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x1980x
Guest
Coming from a Protestant perspective where there is no distinction between mortal and venial sins, I’m curious as to how common mortal sins really are.
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NovusAugustus
Guest
This could be fairly interesting, if somewhat embarrassing. I marked several times a week because of my impurity problems. Sometimes I’ll push them down for a few weeks but they always come back.
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twoangels
Guest
I personally find examining my conscience difficult. I can list grave sins I’ve committed, but I leave it up to God’s judgment to discern my heart (the consent of my will and my knowledge). If I’m aware its grave, I go to confession before receiving communion. I have learned not to worry about the details beyond that point. And if its grave and I’m obilivious, its definitely not mortal and I don’t have enough knowledge to identify it so I’m not culpable. I examine my conscience realizing day after day how fallible and forgetful it is.
I think the Church teaches of the difference between mortal and venial sins to help us avoid the temptation of believing a one time conversion experience deprives man of the free will of rejecting God later. Man can cut himself off from God again. But I think discerning the difference in your actions isn’t all that benefitial. It can lead to dismissing venial sins as the tolerable sins. It can cause a person to view God as some wrathful God just waiting for you to slip up.
I go to confession for the grace. I pay attention to grave sins to discern if I should go to confession a little sooner than my regular confession. I use it to discern whether to go up to communion or not.
What I suppose I can say, is that the typical confession guides I usually find unhelpful in examining my conscience. My answer to the usual questions is “no, no, no, no.” If its from those lists, than its almost never.
When I examine my conscience, I used to have to start by analysising my pride. Approaching it from categorizes mortal and venial sins doesn’t work for me. I have to start at the root of the sin and then extend to the other vices. Then I look at how they’re expressing themselves. They’re very good at disguising themself as virtue, so I have to sneak up on them. Typically go to a confession with a list of things I have to explain to the priest as to why they’re sinful. Usually its “My pride expresses itself this way.” etc. If I didn’t explain the root, it wouldn’t be obvious and it’d sound really weird. It doesn’t sound like anything from a confession guide.
I think the Church teaches of the difference between mortal and venial sins to help us avoid the temptation of believing a one time conversion experience deprives man of the free will of rejecting God later. Man can cut himself off from God again. But I think discerning the difference in your actions isn’t all that benefitial. It can lead to dismissing venial sins as the tolerable sins. It can cause a person to view God as some wrathful God just waiting for you to slip up.
I go to confession for the grace. I pay attention to grave sins to discern if I should go to confession a little sooner than my regular confession. I use it to discern whether to go up to communion or not.
What I suppose I can say, is that the typical confession guides I usually find unhelpful in examining my conscience. My answer to the usual questions is “no, no, no, no.” If its from those lists, than its almost never.
When I examine my conscience, I used to have to start by analysising my pride. Approaching it from categorizes mortal and venial sins doesn’t work for me. I have to start at the root of the sin and then extend to the other vices. Then I look at how they’re expressing themselves. They’re very good at disguising themself as virtue, so I have to sneak up on them. Typically go to a confession with a list of things I have to explain to the priest as to why they’re sinful. Usually its “My pride expresses itself this way.” etc. If I didn’t explain the root, it wouldn’t be obvious and it’d sound really weird. It doesn’t sound like anything from a confession guide.
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BVMFatima
Guest
You are not alone.
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JRKH
Guest
Twoangels has expressed my view as well.
I agree too that the poll will be very interesting to follow…but please recognize that our spiritual lives change over time. I use to be in “mortal sin” constantly - I was away from the Church for 35 years - now not very often…but then I’m also rather “house bound” and that makes a difference in opportunities.
That said…Twoangel’s description of looking at vices is my view as well. As I was returning to the Church after 35 years I was overwhelmed by the thought of trying to confess using the “standard formula”, plus in truth I had not yet come to fully realize the depths of my crimes against God. As a result, my first confession back was rather poor.
As I became more convicted in the sins of my previous life, I felt the need to confess more fully - but how - “type and number” from 35 years was simply insurmountable. Then I discovered the “Seven Deadly Sins”. It was a “eureka” moment for me.
