I'm confused, how am I going to hell for this?

[Isaiah_53]

From the Catechism, Part 3, Section 1, Chapter 1, paragraphs 1857

Thanks.

Do you have a reference to mortal sinners at death go to hell?

This seems to mean that regular sinners go to heaven or at least purgatory, right? I thought heaven was harder to get into than that, but I guess we will all not really know what God decides until judgement day.

 

[Alberti_Devoveo]

Thanks.

Do you have a reference to mortal sinners at death go to hell?

This seems to mean that regular sinners go to heaven or at least purgatory, right? I thought heaven was harder to get into than that, but I guess we will all not really know what God decides until judgement day.

Same Part, Section, and Chapter as previously linked, but paragraphs 1861 and 1863 (emphasis mine):

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. **

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.

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.”

 

[Isaiah_53]

Same Part, Section, and Chapter as previously linked, but paragraphs 1861 and 1863 (emphasis mine):

Thank you!

AMDG

 

[Allegra]

Allegra. The “OP” is female. He said that and sent me back to class. He didn’t explain anything. I also thought it odd that he didn’t assign me any type of punishment.

Sorry. I couldn’t tell from your name so I had to guess. If the priest didn’t even speak to you about why you were sent to his office, then I wouldn’t begin to take anything he said seriously. It actually sounds like he might have been taking a crack at being sarcastic since he didn’t even punish you. Maybe he meant to say that he was annoyed that you were sent to his office over such a trivial matter and he didn’t want to deal with it. Of course, that would have been very irresponsible of him if that is the case because a child wouldn’t necessarily pick up on the sarcasm and there is a risk of the child taking him seriously.

 

[snarflemike]

The Monsignor was an *** if he told you you were going to hell for that, and he will be held culpable for any damage his statement caused you.

 

[snarflemike]

Thanks.

Do you have a reference to mortal sinners at death go to hell?

Mortal sin is defined as that sin which leads to spiritual death, and if one dies in that state, one has chosen hell.

The Church is clear about the consequences of being in a state of mortal sin. What is not clear is whether any particular person is in that state. It is not ours to judge, only God’s. That does not mean we cannot or should not be as clear as we can be on what sins are grevious matter, and thus MAY be mortal.

 

[lizaanne]

I don’t believe you had an out of body experience and I don’t believe the priest told you you were going to hell.

It does sound kinda fishy…

Shame on you two!!! That was downright nasty!!!

I don’t understand how all these people leave Catholicism because of one bad and/or stupid person. Don’t you realize that all religions have those kinds of folks?

Not when you are EIGHT you don’t!!!

To the OP:

You are not going to hell for something that happened to you when you were eight.  A man said something to you (regardless of the context or left out bits of a long ago situation) that is not true.  From here on out, it doesn't matter any more.  You didn't DO anything wrong.

NOW.......what do you do from here?

Now that you know that he was wrong, it's time to reassess your faith.  You have clearly felt a pull, you've gone back to church.  Now you need to start educating yourself about the Catholic faith, and this site is a good place to start.  Not so much the forum (as you've seen, folks can be a bit difficult at times :rolleyes: ) - but go to the main CAF site and start digging around and searching for things you have questions about.  Come back here when you have questions.

And finally - go to Mass.  You can't receive Holy Communion - but you can still BE there, and be with Christ.  There is no harm in that.

And I will pray for you, and for the priest who harmed your eight year old mind.

God bless,

~Liza

 

[Apologista]

If she finds an understanding priest to talk to and decides to recommit to the Catholic Faith, makes a good Confession, she could be back to receiving Holy Communion sooner than you think. But the priest might recommend taking some faith formation classes as part of the process.

 

[LongingSoul]

It is highly unlikely that either of those things actually happened, however, it’s certainly possible that the OP is accurately describing what he remembers based on how he felt and what he understood the priest to mean. Small children often only hear every third word you say to them, expecially when they are very riled up over a percieved injustice. Every teacher or principal has a student who spends a whole lesson being a clown and interrupting the lesson with smart-aleck talking out until the teacher gets fed up and gives him a consequence. By the time the student gets home they are convinced that Mr. So-and-so gave him a detention just because he asked a question.

I thought this as well. Children can interpret an event so inaccurately that it can scar them terribly. My grandmother grew up believing her death was constantly imminent until she discovered much later that the sympathetic whispers and sad looks that people made around her was because she had had a twin that had died at birth. Back in those times stillborn babies weren’t talked about especially around children.

There are so many possibilities that could lead to such a misunderstanding. Having a Buddhist grandfather… are you in an environment where there is a clash of cultures or practices happening that might be deemed occult? Out of body experiences are more common place where certain spiritual rituals have an influence. I don’t know much of your situation of course… just throwing in random ideas that I know could cause grave concern for a Catholic directors and the like.

 

[Apologista]

The key thing is to attempt to make a fresh start in the present. Not discounting what happened in the past, but asking yourself “What can I do today to try and put things right? How can I give myself the best opportunity to receive the love of God and follow Him?” I maintain that by finding a wise priest and talking to him and saying “This is what threw me way back then but I want to put it behind me and go forward, but I don’t know how, and I need guidance.”

 

[seakelp]

I don’t understand how all these people leave Catholicism because of one bad and/or stupid person. Don’t you realize that all religions have those kinds of folks?

It’s completely understandable. We should take responsibility for ourselves: the way we live our lives directly reflects our faith. At least it should! That goes for the good and the bad.

It’s more sad and troubling to me. That’s why I think we should always strive to be loving first and foremost.