Masturbation and communion

[nintendorocks]

Hello everyone

I am a 15 year old boy who had “discovered” masturbation when I was 7 years old. I had no idea what I was doing until I was 13. I didn’t think it was a mortal sin because I didn’t have knowledge that it was wrong. But I recently masturbated, a mortal sin, and then I forgot about it and recieved Communion. Now what? Have I committed 2 mortal sins now? Can Reconciliation heal me of both those sins?

 

[PaulfromIowa]

Mortal sin means grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent. I would guess that it is doubtful that you met all three conditions.

Of course, you should make a habit of regular confession. You can confess venial sins as well as mortal and should mention any that you are unsure of which category they fall into.

 

[RedFox0456]

It is something you should confess. If you had gone to confession and simply forgot, do not worry. Your sins were still absolved. You should, however, try to confess it the next time you are in reconciliation. All of your sins can always be absolved, as long as you have a true repentance and are actively trying to cut them out of your life. A sin would not be absolved, for instance, if you had the idea, “I’ll just confess this every week and I’ll be good for Sunday!” because then you would not really have a true sense of amendment. Also, I commend you for your interest in faith.

 

[R_C]

I recently masturbated, a mortal sin, and then I forgot about it and recieved Communion. Now what? Have I committed 2 mortal sins now? Can Reconciliation heal me of both those sins?

This was imprudent When you commit a mortal sin, your salvation depends on two things: sincere contrition for having offended God, and your intention to confess as soon as possible. The error was in the second part: confession had to be your priority.

That being said, definitely it appears to me that while you did receive the Lord with improper disposition, you lacked the deliberate consent that would have signified a sacrilege of the worst kind. Thus, though we speak of the gravest matter, this remains a venial sin as far as I can tell.

What you must do now is to relax - because Christ is the ultimate Forgiver and the giver of Peace, while our adversary is an expert at causing anxiety and discomfort and in making us think that God will not forgive us - and simply confess as soon as you get a chance (I would try to do so during the week ) explaining things just as you did: in kind and number.

In the future, remember that it is a good idea to always examine your conscience the night before Mass (possibly, every night is good, and is included in the Night Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours ) as well as before you confess.

As for masturbation, I recommend you read about the “theology of the body” and that you develop a devotion to Our Lady, praying often before an icon or image of She who is the most pure of all women. Then you will eventually realize that while women still attract you, you find lust disgusting - and that will shield you to a degree from temptations that lead to masturbation. The rest is a matter of discipline and mortification (I mean mostly spiritual mortification, as in learning to give up things that feel pleasing in order to achieve self-mastery ).