You see - my work background was in the Quality field and one of the basic principles of QA is the analysis of discrete failures looking for the root cause - a single root cause can result in many different but related failures…
What struck me was that ALL of my various discrete “sins” - committed multiple times over the years - were reducible to one or more of these “Root causes” - Each of which I had basically only committed once but allowed to go unchecked for a very long time.
Further analysis showed me how, over time, one “deadly sin” led to others.
So - I sat down and wrote all of this out - went to confession and read this to my confessor. His response was simple and supportive…He gave me absolution and since them I have felt much better.
Now - after all that rambling…
I concentrate more on acting upon the Heavenly Virtues (see link above)and not worrying so much about the deadly vices…
I do this out of Love for my God since Love engenders the purely positive action of doing what I can to please Our Lord - rather than the simply servile action of trying not to fail…
Hope this makes sense.
Peace
James
I agree too that the poll will be very interesting to follow…but please recognize that our spiritual lives change over time. I use to be in “mortal sin” constantly - I was away from the Church for 35 years - now not very often…but then I’m also rather “house bound” and that makes a difference in opportunities.
That said…Twoangel’s description of looking at vices is my view as well. As I was returning to the Church after 35 years I was overwhelmed by the thought of trying to confess using the “standard formula”, plus in truth I had not yet come to fully realize the depths of my crimes against God. As a result, my first confession back was rather poor.
As I became more convicted in the sins of my previous life, I felt the need to confess more fully - but how - “type and number” from 35 years was simply insurmountable. Then I discovered the “Seven Deadly Sins”. It was a “eureka” moment for me.
You see - my work background was in the Quality field and one of the basic principles of QA is the analysis of discrete failures looking for the root cause - a single root cause can result in many different but related failures…
What struck me was that ALL of my various discrete “sins” - committed multiple times over the years - were reducible to one or more of these “Root causes” - Each of which I had basically only committed once but allowed to go unchecked for a very long time.
Further analysis showed me how, over time, one “deadly sin” led to others.
So - I sat down and wrote all of this out - went to confession and read this to my confessor. His response was simple and supportive…He gave me absolution and since them I have felt much better.
Now - after all that rambling…
I concentrate more on acting upon the Heavenly Virtues (see link above)and not worrying so much about the deadly vices…
I do this out of Love for my God since Love engenders the purely positive action of doing what I can to please Our Lord - rather than the simply servile action of trying not to fail…
Hope this makes sense.
Peace
James
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benjammin
Guest
Anymore i’m worried almost everything I do is a mortal sin, so I don’t know. This makes me worried whether God even hears my prayers if almost every sin is mortal.
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BVMFatima
Guest
I have these feelings too. But Our Lord would never separate from us, spend time in prayer
God Bless
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Pug
Guest
I used to behave one way, but for many years it has been different. I answered for the current era of my life to resolve my difficulty in answering.
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JRKH
Guest
It is my belief and understanding that such problems can stem from taking too much of a legalistic approach to the matter. Also it can indicate a certain lack of maturity in faith (not that I’m any great example).I have these feelings too. But Our Lord would never separate from us, spend time in prayer
God Bless
By this I mean that as children - we are very much governed by the “rules” of our parents. But as we mature, some “rules” change…not the principles…but the rules. Take a very simple example, as a 4 year old you are not aloud out of the yard. At 14 boundaries still exist are much wider. once adulthood is reached it is expected that one has enough learning, skill and understanding to set their own boundaries.
In learning our faith, I’m afraid that we are not always taught the more mature principles as we get older physically and seek to grow in our faith. We are left with the same “rules” we were taught when we were little…
Again - taking a simple example…when little we are taught that you don’t lie because it violates the eighth commandment. As we grow - we should come to understand that the REASON for the commandment is that bearing false witness is an unloving thing to do. This is equally true for the other commandments. They violate Love…
So - as we mature, we should move from fear of punishment and servile obedience, to Love of God and neighbor and service to each. Love does this.
