Mortal or venial?

[Oumashta]

I usually burn candles when I pray, but my mother told me that if I burn candles I have to always keep them in sight and blow them out if I leave the room. (obviously for safety reasons) Well, this morning I had lit a candle before my morning prayer, but I had just remembered that I left my journal that I record my resolutions and meditations downstairs on a counter. I left my room, and halfway down the stairs I remembered that my mother had told me not to leave the room with a candle burning. I thought that since I had put it in a glass holder it should be ok, and I ran downstairs, got my journal, and ran back to my room. After thinking about it for a while, I realized that I disobeyed my mother and could have endangered our safety by leaving a burning candle unattended. I told my mother about what I had done and asked her forgiveness. She forgave me. Whenever I prayed, I asked God’s forgiveness for disobeying my mother. Although, I felt so terrible, and I felt ashamed to pray. I then made many acts of contrition, but I still felt terrible, even to the point of crying. I felt despair and helplessness and didn’t know what to do. I did that for about half an hour before I just continued on in my prayers.

So my question is now, did I commit a mortal sin? Did I drive God out of my soul? Or am I over-reacting? I really need to know, and all comments are appreciated. And, how can I receive forgiveness of a mortal sin when I am still in the RCIA? Thanks for all your help!
~God bless.

 

[Oneofthewomen]

I usually burn candles when I pray, but my mother told me that if I burn candles I have to always keep them in sight and blow them out if I leave the room. (obviously for safety reasons) Well, this morning I had lit a candle before my morning prayer, but I had just remembered that I left my journal that I record my resolutions and meditations downstairs on a counter. I left my room, and halfway down the stairs I remembered that my mother had told me not to leave the room with a candle burning. I thought that since I had put it in a glass holder it should be ok, and I ran downstairs, got my journal, and ran back to my room. After thinking about it for a while, I realized that I disobeyed my mother and could have endangered our safety by leaving a burning candle unattended. I told my mother about what I had done and asked her forgiveness. She forgave me. Whenever I prayed, I asked God’s forgiveness for disobeying my mother. Although, I felt so terrible, and I felt ashamed to pray. I then made many acts of contrition, but I still felt terrible, even to the point of crying. I felt despair and helplessness and didn’t know what to do. I did that for about half an hour before I just continued on in my prayers.

So my question is now, did I commit a mortal sin? Did I drive God out of my soul? Or am I over-reacting? I really need to know, and all comments are appreciated. And, how can I receive forgiveness of a mortal sin when I am still in the RCIA? Thanks for all your help!
~God bless.

Yes, you are over-racting.
You made a simple, albeit potentially dangerous, mistake.
You are only human, it sounds like a case of you just not thinking.
If this is a mortal sin, I am in very big trouble!!

Please, please, please talk to your RCIA director or priest about this,
as it seems to be causing you a lot of distress,
and that my friend, is not what God wants for you.
He loves you too much to casue you this kind of stress!!

 

[PerfectTiming]

You made a simple mistake, that is all.
Your mother has forgiven you and nothing bad happened and that is what is important.
You most definitely did not commit a mortal sin.
Also, you should never feel ashamed to pray.
Prayer is a time when we can come before God and speak to Him openly and honestly.
But if it’s worrying you this much, as someone already suggested talk to a priest or RCIA director.
You are in my prayers, God bless you.

 

[puzzleannie]

I . I left my room, and halfway down the stairs I remembered that my mother had told me not to leave the room with a candle burning. I s.

number one, you forgot, you did not take a deliberate action to disobey your mother, so the action could not possibly be sinful at all without intent.

second, every stupid action is not a sin, sometimes it is just stupid, like leaving a candle burning in an empty room.

 

[JRKH]

I usually burn candles when I pray, but my mother told me that if I burn candles I have to always keep them in sight and blow them out if I leave the room. (obviously for safety reasons) Well, this morning I had lit a candle before my morning prayer, but I had just remembered that I left my journal that I record my resolutions and meditations downstairs on a counter. I left my room, and halfway down the stairs I remembered that my mother had told me not to leave the room with a candle burning. I thought that since I had put it in a glass holder it should be ok, and I ran downstairs, got my journal, and ran back to my room. After thinking about it for a while, I realized that I disobeyed my mother and could have endangered our safety by leaving a burning candle unattended. I told my mother about what I had done and asked her forgiveness. She forgave me. Whenever I prayed, I asked God’s forgiveness for disobeying my mother. Although, I felt so terrible, and I felt ashamed to pray. I then made many acts of contrition, but I still felt terrible, even to the point of crying. I felt despair and helplessness and didn’t know what to do. I did that for about half an hour before I just continued on in my prayers.

