Is it okay to hurt oneself if one sins?

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fakename

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On occasion is it okay to give yourself small, non-debilitating, pain to avoid or punish sin?

I feel that if one pats oneself on the back for their virtues surly one can attack themselves for their sins. Plus sins are the things one hates the most so it is only natural to want to be hurt for them or to avoid them.

But it could be wrong and if it is wrong, why?
 
Depends on what one means. There are reasonable forms of mortification and there is that which is not reasonable.
 
We are all pretty well called to mortification.

But not all to say using the discipline or other like things. (one ought to seek spiritual direction for such)

Lent particularly is a time to work more on mortification and penance…along with prayer etc.

But some --say the canonized have a “particular calling” to more serious forms of such. Hence you find in the lives of the canonized some rather astounding things. (Some of them may have in their desire to be holy went too far.)

Some things in their lives are “admirable but not to be imitated” --*kids don’t try this at home. *

A very well written article: holyspiritinteractive.net/columns/guests/michaelgiesler/corporalmortification.asp
 
Bookcat said:
Depends on what one means. There are reasonable forms of mortification and there is that which is not reasonable.
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Yes, this is basically true. Fasting is a form of self-punishing penance, after all.

Often, though, I think you’ll find that evil is its own punishment.
 
fakename said:
On occasion is it okay to give yourself small, non-debilitating, pain to avoid or punish sin?

I feel that if one pats oneself on the back for their virtues surly one can attack themselves for their sins. Plus sins are the things one hates the most so it is only natural to want to be hurt for them or to avoid them.

But it could be wrong and if it is wrong, why?
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When it comes to mortifications it is wise to consult a spiritual director for advice simply because you will need someone who is outside looking in to determine if you’re ready for them. There are a ton of things we tend to either over exaggerate or overcompensate for. Most people read the lives of the saints and think they should use the discipline (cattail whip) for their mortification; when even the saints never took on mortifications (that I know of) without the approval of their superiors.

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fakename said:
On occasion is it okay to give yourself small, non-debilitating, pain to avoid or punish sin?

I feel that if one pats oneself on the back for their virtues surly one can attack themselves for their sins. Plus sins are the things one hates the most so it is only natural to want to be hurt for them or to avoid them.

But it could be wrong and if it is wrong, why?
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Number one, we should not pat ourselves on the back for virtues as all graces come from God.

Number two, God does not want us to suffer self-inflicted pain for our sins, or he would not have given us confession and absolution. It would be all too tempting to suffer pain in a prideful way. You would need to be under spiritual direction to even consider that kind of mortification.

Your statement that it is natural to want to be hurt for our sins is very misguided. Jesus offers us Himself as a sacrifice for our sins - He did not hurt us for our sins and did not tell us to hurt ourselves for our sins. In fact, he said specifically, “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.” He did chastise Peter on one occasion but it was for Peter’s unknowing concern in keeping Jesus safe.

I feel certain that Jesus does NOT want you to physically harm yourself out of the guilt of sin.
 
Fasting would be a good idea, or prayer.
But self inury is not the way to go.
 
fakename said:
On occasion is it okay to give yourself small, non-debilitating, pain to avoid or punish sin?

I feel that if one pats oneself on the back for their virtues surly one can attack themselves for their sins. Plus sins are the things one hates the most so it is only natural to want to be hurt for them or to avoid them.

But it could be wrong and if it is wrong, why?
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I have an idea for an invention: The SinStopper 3000.

It would permit you, at the push of a button, to self-administer a rather painful, but harmless, electric shock every time you commit a sin, helping you form a Pavlovian psychological aversion to the commission of said sin in the future 😃

More seriously, it depends on the kind of mortification. If you hate Marmite and it would be forcing yourself to eat a teaspoonful of it each time you commit a particular sin, I don’t see any harm in doing so…

For me, having a vegetarian meal would be a particularly cruel and unusual self-inflicted punishment, as I prefer not to eat than to eat something with no meat. 😃
 
user "TheRealJuliane":
Number one, we should not pat ourselves on the back for virtues as all graces come from God.
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I don’t “pat myself on the back” as if the virtues came from me alone, but we must remember that they are our virtues and if they are good enough to require a reward in heaven then they are good enough to make us feel good and worthy ourselves (but not *in *ourselves).
 
Rather than look to punish oneself in reparation for sins, why not offer other acts that may be of benefit to others, such as prayer, giving alms, helping out a charity?

Mortification is a complex matter and as others have said, you should consult a spiritual director about it. But acts of charity and prayer are always good acts, and it’s hard to go too far in commiting them.
 
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