Is this a grave sin?

[Melkite_Sword]

ok, so I was talking to a friend on the phone. i was telling a story to her, and in the process i unintentionally said something that could be scandalous to a friend who was with me at the time. would this be gossiping? and/or therefore grave matter? I really didn’t mean it, it just slipped.

thanks, God bless!

 

[slywakka250]

No.

 

[Nelka]

ok, so I was talking to a friend on the phone. i was telling a story to her, and in the process i unintentionally said something that could be scandalous to a friend who was with me at the time. would this be gossiping? and/or therefore grave matter? I really didn’t mean it, it just slipped.

thanks, God bless!

Maybe, if what you said could get an innocent person killed or imprisoned you would be ruining their life.

 

[GratefulFred]

Three standards must be met for a sin to be grave - mortal.

1. It must be serious matter.
2. You must know it is serious matter.
3. You must intentionallly choose to do it.

If one standard is not met, it is not grave - mortal sin. But a sin anyway - venial and worthy of Confession.

Only your heart, conscience, and God can know if it was premeditated.

And, as with any sin, God is interested in knowing whether we are making best efforts to avoid that sin in the future.

It is hard to close the barn door after the horse escaped. You might consider asking your friend to not repeat your conversation and trust that he or she will honor our common need for privacy.