How long do Catholics normally go without committing mortal sin?

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SergiusPaulus

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I ask this question only to discern whether it’s compatible with what Paul says in Romans 5:1, “Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Let’s take someone who’s normally considered to be holy or righteous–say, Pope St. John Paul the Great, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Padre Pio, Pope St. Pius X, or even lay evangelists like Scott Hahn, Jimmy Akin, Tim Staples, or Trent Horn–and let’s be generous and say that they normally last a year without mortally sinning until they eventually do mortally sin and lose their justification and are no longer a friend of God until they repent again and perform perfect contrition and/or go to confession.

I wonder if that’s really a ‘peaceful’ situation. We as Catholics are supposed to have the fruits of the Spirit, one of which is peace.

How are we Catholics to have peace when it is very likely we could be in mortal sin (and at enmity with God) at any point this month (or year)? I may be mistaken and there may be many people I’m unaware of who have been in a state of grace for many years (I hope that to be the case!). If that’s a near impossibility, this may lend much weight to the Protestant argument that Catholics propose a Gospel that doesn’t provide stable peace with God.
 
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SergiusPaulus said:
Protestant argument that Catholics propose a Gospel that doesn’t provide stable peace with God.
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Even if that were the case I don’t see how it is a problem.

“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling”

We are kept vigilant by the Catholic Church I’ll have peace in the kingdom of heaven.
 
Romans 5:1 seems to portray this state of peace as a present reality for the believer after having been justified by faith, and not something merely to be obtained after the particular judgment.

That’s what problematizes Catholic soteriology.
 
Three conditions are necessary for mortal sin to exist:
  • Grave Matter: The act itself is intrinsically evil and immoral. …
  • Full Knowledge: The person must know that what they’re doing or planning to do is evil and immoral. …
  • Deliberate Consent: The person must freely choose to commit the act or plan to do it.
I don’t know any time that I have been in a state of mortal sin because I can’t imagine deliberately giving my consent to something that I have full knowledge of and is a grave matter. I have certainly committed venial sins but never have I knowingly planned to do something that is intrinsically evil and immoral with deliberation and consent. It just seems incomprehensible to me. Even if I weren’t a Catholic, I wouldn’t want to knowingly do something seriously evil and/or immoral. Why would I?

I really don’t understand why it would be hard to avoid mortal sin when these conditions must first be met. A person can’t ‘fall’ into mortal sin without consent. It takes an act of will and knowledge of the evil about to be committed.

I am at peace because I know I love God and He loves me. Knowing I am human, He forgives my venial sins and I avoid the mortal ones because they require a conscious and deliberate act on my part, which I refuse to allow. How is that so hard? And why would one need to commit a mortal sin once a year? I like the comedy routine by Bob Newhart where he plays a psychiatrist and a woman comes to him with a problem caused by something she does. If you want to see it, just search on YouTube but basically in the end he just says to her, “Stop it!”

If you have a mortal sin that you commit, even once a year, then just STOP IT!
That’s why you have free will.
 
nunsense said:
I don’t know any time that I have been in a state of mortal sin because I can’t imagine deliberately giving my consent to something that I have full knowledge of and is a grave matter. I have certainly committed venial sins but never have I knowingly planned to do something that is intrinsically evil and immoral with deliberation and consent. It just seems incomprehensible to me. Even if I weren’t a Catholic, I wouldn’t want to knowingly do something seriously evil and/or immoral. Why would I?
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Really? You’ve never been in a state of mortal sin? That means you’ve never deserved to go to Hell, then. That seems to be an unorthodox position, don’t you think? Paul in Romans 3:10-18 makes the point that all human beings (who are capable of reason) are under condemnation because they have deliberately turned away from God. Notice the language Paul uses. It’s not referring to merely venially sinning.

I’m aware of the skit you’re referring to. That is a good strategy, and we should stop sinning, even venially sinning. The question is whether or not anyone has measured up to the task (other than Jesus, of course).

You’re saying that you have, but the fact that you claim to have never committed a mortal sin you’re aware of leaves me skeptical, especially given what St. Paul says.
 
Anon7 said:
The original sin was a mortal sin because it was a deliberate break with God, a choosing to assert one’s own will against the known will of God.
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We’re all born with original sin but I just went past this, maybe it will help?
 
SergiusPaulus said:
You’re saying that you have, but the fact that you claim to have never committed a mortal sin you’re aware of leaves me skeptical, especially given what St. Paul says.
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You are obviously looking at this from a Protestant point of view. I stated the conditions required for mortal sin. They are not difficult to avoid if one consciously chooses not to commit a gravely evil sin on purpose. I have committed venial sins and these have been forgiven.
 
The stain of original sin is cleansed at baptism. Therefore, after baptism it is up to the individual to ensure that s/he doesn’t commit a mortal sin.
 
@catholicray, I cited Romans 3:10-18. Paul literally says that all of us are guilty of turning from God. I don’t know how that could possibly be an interpretation.
 
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All of us might turn from God at various times in our lives unconsciously but that doesn’t mean we are in a state of mortal sin. You are not acknowledging the three conditions that must be present for a mortal sin to have occurred.
 
In that same passage it’s in the context of deliberately not seeking after God and our feet being swift to shed blood. All you have to do is read the passage I cited. It’s about deliberately sinning, not unconscious sinning.
 
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SergiusPaulus said:
In that same passage it’s in the context of deliberately not seeking after God and our feet being swift to shed blood. All you have to do is read the passage I cited. It’s about deliberately sinning, not unconscious sinning.
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Bible interpretation is a tricky thing and Paul certainly had his fair share of turning away from God and persecuting Christians in his own life, so it is only natural that he would focus on that. But I don’t interpret his words the same way you do. And since we saw what Jesus did for Paul, it is certainly a good example of His mercy.
 
God’s not out to plah “gotcha.” It’s clear that people don’t just stop sinning once they’ve found Christ. That’s a fact of life. It’s also clear we’re called to still strive to live good and holy lives afterwards. We can be at peace precisely because God isn’t playing “gotcha” and has provided a wonderful sacrament for reconciling with him and his church.
 
Where does that passage say we have a permanent peace with God? Sounds like you’re reading your position into that passage.
 
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So true, Wesrock. I am always surprised to see how many people speak about God as if He were some strict and unforgiving parent who only wants to punish His children. He is a God of love who incarnated to show us just how much He loves us!
 
Speaking as one who spent some years in major mortal sin, I can say that now, some years down the line, I rarely if ever, commit a sin I think might be serious or mortal. At my age, pretty much all the grave stuff I used to do looks very unappealing. Sure it was a struggle giving it up at first, but with God’s and Mary’s help it’s possible to get past that. And I haven’t developed any new bad habits to replace the old vanished ones, thank God.

I can definitely see how someone could go their whole life without committing a mortal sin. Some people just get more serious about living a Godly life at a young age.

I do still sin and go to regular confession. The sins just aren’t grave matter stuff.
 
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