Lying question--help?

[Konohage]

Hey all, I’m a bit worried. I’m wondering if what just happened to me would be considered a mortal sin or not.

As some of you know, I have a very bad skin-picking habit; my counselor and two doctors believe that I have a mental disorder known as dermatillomania. As such, I find it difficult to resist the temptation to pick at my skin, even when my parents tell me not to.

So, my mom was telling me not to pick, and I gave in. I lost track of time, something that happens to me a lot when I pick, and my mom suddenly yelled, “you’re not picking, are you?”

It kind of startled me, and I didn’t want to get in trouble, but I didn’t want to lie, so I said, “Sorry, I was plucking my eyebrows!” And I got out of there.

Now, I was plucking my eyebrows. But when she yelled at me, it was after I had stopped plucking and started picking (again.)

Would this be an instance of mortal sin? I feel like I was evading telling the truth. And I know that’s bad. And I don’t want to make a habit out of it. But should I be worried?

Thank you all! I’m sorry to constantly bring up my scrupulosity issues here, you’re all very helpful.

 

[baltobetsy]

This is an example of a time when having one single confessor for yourself would be extremely helpful. If you do, just take this question to him and ignore the rest of this thread. He should help you develop a set of answers to this and similar questions that will put your mind at ease immediately, rather than having to wait for answers. You would just say something like this, “Once and for all, if I lie about picking, what kind of sin is it?” Then you can return to this answer whenever the issue arises.

In a normal situation, a lie like this (and it is a lie) does not concern something important enough to be grave matter for mortal sin. Really, how much does it matter in the long run if you were doing your eyebrows or picking your skin? But, because of the struggle in which you find yourself with these issues, one would have to bring in your therapeutic goals and the issue of obedience to your parents, and possibly other things we haven’t thought of yet. These are questions no one can answer for you except the priest in confession.

Sorry we can’t help you immediately. Please ask your priest. Look at the bright side - it’s almost Saturday when it’s easy to get to confession.

 

[Konohage]

This is an example of a time when having one single confessor for yourself would be extremely helpful. If you do, just take this question to him and ignore the rest of this thread. He should help you develop a set of answers to this and similar questions that will put your mind at ease immediately, rather than having to wait for answers. You would just say something like this, “Once and for all, if I lie about picking, what kind of sin is it?” Then you can return to this answer whenever the issue arises.

In a normal situation, a lie like this (and it is a lie) does not concern something important enough to be grave matter for mortal sin. Really, how much does it matter in the long run if you were doing your eyebrows or picking your skin? But, because of the struggle in which you find yourself with these issues, one would have to bring in your therapeutic goals and the issue of obedience to your parents, and possibly other things we haven’t thought of yet. These are questions no one can answer for you except the priest in confession.

Sorry we can’t help you immediately. Please ask your priest. Look at the bright side - it’s almost Saturday when it’s easy to get to confession.

Thank you for all of this, it makes sense. I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out with this, and for your sound advice. It means a lot.

God bless you in Christ!