Is this a form of mortal/sexual sin?

[chrismalaga]

Hi All,

I was wondering if you could tell me that if some one was aout to commit a sexual act and for eg proceeded to undress themselves or the other person partaking but then stopped due to their commitment to remain pure if they were guilty of sin, mortal or veinal?

Chris

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Hi All,

I was wondering if you could tell me that if some one was aout to commit a sexual act and for eg proceeded to undress themselves or the other person partaking but then stopped due to their commitment to remain pure if they were guilty of sin, mortal or veinal?

Chris

Temptation itself is not a sin, however acting on it is, but responding to their conscience to stop, it would have most likely only been a venial sin. It is now important to avoid the possible temptation in the future.

 

[otjm]

It was Christ who said that one whol looked on a woman with lust had already commited the sin of adultery.

Take that and apply it to your theoretical question and you should be able to get a pretty clear answer.

 

[Snerticus]

Excellent answer, Br. Rich!

Reminds me of the question Jesus asked about which son obeyed their father, the son who said he would go and do what was asked and then didn’t or the son who said he would not do what the father asked and then had second thoughts and eventually did… (sorry, I can’t remember exactly what the passage said or where it is, but you get the gist)

 

[Luke65]

Wow. All three answers you guys gave were what came to my mind when I read the question - amazing! Its like we share the same Holy Spirit or something! Here are the two passages mentioned:

Matthew 5:28
Matthew 21:28

 

[PhilotheaZ]

My understanding is that the action of undressing (and probably the acts leading up to it) would already be grave matter (mortal sin if done with knowledge and consent).

It is not just the act of completed intercourse that is gravely sinful; it is anything done between unmarried persons (or even alone) with the intention of arousing sexual pleasure (passionate kissing, heavy petting, etc.).

See this article ewtn.com/library/FAMILY/PARENT.TXT , with special attention to Chapters VII and VIII. In the section “Moral Principles for the Unmarried” it says that

To bring about deliberately even the slightest venereal pleasure, alone or with someone else, or to delight in it with the will if it is accidentally aroused, is always a mortal sin. If you do not like this phrasing, here is the same principle in simpler language, though it is not so complete: It is a mortal sin to seek, to or to take willful delight in sexual pleasure (or real pleasure, or sexual excitement), whether such pleasure is complete or incomplete.

Specific examples are given a little further in the article under “Application.”