Developing this outlook can lessen the fears expressed in the posts above.
Peace
James
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crenfro
Guest
Hello.
I marked several times a week because I just don’t always know – sometimes things I think are rotten aren’t so bad and other things are quite bad but I’m so used to excusing myself, I just don’t know.
I can’t imagine how offended God must be by me. Thank God for the sacrament of confession.
I marked several times a week because I just don’t always know – sometimes things I think are rotten aren’t so bad and other things are quite bad but I’m so used to excusing myself, I just don’t know.
I can’t imagine how offended God must be by me. Thank God for the sacrament of confession.
D
DexUK
Guest
I have to say I believe that the poll is missing one answer:
Prefer not to say / Mind your own business.
That may be blunt, and it’s not my intention to be rude, but I don’t feel that a poll like this is helpful to anyone. It simply encourages scrupulosity and possibly even a race to one end or the other of the poll’s ‘spectrum’ as some sort of badge of honour (or dishonour, even).
I don’t believe it is helpful to dwell on the sins of others where they don’t have a direct bearing on our own behaviour, and I don’t believe we can use the answers to measure ourselves against other people, since everyone is different.
The descriptions of the numbers and gravity of our sins belongs only to the Confessional.
Prefer not to say / Mind your own business.
That may be blunt, and it’s not my intention to be rude, but I don’t feel that a poll like this is helpful to anyone. It simply encourages scrupulosity and possibly even a race to one end or the other of the poll’s ‘spectrum’ as some sort of badge of honour (or dishonour, even).
I don’t believe it is helpful to dwell on the sins of others where they don’t have a direct bearing on our own behaviour, and I don’t believe we can use the answers to measure ourselves against other people, since everyone is different.
The descriptions of the numbers and gravity of our sins belongs only to the Confessional.
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crenfro
Guest
Hello.
Thank you for these objections. They got me a’thinkin.
some of my thoughts, please take them or leave them depending on if they’re helpful or not:
we’re supposed to confess to one another…
it’s always good to examine one’s conscience…
it’s never good to encourage a person to scrupulosity – thank you for pointing that out…
Sin is never to be treated lightly…
sometimes it gives a person courage when they hear others own up to their own flaws…
Very grateful for your post. Very good points you make. Thank you.
T
TheRealJuliane
Guest
I marked about once a month, but that is a vast improvement over last year.
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DexUK
Guest
We’re only supposed to ‘confess’ to one another that we are sinners. There is no requirement to go and tell everyone you know the gravity, nature and numbers of our sins. That information is between you and God via your confessor.
We need to accept that we sin, and do so openly but in doing that we also need to be joyful at the way in which we are accepted and forgiven by God in such a loving way.
If we start comparing between ourselves and counting up sins, then we focus too much on the sins themselves and less on the forgiveness. Remember… at the end of confession, we’re told we’re absolved and to go in peace. That means I don’t have to think about those sins again, preferably to the point whereby I no longer even consider committing them again or feel the need to (i.e. letting go of the attachment to such sins now, so that I don’t have to do it in Purgatory).
I can think of a way to turn this ‘poll’ round:
It could, instead, say:
“How greatly have you been forgiven by God lately?”
to which the only answer needs to be:
“Infinitely.”
We need to accept that we sin, and do so openly but in doing that we also need to be joyful at the way in which we are accepted and forgiven by God in such a loving way.
If we start comparing between ourselves and counting up sins, then we focus too much on the sins themselves and less on the forgiveness. Remember… at the end of confession, we’re told we’re absolved and to go in peace. That means I don’t have to think about those sins again, preferably to the point whereby I no longer even consider committing them again or feel the need to (i.e. letting go of the attachment to such sins now, so that I don’t have to do it in Purgatory).
I can think of a way to turn this ‘poll’ round:
It could, instead, say:
“How greatly have you been forgiven by God lately?”
to which the only answer needs to be:
“Infinitely.”
T
Trunicate09
Guest
Since I have not been to Mass except once in 20+ years and have not been to confession at all more than that many years, I suppose I would be committing mortal sin every single day.
