Isn’t venial sin a sin committed unknowingly? I know what is and what is not sin. I’m pretty much at the point of having no choice but saying “all well” because I can’t seem to do better. I can’t seem to be better. I want to recieve communion but cannot because I’m in a state of mortal sin, and can’t confess it because I know I’ll just do it again and again and again, probably some time right after confession. I know that this isn’t how a Christian should be living, but I don’t even have the self-discipline to get one foot in front of the other as far as moral, perfect living goes.
Consider this paragraph from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
1735 Imputability and responsibility for an action can be diminished or even nullified by ignorance, inadvertence, duress, fear, habit, inordinate attachments, and other psychological or social factors.
A lot of people don’t like this paragraph of the CCC and they have spoken to me as if it did not mean what it says. They will not declare this as revealed truth, as part of the deposit of faith that it is.
But, I do.
If it does not mean what it says, then they should not have put it in the CCC or they should have explained it a different way. You may commit a sin of “grave matter” again and again, but it is not a mortal sin, due to a lack of freedom on your part. What you are describing is a habit, which meets the criteria of exclusion in 1735.
It’s GREAT that you recognize that such and such a sin is considered grave matter. You probably already know that you are hung up on it – you are conflicted about saying an act of contrition, where you say that you “firmly resolve” not to sin again. How empty that makes us all feel, too.
In a separate thread where I discuss this, someone answered my email "on behalf of " Fr. Mitch Pacwa. They said first that 1735 requires a long explanation (which they did not give me) but they sidestepped such an answer and said we have to be careful that we are always striving for perfection.
I don’t have to get into your personal details to say “I know what you mean” – been there, done that.
I attended a Mass recently where a priest almost apologized for the way the Mass starts, with a confession of sin and pleading to God for mercy. But, the Church has always done this – never assuming the mercy of God – and always confessing/pleading at the first instance of our worship. And, in fact, pleading for mercy occurs more than once in the Mass.
Stand on the deposit of faith – 1735 – and the rest of the CCC, and as scripture says,
“work out your salvation.”
The Jews follow the Biblical injunction to observe the Day of Atonement. At least once a year Jews are supposed to “afflict themselves” (fasting, etc.) and repent prayerfully for their sins. Sounds a lot like the Church rule to go to confession and communion at least once a year, during the Easter season.
In one Jewish book on the Day of Atonement observance, it notes that repentence can take place 24/7/365. Even that regret we immediately feel when we sin is a form of repentence.
see my next post
