Impure thoughts? Mortal sin?

[Amphigoree]

I’m sorry, I know there have been so many threads asking about mortal sin but I still can’t get my head wrapped around it.

How exactly would you explain ‘what a mortal sin is’ to a 13 year old?
My younger sister asked me what mortal sin is and I didn’t know what to tell her.

Also, I recently went to confession about 2 week or so ago, and then found myself thinking impure thoughts, which I know is wrong. Since i know it is wrong and thought about it would you consider it to be a mortal sin?

Please don’t tell me, ‘talk to your confessor about it’…I’m a very shy type of person and find it very hard to talk to people so I don’t really have a priest I feel I can talk to.

I was hesitant to receive communion but I did just this morning…

I know the three conditions for mortal sin are:

Mortal sin is a sin of grave matter
Mortal sin is committed with full knowledge of the sinner
Mortal sin is committed with deliberate consent of the sinner

But how grave is grave?

I know murder, rape, theft, and adultery are grave. But then here’s the passage, “I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” So just by thought alone, a sin is already grave?

Please enlighten me.
God bless!

 

[wanabesaint]

their is a growing process in coming to know, education doesnt just happen, and also wisdom is a mystery in itself…
Wisdom to know what sin is, has to recognize that we arent born with wisdom, but rather humility and what it ecompasses teaches wisdom, if we accept Humilty with a greatfull heart.
Humility often is when others sin toward us, and from that in a “crazy” way, we have to thank God, for it teachs to not commit that sin towards others, for we dont like, we then come to realize others should not have to endure from US, what we dont like towards US. and also recognizes that we must forgive others… golden rule.

Sin is that which strips takes away our charity of heart, our charity towards others.

the deadly sins, which come to be mortal sins you must know, but not just know, but to know they encompass that which kills your soul, steal your charity of heart away.

sloth, which is your indifference to others, but a mortal sin when you really come to indifferent to God, and others. comes to be a mortal sin when you decide you dont need God, the sacraments that he gives you, Holy Sacraments. example
sloth, anger, greed, gluttony, pride, lust, envy, and one other you need to go lookup and know them, first as they are, but more what they mean…

set a standard for yourself to recognize sin and to have courage to stand against it, and to recognize when you do commit a sin, which is human, to strive to get back on track, and to pray that we arent tested, as the Our Father asks.

When its seen all the snares(deadly sins) that the devil has set for US, who can escape the snares ?, the humble person is the wisdom.

Loving others, enduring the sins of others, with no expectation back, is a path to the humble heart, not even for them to say they are sorry… but you must set an example for others to follow, with a content heart.

living with a desire of compunction.

But sin isnt soo much what it is all about either, for to know what sin is, isnt as important as living as Jesus did and being an example to follow… and that come from the beatitudes.

for living as Jesus calls you to live, gives you three words that guides you in every action, for if you follow Jesus in your actions, thoughts and desires and wishs, you will think and lead and set an example of Clarity, Intergrity, and Harmony. the three words of positive, opposite of concern about sin, but following what is right…
Beatitudes.

Excited to see your desire to know, for, may you be inspired to inspire one to be the Pope someday.
Bless you, and May God guide you all your days.

 

[dshix]

I’m sorry, I know there have been so many threads asking about mortal sin but I still can’t get my head wrapped around it.

How exactly would you explain ‘what a mortal sin is’ to a 13 year old?
My younger sister asked me what mortal sin is and I didn’t know what to tell her.

Also, I recently went to confession about 2 week or so ago, and then found myself thinking impure thoughts, which I know is wrong. Since i know it is wrong and thought about it would you consider it to be a mortal sin?

Please don’t tell me, ‘talk to your confessor about it’…I’m a very shy type of person and find it very hard to talk to people so I don’t really have a priest I feel I can talk to.

I was hesitant to receive communion but I did just this morning…

I know the three conditions for mortal sin are:

Mortal sin is a sin of grave matter
Mortal sin is committed with full knowledge of the sinner
Mortal sin is committed with deliberate consent of the sinner

But how grave is grave?

I know murder, rape, theft, and adultery are grave. But then here’s the passage, “I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” So just by thought alone, a sin is already grave?

Please enlighten me.
God bless!

Lustful thoughts are grave matter. As a matter of fact, all sins of impurity are grave, and mortal if the other two requirements are present. However, in order to discern if you sinned mortally, you need to know whether you rejected the impure thoughts within a few seconds of thinking them, or as soon as you realized this was a sin.

