered a “grave matter”? That would mean if you broke any of the Commandments you could, under the right circumstances be committing a mortal sin. Correct?

 

[Aelred_Minor]

Is the breaking of any of the Ten Commandments considered a “grave matter”? That would mean if you broke any of the Commandments you could, under the right circumstances be committing a mortal sin. Correct?

In theory, yes, with the technical exception of the commandment concerning the Sabbath, but that generally gets applied by Christians to the Lord’s Day and violating that can be a mortal sin.

However, we need to remember the subjective criteria for a sin to be mortal, as well as the fact that some non-grave sins could potentially be classed under some of the commandments.

For example, lust is a violation of “thou shalt not commit adultery” and is grave matter, but much of the time lust is engaged in before one has the chance to fully reflect on the moral nature of the act, and so it’s often if not usually a venial sin rather than mortal, though it has the potential to be mortal.

Similarly there are ways in which one might dishonor one’s parents, some of which may not even be grave matter, though the commandment presumably has graver offences against the honor due to parents in mind.

 

[thistle]

Is the breaking of any of the Ten Commandments considered a “grave matter”? That would mean if you broke any of the Commandments you could, under the right circumstances be committing a mortal sin. Correct?

THE GRAVITY OF SIN: MORTAL AND VENIAL SIN

CCC 1854 Sins are rightly evaluated according to their gravity. The distinction between mortal and venial sin, already evident in Scripture, became part of the tradition of the Church. It is corroborated by human experience.

CCC 1855 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.

Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it.

CCC 1856 Mortal sin, by attacking the vital principle within us - that is, charity - necessitates a new initiative of God’s mercy and a conversion of heart which is normally accomplished within the setting of the sacrament of reconciliation:

When the will sets itself upon something that is of its nature incompatible with the charity that orients man toward his ultimate end, then the sin is mortal by its very object . . . whether it contradicts the love of God, such as blasphemy or perjury, or the love of neighbor, such as homicide or adultery. . . . But when the sinner’s will is set upon something that of its nature involves a disorder, but is not opposed to the love of God and neighbor, such as thoughtless chatter or immoderate laughter and the like, such sins are venial.

CCC 1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: “Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.”

CCC 1858 Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: “Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother.” The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger.

CCC 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 heart do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.

CCC 1860 Unintentional ignorance can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense. But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the conscience of every man. The promptings of feelings and passions can also diminish the voluntary and free character of the offense, as can external pressures or pathological disorders. Sin committed through malice, by deliberate choice of evil, is the gravest.

CCC 1861 Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God’s forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ’s kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God.

CCC 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.

CCC 1863 Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it impedes the soul’s progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal punishment. Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin. However venial sin does not break the covenant with God. With God’s grace it is humanly reparable. “Venial sin does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace, friendship with God, charity, and consequently eternal happiness.”

While he is in the flesh, man cannot help but have at least some light sins. But do not despise these sins which we call “light”: if you take them for light when you weigh them, tremble when you count them. A number of light objects makes a great mass; a number of drops fills a river; a number of grains makes a heap. What then is our hope? Above all, confession.

CCC 1864 “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss.

 

[rom422]

Is the breaking of any of the Ten Commandments considered a “grave matter”? That would mean if you broke any of the Commandments you could, under the right circumstances be committing a mortal sin. Correct?

You commit a sin when you break any of the Ten Commandments. But you don’t always commit a mortal sin when you break one of the commandments. For example, not all instances of stealing is a mortal sin.

One of the criteria that we use to judge whether a sin is mortal or not is the seriousness or gravity of the matter. For a sin to be mortal, the sin must be about something that is truly big, serious or “grave.” Oftentimes common sense must be employed to make this judgment. For example, if I deliberately stole my favorite book from the library, do you think I deserve to suffer the eternal fires of hell for that? I don’t think so. Then the sin was NOT mortal. But if I got involved in a Ponzi scheme and stole the retirement money of hundreds of innocent investors, then I think that is very serious and can bring me the punishment of hell.

That said, the “gravity” of the matter can vary according to different circumstances. Stealing a $40 book from the library may not constitute a grave matter; but stealing $40 from an unemployed family man could be a grave matter.

Also, “gravity of the matter” is not the only criterion that we use to judge whether a sin is mortal or not. To be a mortal sin, the grave offense must also be done with full knowledge and full consent. If you steal a 1-oz gold coin thinking that it was just a nice-looking piece of brass, the sin may not be mortal, for lack of full knowledge. But be very careful. If you steal a nice-looking piece of brass, thinking that it is a valuable gold coin, you might have committed a very serious act of theft in your heart. I say this (although the coin itself might be objectively worthless) because sin is largely in the will, and your wanting to unjustly take possession of what you thought was a valuable coin, betrays the malice in your heart. State law may not punish you severely for that mistake. But God, who sees our hearts, is the One whom we must fear. If you have the misfortune of offending God in this manner, then repent, ask for forgiveness in confession, and do penance.

Judging the gravity of human acts is something that is sometimes very difficult to make. In case of doubt, consult your priest or your confessor.

 

[Holland]

It is sounding as if I am correct. I got into a discussion with someone who said that breaking some of the Commandments, such as missing Mass or engaging is gossip about someone will never be a mortal sin as neither of those things fall into the category of being “grave matter.” I said if you do either of those things with deliberate forethought and intent then the sin is mortal.

 

[Bookcat]

For example, lust is a violation of “thou shalt not commit adultery” and is grave matter, but much of the time lust is engaged in before one has the chance to fully reflect on the moral nature of the act, and so it’s often if not usually a venial sin rather than mortal, though it has the potential to be mortal.
.

I would not put it that way.

Though yes it could be venial due to lack of knowledge or not full consent. But I really would not say that lust is “often if not usually a venial sin”…

 

[Bookcat]

It is sounding as if I am correct. I got into a discussion with someone who said that breaking some of the Commandments, such as missing Mass or engaging is gossip about someone will never be a mortal sin as neither of those things fall into the category of being “grave matter.” I said if you do either of those things with deliberate forethought and intent then the sin is mortal.

Missing Mass on a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation IS grave matter. Gossip may be grave matter depending on what is said etc

The Ten commandments all contain grave matters…but not all that would be “covered” by them is grave (nor is all that can be grave “singled out” as being grave in the CCC…but certainly some are)

Catechism:

2180 The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more precisely: "On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass."117 "The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening of the preceding day."118

2181 The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.119 Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.

(grave sin =mortal sin=serious sin --the terms are interchangable)

2477 Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury.277 He becomes guilty:

• of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor;
• of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another’s faults and failings to persons who did not know them;278
• of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them.

2478 To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor’s thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way:

Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another’s statement than to condemn it. But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. and if the latter understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation so that he may be saved.279

2479 Detraction and calumny destroy the reputation and honor of one’s neighbor. Honor is the social witness given to human dignity, and everyone enjoys a natural right to the honor of his name and reputation and to respect. Thus, detraction and calumny offend against the virtues of justice and charity.

 

[Holland]

Yes, gossip definitely could be a mortal sin. I don’t think it is so much what is said but the impact of what you are saying. If you go out and intentionally say something to ruin anothers reputation then that would be a mortal sin. I believe its the forethought and intention that most often makes a sin mortal.

 

[Bookcat]

Yes, gossip definitely could be a mortal sin. I don’t think it is so much what is said but the impact of what you are saying. If you go out and intentionally say something to ruin anothers reputation then that would be a mortal sin. I believe its the forethought and intention that most often makes a sin mortal.

2477 Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury.277 He becomes guilty:

• of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor;
  - of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another’s faults and failings to persons who did not know them;278
• of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them.

---