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vera_dicere
Guest
My mortal sin tends to be missing Mass, sometimes it because I sleep through my alarm, other times I’m tired and it doesn’t fit in with my work schedule, othertimes its just sheer laziness.
Regardless of my excuses, I know better, my confessor tells me that God understands my work committements, one Priest told me it wasn’t even a big deal.
IT is a big deal, if I got hit by a bus tomorrow I’d go to Hell.
I’m off to Confession tomorrow anyway. Huzzah. But until then, I worry, and am generally ashamed of my laziness.
I sometimes envy my Protestant friends, they have no concept of Mortal Sin, they don’t see “missing Church” as a problem. As far as most of them are concerned, there’s either no Hell, or only the Hitlers and Pol Pots go there. I explain it, provide scriptural reference for it, [there’s scripture backing up venial vs. mortal sins], but still, they just don’t get it, or just don’t want to,
Nice life, ay? No Hell or eternal punishment, must be an easy way to live. Shame eternity is longer than our 80 odd year life expectancy.
Regardless of my excuses, I know better, my confessor tells me that God understands my work committements, one Priest told me it wasn’t even a big deal.
IT is a big deal, if I got hit by a bus tomorrow I’d go to Hell.
I’m off to Confession tomorrow anyway. Huzzah. But until then, I worry, and am generally ashamed of my laziness.
I sometimes envy my Protestant friends, they have no concept of Mortal Sin, they don’t see “missing Church” as a problem. As far as most of them are concerned, there’s either no Hell, or only the Hitlers and Pol Pots go there. I explain it, provide scriptural reference for it, [there’s scripture backing up venial vs. mortal sins], but still, they just don’t get it, or just don’t want to,
Nice life, ay? No Hell or eternal punishment, must be an easy way to live. Shame eternity is longer than our 80 odd year life expectancy.
J
JRKH
Guest
I was in that category for 35 years before coming back home to the Church. So what I say here is from one who has considered this same point
Yes - in a sense we can say that we commit a mortal sin every day - because every day we have the opportunity to repent. Yet that repentance is not so easy. For whatever reason we are barred by our thinking our “conscience” from turning back the Church - perhaps even seeing the need to do so. And that is the underlying issue - not the “missing mass” - but the rejection of the Church or even of God (depending on the individual). That single issue is what would place us in the “mortal sin” category - everything else simply follows from that and is little more than tossing dirt on the corpse.
So in a more “core” sense - we do not commit a “mortal sin” every day but rather we committed one…a biggie…that is perpetuated every day.
This is how I approached my confession when I returned to the Church. Instead of trying to “count” the literally hundreds of times I had committed this or that sin…I went for the core issues using the “Seven Deadly Sins” as a guide.
I still use these as a guide for it is these that are the deeper “flaws” in my character that, by the Grace of God, I need to overcome.
Peace
James
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jimmy
Guest
People really said once or twice in their life, if at all? I find it hard to believe that anyone has lived the morality of the Church to the degree of commiting at the most two mortal sins in your life. That is assuming that they accept the Catholic teaching. If I assume the truth of Catholicism, then I am forced to say that I commit a mortal sin atleast once a month, and possibly daily depending on how the act is defined in relation to freedom.
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Lawrence178
Guest
I completely disagree. Being open with our brothers and sisters about our sins is awesome. It is hard, but it is actually very freeing as well. I know I personally have been helped immensely when a person I respect quite a bit admitted in public that he struggles with masturbation as well.
I also know for a fact that our frankness in telling people about embarrassing things impresses them. And if being open and genuine can bring just one soul to the Faith, then it is worth all of the embarrassment in the world.
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Pug
Guest
It depends on a person’s particular flaws, maybe? If missing mass is a particular weakness, there is ample opportunity to fall into that sin. But certain weaknesses don’t seem to have opportunities fall into them that often. Like voting for bad people or perjury. Those opportunities don’t come up daily or even monthly. (unless you are a professional witness maybe).
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