If you lingered on the thought, and reveled in it, it is mortal. It is the decision to reject the thought immediately which causes it to be a temptation only; it is only when you fall for that temptation that it becomes a sin.

 

[Elizium23]

Mortal sin is a deliberate turning away from God. It severs our relationship with God completely. As opposed to venial sin, which merely damages that relationship.

To a 13-year-old, I would say to read the Ten Commandments, and think objectively about her relationship with her parents. What kinds of behavior would cause a grave upset in their relationship? What is the difference between an act that receives mild reprimand or discipline, versus something that will get her grounded or “in the doghouse” for an entire week? At the very least, provide solid reference materials. Look up a sin in the Catechism or the Bible and see what consequences it has. See what the Church Fathers have preached about it. Another very good resource is a thorough examination of conscience, one that systematically addresses the Commandments, the Precepts of the Church, the Virtues and Works of Mercy, and explores all avenues of grave sin.

Most of our knowledge of grave matter comes from a properly formed conscience. A teenager is obviously in the beginning stages of knowing right from wrong and still needs to form her conscience according to Church teaching. It is a learning curve which we all know. With time and experience, the knowledge and wisdom will come.

 

[JRKH]

I’m sorry, I know there have been so many threads asking about mortal sin but I still can’t get my head wrapped around it.

How exactly would you explain ‘what a mortal sin is’ to a 13 year old?
My younger sister asked me what mortal sin is and I didn’t know what to tell her.

Also, I recently went to confession about 2 week or so ago, and then found myself thinking impure thoughts, which I know is wrong. Since i know it is wrong and thought about it would you consider it to be a mortal sin?

Please don’t tell me, ‘talk to your confessor about it’…I’m a very shy type of person and find it very hard to talk to people so I don’t really have a priest I feel I can talk to.

I was hesitant to receive communion but I did just this morning…

I know the three conditions for mortal sin are:

Mortal sin is a sin of grave matter
Mortal sin is committed with full knowledge of the sinner
Mortal sin is committed with deliberate consent of the sinner

But how grave is grave?

I know murder, rape, theft, and adultery are grave. But then here’s the passage, “I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” So just by thought alone, a sin is already grave?

Please enlighten me.
God bless!

Both you and your sister are old enough to tackle this together and “from the source”…So - here is my suggestion.
Go HERE - Look about 2/3 of teh way down the page for the section on “sin” - Or you can click HERE. Read through this section together…slowly…to make sure you are both understanding.
When you have done that - and discovered that grave matter is “specified by the 10 commandments”…Go to the section in the Catechism on the ten commandments and - again, together - read through this section.

You don’t have to try to do it in one sitting. Take your time. it will be a wonderful growth experience for the both of you.

Peace
James

 

[Ruthie_again]

Impure thoughts: You have to look into your heart, and honestly answer these two questions:

1. Did you choose to think these thoughts? (If they just popped into your brain, no - but if they popped up because you were deliberately* looking at something sexually stimulating, then yes.)
2. Once these thoughts popped up, did you fight them? Even if it took a long time to stop them, if you fought, then it is probably not a sin at all. At most, it is venial.

If the answer to #1 is yes, and #2 is no, then it is grave matter. The other two conditions are something I can’t judge. It’s not my job. Your confessor will have a pretty good idea. But Jesus is the only one who can say for sure if your choice was “sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice.” (CCC 1859)

*“Deliberately” means you sought it out, on purpose, for sexual stimulation. There are so many occasions of sexual sin in this world that it’s easy for those thoughts to pop up.

Here’s something interesting. I stopped watching a lot of TV a couple of years ago. I couldn’t find many shows I enjoyed, and I’ve got plenty of other things to do. What little TV I do watch (except live events), I tape and watch later, letting me fast forward through the commercials. And…

I’ve recently begun to love American football. It’s the season, I watch it live. I’m amazed at my reaction to commercials. So much of what I used to just take for granted is morally ugly, and over-sexed. It wasn’t me being a prude; it was that not seeing them all the time, not being constantly bombarded by them, had “reset” my brain, letting me see them for what they are.

It shows me why we call it the “culture of death.” It’s not just abortion; it is the pervasive idea that the most important and satisfying thing you can do is… wait for it… have an orgasm. That’s why “they” want to make sex “safe;” why “they” want to remove all the consequences, right down to murdering babies. For an orgasm. Wow. That’ll create world peace, alright.

