Is lying a mortal sin (in this case)?

[cath2]

A long time ago, I started lying - I guess I did so to make myself seem more interesting. It was mostly lying about things like where I lived, stuff I had, about my family, things I did. So, lying so people wouldn’t know who I really was, lying to fit in.

I know this is bad and I’ve stopped doing it for a (longer) time now. I just want to know if this is a mortal or a venial sin, so that I’ll know how important it is to confess. Confession isn’t really possible for me because of issues with my parents. When I can go to confession, I’ll certainly confess this sin, but I just want to know if I can still receive communion or that I should abstain until I’ve gone to confession.

So, what do you all think, mortal or venial?

 

[HomeschoolDad]

A long time ago, I started lying - I guess I did so to make myself seem more interesting. It was mostly lying about things like where I lived, stuff I had, about my family, things I did. So, lying so people wouldn’t know who I really was, lying to fit in.

I know this is bad and I’ve stopped doing it for a (longer) time now. I just want to know if this is a mortal or a venial sin, so that I’ll know how important it is to confess. Confession isn’t really possible for me because of issues with my parents. When I can go to confession, I’ll certainly confess this sin, but I just want to know if I can still receive communion or that I should abstain until I’ve gone to confession.

So, what do you all think, mortal or venial?

I would ultimately have to defer to one’s confessor, but I really doubt that these lies are grave enough to rise to the level of mortal sin. Just don’t do it anymore, and if these people are still part of your life, you’re going to have to go to them, eat your foot, and 'fess up that you stretched the truth a little bit. Mention it the next time you go to confession.

You might consider counseling, to ferret out exactly why you felt the need to do this. I have known compulsive liars before — the longer they talk, the taller the tales get. They need help.

 

[cath2]

Thank you for your reaction!
I’m definitely not going to do it anymore and I’ve also apologized to those persons, I’d just need to confess it still.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

A deliberate pattern of lying over time is clearly sinful, and not a trivial matter.

We do not and cannot make judgments as to whether someone’s sins are mortal or not, with the exception of cases of scrupulous or confused people who think that non-sinful or very trivial matters are somehow mortal sins. This doesn’t appear to fall under that exception. You need to discuss with a priest. He is the one to decide mortal or venial, if indeed the distinction needs to be made.

If you cannot now go to confession, make a sincere repentance and act of contrition to God, and confess as soon as possible. I would also recommend abstaining from Communion in order to be on the safe side until you can confess.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

cath2:

A long time ago, I started lying - I guess I did so to make myself seem more interesting. It was mostly lying about things like where I lived, stuff I had, about my family, things I did. So, lying so people wouldn’t know who I really was, lying to fit in.

I know this is bad and I’ve stopped doing it for a (longer) time now. I just want to know if this is a mortal or a venial sin, so that I’ll know how important it is to confess. Confession isn’t really possible for me because of issues with my parents. When I can go to confession, I’ll certainly confess this sin, but I just want to know if I can still receive communion or that I should abstain until I’ve gone to confession.

So, what do you all think, mortal or venial?

I will make this answer short: Bearing False Witness, Lying, is a violation of the 8th Commandment. So yes, it’s a mortal sin.

No.

Not all lies are mortally sinful. Not all fully deliberate, fully willful violations of the Ten Commandments are mortally sinful.

This is an error that has somehow slipped into Catholic thinking in the past few years, and I can’t imagine how that happened. Traditional Catholic moral theology texts are very clear on the matter of deliberate venial sin.

This is a Jansenistic way of thinking that could do great damage to the scrupulous. In all honesty, I have to suspect it is something the evil one has managed to introduce into the thinking of some faithful — if he can’t lure people away from God by tempting them into mortal sin, then he can get them to thinking that all fully deliberate, fully willful sin is mortal sin, getting them so discouraged that they’ll either just abandon the Faith entirely, or be so mentally tormented that they will live in constant anguish. Needless to say, communion lines would become very short, because people commit deliberate, willful “little sins” every day of the world.

Is this something they’re teaching in RCIA classes nowadays? If they are, tell your bishop. He needs to know. I know I’d certainly want to.

Thank you for your reaction!

I’m definitely not going to do it anymore and I’ve also apologized to those persons, I’d just need to confess it still.

You’re doing the right thing. Get to confession as soon as you can, and be at peace.

 

[cath2]

Thank you all!