Is this a Sin?

[Mattjolley]

The sin is not getting the discount; the sin is lying.

If you activelly give false witness; a matter against the eigth commandment; you commit a grave sin.

Catechism
1858. Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: “Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother.” The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger.

If you recieve a discount through persuasion; friendship or any other thing; that is fine. However; if you bear false witness to attain it; you commit a grave sin.

However; as you previously did not know this; you lacked the knowlege necessary to commit a Mortal sin (even though it was grave) so confession is not required; although still good.

Getting discounts is not a grave matter. Lying to get them is.

See, I feel I had the knowledge at the time, I knew at the time it was wrong to lie about my brother being a student yet i went ahead and did it. Immediate regret ensued as you can probably tell from these posts

How can I phrase this in the confessional? its all a bit long winded.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Yes, I asked for two student price tickets the lady at the counter asked for a student ID for both myself and my brother, I told her I only had mine so she told me to make sure he produces his at the turnstile on the day of the game, In other words, I feel that I lied and defrauded the system.

Okay, that changes the ballgame entirely. If you willfully misled to get the discount, then it is a serious offense.

 

[Mattjolley]

Yep, this is what I suspected. So, how can I phrase this to my confessor without sending him to sleep? I have a list as long as my arm as it is.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Er, tell him that you wilfully falsified information to acquire a discount.

 

[Mattjolley]

Thanks.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Thanks.

Ultimately, the confession is yours. Pray, meditate, reflect. Then speak from your heart.

 

[Matthew_Holford]

First, I think the OP knows the answer to his question. He is obviously sufficiently concerned to post on here. From his subsequent posts it is clear he knows that what he was doing was wrong.

Second, I’ve noted the difference in response from US and UK posters. We obviously deal with these discounts differently in our countries. Sometimes I accompany my mother to the theatre. She purchases the tickets. She is a senior citizen. She buys one senior citizen priced ticket and one full adult priced ticket. The prices are set for the type of customer and not for the purchaser.

So the OP is a student and is entitled to a student discount ticket. His brother is not a student so his entry fee must be at the full price. Fraud or theft or whatever this amounts to is wrong whoever it is committed against whether it is a poor old widow or a rich rugby club.

I am not sure whether the sin, and I believe one has been committed, amounts to a venial or mortal sin.

I think the OP should confess this. If his confessor says that no sin has been committed he can have a clear conscience on the matter. If he has committed a sin he can receive absolution and carry out the penance given.

He also still faces the problem that he might come unstuck if they ask for student ID when they attempt to enter the rugby ground.

 

[Mattjolley]

First, I think the OP knows the answer to his question. He is obviously sufficiently concerned to post on here. From his subsequent posts it is clear he knows that what he was doing was wrong.

Second, I’ve noted the difference in response from US and UK posters. We obviously deal with these discounts differently in our countries. Sometimes I accompany my mother to the theatre. She purchases the tickets. She is a senior citizen. She buys one senior citizen priced ticket and one full adult priced ticket. The prices are set for the type of customer and not for the purchaser.

So the OP is a student and is entitled to a student discount ticket. His brother is not a student so his entry fee must be at the full price. Fraud or theft or whatever this amounts to is wrong whoever it is committed against whether it is a poor old widow or a rich rugby club.

I am not sure whether the sin, and I believe one has been committed, amounts to a venial or mortal sin.

I think the OP should confess this. If his confessor says that no sin has been committed he can have a clear conscience on the matter. If he has committed a sin he can receive absolution and carry out the penance given.

He also still faces the problem that he might come unstuck if they ask for student ID when they attempt to enter the rugby ground.

Thankyou! I think you’ve understood my posts and my issue the best here

 

[JanetF]

thall shalt not lie
Thall shalt not steal…

both are grave matters, both require confession and penance.

Truthfully, I can’t believe anyone would think otherwise.

 

[Matthew_Holford]

Thankyou! I think you’ve understood my posts and my issue the best here

You’re welcome.

 

[Matthew_Holford]

Out of interest what are you studying Matt?

 

[runningdude]

Yes, but there are Student tickets, Old-Age Pensioner and General Adult Tickets. I bought my student ticket with MY student discount, but the lady wanted to see student ID for my brother’s ticket, and I obviously didn’t have any. So she said ‘make sure he shows it at the gate with his ticket on the day of the game’. If I had been honest I should have said ‘One student and one adult ticket, please’.

What Im trying to say is, the discount is on an individual basis, not the total charge. So I bought my brothers ticket under false pretences didnt I?

Yes, but you also just wasted your money, because your brother won’t be able to get in without a student ID. So you just need to sell the ticket at cost to a real student, who would have been entitled to the discount, and buy a market rate ticket for your brother.

Sneaking your brother in with an inappropriate ticket might cross the line into sin, but so far, I don’t see an actual wrong having been committed yet.

 

[Adeodatus]

So, I bought two tickets for a sporting event and asked for two student-price tickets, despite the fact that I ama student and my brother is not.

In short, I lied and saved around £6 as a result.

Should I confess this?

Don’t take my word for it, but it sounds like a couple venial sins. You lied and stole; that’s serious. But the amount you stole was small relative to the one you defrauded, and the lie used in the commission of that theft was primarily harmful only inasmuch as it enabled the theft itself (which was small).

I suggest confessing it, even though you’re probably in venial territory you’re allowed to confess those too! And your confessor will probably get a better read on it than some dude on the internet.

I also suggest only consuming entertainments that you can afford. If you could have afforded the 6 quid, then you shouldn’t have cheaped out and pulled a job.