 

[Bookcat]

Compendium issued by Pope Benedict XVI

1. When does one commit a mortal sin?

1855-1861
1874

One commits a mortal sin when there are simultaneously present: grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent. This sin destroys charity in us, deprives us of sanctifying grace, and, if unrepented, leads us to the eternal death of hell. It can be forgiven in the ordinary way by means of the sacraments of Baptism and of Penance or Reconciliation.

1. When does one commit a venial sin?

1862-1864
1875

One commits a venial sin, which is essentially different from a mortal sin, when the matter involved is less serious or, even if it is grave, when full knowledge or complete consent are absent. Venial sin does not break the covenant with God but it weakens charity and manifests a disordered affection for created goods. It impedes the progress of a soul in the exercise of the virtues and in the practice of moral good. It merits temporal punishment which purifies.

vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html

 

[Bookcat]

Mortal sin is a deliberate turning away from God.

(without commenting on the rest)

It is important to note that the mortal sin need not involve any intention to “deliberately turn away from God” (not that you were saying such…but I note for clarification) --the grave matter can be chosen “for any reason” (this is important to note for many fall into mortal sins via weakness not deliberate decision to turn away from God)

 

[Bookcat]

Compendium issued by Pope Benedict XVI

1. When does one commit a mortal sin?

1855-1861
1874

One commits a mortal sin when there are simultaneously present: grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent. This sin destroys charity in us, deprives us of sanctifying grace, and, if unrepented, leads us to the eternal death of hell. It can be forgiven in the ordinary way by means of the sacraments of Baptism and of Penance or Reconciliation.

1. When does one commit a venial sin?

1862-1864
1875

One commits a venial sin, which is essentially different from a mortal sin, when the matter involved is less serious or, even if it is grave, when full knowledge or complete consent are absent. Venial sin does not break the covenant with God but it weakens charity and manifests a disordered affection for created goods. It impedes the progress of a soul in the exercise of the virtues and in the practice of moral good. It merits temporal punishment which purifies.

vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html

 

[Elizium23]

(without commenting on the rest)

It is important to note that the mortal sin need not involve any intention to “deliberately turn away from God” (not that you were saying such…but I note for clarification) --the grave matter can be chosen “for any reason” (this is important to note for many fall into mortal sins via weakness not deliberate decision to turn away from God)

Catechism of the Catholic Church:

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.

Mortal sin is always deliberate and it always turns man away from God.

ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/MORTSIN.htm

EWTN:

Because these are heinous actions in the eyes of God, for a person to knowingly and willingly commit them indicates a turning away from the love of God.

St. Thomas Aquinas:

Now the offense of mortal sin is due to man’s will being turned away from God, through being turned to some mutable good. Consequently, for the pardon of this offense against God, it is necessary for man’s will to be so changed as to turn to God and to renounce having turned to something else in the aforesaid manner, together with a purpose of amendment; all of which belongs to the nature of penance as a virtue. Therefore it is impossible for a sin to be pardoned anyone without penance as a virtue.

 

[Bookcat]

Mortal sin is always deliberate and it always turns man away from God.

Yes correct.

Mortal sin is deliberate --and yes it turns man away from God.

What I was saying is that one does NOT have to “intend” to deliberately turn away from God or “intend” to deliberately seriously offend God.

One has to choose the grave matter with the full knowledge and deliberate consent.

A person say committing a sexual sin of weakness is often not going to be “intending” to —deliberately turn away from God or to offend him --they are intending the pleasure.

That was the point there.

 

[wanabesaint]

an unfortuality exists that so much time and effort is spent on what sin is, and what not to do, recognizing a failure of recognizing whats the right path to be on…
avoid temptation…

Beatitudes, to be content with what we have, to find ourselves appreciatitng others, accepting others, striving to that which brings peace to us.

Living the Beatitudes, and to focus to ourselves in the face of sin, to do right, be an example for others to follow. To pick up our cross, accept our tribulations, faults, and persectuions with a greatfull heart… joyfull heart, a content heart.

 

[JRKH]

Yes correct.

Mortal sin is deliberate --and yes it turns man away from God.

What I was saying is that one does NOT have to “intend” to deliberately turn away from God or “intend” to deliberately seriously offend God.

One has to choose the grave matter with the full knowledge and deliberate consent.

A person say committing a sexual sin of weakness is often not going to be “intending” to —deliberately turn away from God or to offend him --they are intending the pleasure.

That was the point there.

Wonderfully said…

The understanding that mortal sin always involves a turning away from God and deliberately offending him is something more on the intellectual level.
It is an understanding that is a grace and can be used as a tool to build up resistance to deliberate sin.

Peace
James