If you committed a mortal sin, can your prayers for people merit them and help them?

[foolishmortal]

I don’t know if I committed one of those sins, but, having scrupulosity, I feel I have and then I feel worthless as I will probably botch my confession or think I had.

Thanks and God bless you!
Phil

 

[thistle]

I don’t know if I committed one of those sins, but, having scrupulosity, I feel I have and then I feel worthless as I will probably botch my confession or think I had.

Thanks and God bless you!
Phil

No prayer is wasted.

 

[LilyM]

I don’t know if I committed one of those sins, but, having scrupulosity, I feel I have and then I feel worthless as I will probably botch my confession or think I had.

Thanks and God bless you!
Phil

Remember that an Act of Perfect Contrition (or the thing itself - perfect contrition for our sins) can in and of itself procure forgiveness, even for mortal sins. That’s why if for some reason you were to die before your next opportunity to confess to a priest you could still go to heaven.

If perfect contrition puts you in sufficient state of grace to be saved then be sure it can put you in sufficient state of grace for your prayers to be heard.

Then also remember that even those in mortal sin are required, on pain of further mortal sin, to go to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days. Mass is a prayer, the greatest prayer of all. Why would the mortal sinner be required to go if their participation in this prayer is useless?

And please, please, stop presuming that your confessions are ‘botched’. You’d have to have literally not the slightest bit of contrition or sense of the wrongness of your sins, and/or with full deliberateness lie or omit a mortal sin, or else the priest totally not say the words ‘I absolve/forgive you’ for it to be invalid.

Rest on Jesus’ promise to you and your priest, through the Apostles, that ‘whose sins you forgive they are forgiven them’. His words are sure, regardless of any other circumstances.

 

[Jetnamaid]

I don’t know if I committed one of those sins, but, having scrupulosity, I feel I have and then I feel worthless as I will probably botch my confession or think I had.

Thanks and God bless you!
Phil

Yes, even if one committed a mortal sin, his/her prayers for people can still be answered by the good Lord and, therefore, merit and help those being directed by his/her prayers…

 

[foolishmortal]

Thanks a lot! I still say prayers at night, but some part of me wondered if I could pray for them
I thought perfect contrition was like some supernatural grace that might cause you to weep or something, but even then, tears do not mean perfect contrition happened.
If it does happen, I still have to go to confession. I do believe you’re really supposed to think out your sins by number and kind unless it’ll spark lust or hate thinking of them, in which case you just say you do those things frequently, every day, about so many hours and if it’s with the same sex or out-of-marriage fantasy.

Am I right? I can misinterpret things I thought I heard correctly.

If you do not give yourself enough sleep at night, that’s the tricky part. Even if you felt you thought out a sin, are you enough in control. If you have obsessive compulsiveness or some depression, how much does that take from sufficient contemplation? Don’t answer if it’s theological, Still, if you answer wrongly, it won’t be the answer upon which I settle or unsettle my conscience.

Thanks! Have a great and blessed weekend!
Phil

 

[teachccd]

Thanks a lot! I still say prayers at night, but some part of me wondered if I could pray for them
I thought perfect contrition was like some supernatural grace that might cause you to weep or something, but even then, tears do not mean perfect contrition happened.
If it does happen, I still have to go to confession. I do believe you’re really supposed to think out your sins by number and kind unless it’ll spark lust or hate thinking of them, in which case you just say you do those things frequently, every day, about so many hours and if it’s with the same sex or out-of-marriage fantasy.

Am I right? I can misinterpret things I thought I heard correctly.

If you do not give yourself enough sleep at night, that’s the tricky part. Even if you felt you thought out a sin, are you enough in control. If you have obsessive compulsiveness or some depression, how much does that take from sufficient contemplation? Don’t answer if it’s theological, Still, if you answer wrongly, it won’t be the answer upon which I settle or unsettle my conscience.

Thanks! Have a great and blessed weekend!
Phil

Be still and know that I am God…Psalm 46:10

 

[larry85704]

There are people that would say that if you are praying you probably have not committed a mortal sin. You still have a relationship with God.

 

[johnco]

hi,

the only help or cure for scrupulosity is obedience to your confessor/director, open your soul to him, then obey his advice.
naturally you would choose a confessor who is loyal to holy mother church.

God bless,

johnco

 

[foolishmortal]

A confessor is one I do not have the pleasure of having where I’m at in S. Korea. The regular priest that could speak English was sent away to Rome, but one native English speaking priest does come from somewhere to a parish downtown that hears confessions ever 3rd Sunday so I’m going for sure.

I was pretty sure you had to know you were doing something mortal sin-wise or think it very well could be (like the hunter shooting at a shadow, thinking it could be a person) and then do it with a desire for the forbidden fruit, be it sexual or something malicious. I am not sure if my anxiety and scrupulosity count. I don’t know if I get lax to fight scrupulosity or if I use scrupulosity as an excuse. In any case, I think I may go too far in laxity. Then again, I can go for hours in day or at night doing something not self-serving and even beneficial for someone as well, such as walking around downtown to find the churches or trying to understand the Korean students mentality. I try to go till I can’t go anywhere else with it. If I do do something self-serving that could result in a backbiting tongue (I gripe a lot, but I might backbite and not care thinking it must be said) or something if I’m tired or angry, is going too far with that going too far beyond venial? Will confession just disrupt my mind again if it is just a mere anxiety problem?

Regarding Mass as a prayer, I still would not be sure my prayers were doing anyone any good. I say prayers at night, sometimes more or less, but I lose confidence in how I say them and sometimes I’m just tired and want to let loose, but do it too late.

I wish I had that Moral Theology book by Heribert Jone with me. It was a big mistake not bringing it. My parents can’t find it at home. He has great advice (not that I don’t value your opinions)! It’s classic stuff, but not black and white or scolding.

 

[foolishmortal]

Is that book online? I found a lot of a Chesterton book on Google e-books. Pg 91 in Moral Theology is a big one for me. I should just buy it at Amazon, but I need to watch I don’t go crazy as the credit card bill goes to my parents, for convenience.

 

[j1s2a3]

this isolation of the heart you feel i can feel because likewise i committed great sin and somehow we feel that surely Jesus can’t fully forgive us or surely there is purification due upon death.NONSENSE!!!Go sin no more!!!Guilt?No.More likely its the memory of the sin that lingers Jesus forgives if done with tears and sighs (of the soul) or TRULY REPENTANT and it sounds like you merit this.Your prayers for others count maybe more than others because your inflicting great hurt on satan as he tried hard to keep you in his control.However,don’t worry about him as ALL the angels and saints of heaven are in battle with you and rejoice greatly for your prayers AND are praying with you!!!Keep up your battle DON’T let satan convince you Jesus doesn’t forgive its one of his tricks.AMEN

 

[Ron_Conte]

Concerning scruples, give yourself the benefit of the doubt.

Concerning mortal sin, if someone is in a state of mortal sin, they can do nothing truly substantially selflessly good, prior to returning to a state of grace, but they can cooperate with grace to a limited extent (which is often how they move toward a return to grace).

 

[Seatuck]

Concerning scruples, give yourself the benefit of the doubt.

Concerning mortal sin, if someone is in a state of mortal sin, they can do nothing truly substantially selflessly good, prior to returning to a state of grace, but they can cooperate with grace to a limited extent (which is often how they move toward a return to grace).

Ron, I agree with your statement about a person in mortal sin not being able to do anything truly substantially good. But where is it in church teaching? I’ve been looking for it since this thread began.

I know that the only grace a person not in a state of grace recieves is the grace to repent and make things right with God and the Church. I don’t have a reference for that either.