So my question is now, did I commit a mortal sin? Did I drive God out of my soul? Or am I over-reacting? I really need to know, and all comments are appreciated. And, how can I receive forgiveness of a mortal sin when I am still in the RCIA? Thanks for all your help!
~God bless.

Yes - you are overreacting
No - you did not commit a mortal sin.

What you did was act in haste and made a mistake. You’ve now repented and made amends.

I do agree that it would be a good idea to discuss this with your RCIA instructor so as to get a better understanding of what constitutes a mortal sin.

Peace
James

 

[revert_jen]

number one, you forgot, you did not take a deliberate action to disobey your mother, so the action could not possibly be sinful at all without intent.

second, every stupid action is not a sin, sometimes it is just stupid, like leaving a candle burning in an empty room.

Absolutely. It is not possible to commit a sin by accident.

The conditions of mortal sin are:

1. Grave matter
2. Full knowledge of its sinfulness
3. Deliberate consent of the will

In this case both 1 and 3 are missing. Because #1 is missing, even if it were sinful, it would not be mortal sin. Because #3 is completely missing, it cannot be a sin at all. In addition to talking to the RCIA director, you may want to read #1852-#1864 in the Catechism, which explains this much more fully.

God loves you and wants you to spend eternity with Him in heaven. I’m not sure what happens about committing a mortal sin while in RCIA (NOT that it applies in this case), but God knows what is in your heart and knows the deep nature of your repentance. I think that if you have been baptized and believe in the significance of the Sacrament of Penance, you could go to confession even if you have not yet been received fully into the Church. In fact I believe (I am not an expert) that you are actually supposed to go to the Sacrament of Penance before full reception into the Church and initial reception of the Eucharist. I’m not sure when exactly it is supposed to happen, or what the procedure is if you want to go before that.

If you are not baptized and, God forbid, something happened to you before your Baptism, your presence in RCIA would constitute an indication of Baptism of Desire. According to the Catechism, “For catechumens who die before their Baptism, their explicit desire to receive it, together with repentance for their sins, and charity, assures them the salvation that they were not able to receive through the sacrament.” (#1259)

So don’t worry!

–Jen

 

[Waiting]

I usually burn candles when I pray, but my mother told me that if I burn candles I have to always keep them in sight and blow them out if I leave the room. (obviously for safety reasons) Well, this morning I had lit a candle before my morning prayer, but I had just remembered that I left my journal that I record my resolutions and meditations downstairs on a counter. I left my room, and halfway down the stairs I remembered that my mother had told me not to leave the room with a candle burning. I thought that since I had put it in a glass holder it should be ok, and I ran downstairs, got my journal, and ran back to my room. After thinking about it for a while, I realized that I disobeyed my mother and could have endangered our safety by leaving a burning candle unattended. I told my mother about what I had done and asked her forgiveness. She forgave me. Whenever I prayed, I asked God’s forgiveness for disobeying my mother. Although, I felt so terrible, and I felt ashamed to pray. I then made many acts of contrition, but I still felt terrible, even to the point of crying. I felt despair and helplessness and didn’t know what to do. I did that for about half an hour before I just continued on in my prayers.

So my question is now, did I commit a mortal sin? Did I drive God out of my soul? Or am I over-reacting? I really need to know, and all comments are appreciated. And, how can I receive forgiveness of a mortal sin when I am still in the RCIA? Thanks for all your help!
~God bless.

Don’t get scrupulous. What you did was a small matter. Small things are venial sins. In your case I don’t believe it was a sin at all, since you didn’t intend to disobey. When your mother forgave you, it became a thing of the past – to be forgotten. Dwelling on forgiven sins can be dangerous, and entirely unnecessary. When, in the future, you receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, you know that God has forgiven you. He also forgets your sin. You need to do the same. Good luck with your RCIA studies. God bless.

 

[Monica4316]

Oumashta,

Since you are so worried, you can just mention this in your Confession when you’re done RCIA

even if what you did was a mortal sin (and if you didn’t deliberately and knowingly chooose this, it wasn’t mortal, but a mistake) - it seems like the devil is now tormenting you. Often the enemy tempts us to sin and then tries to bring us to despair. Make an act of Contrition and trust in Jesus’ mercy even** if **it was a mortal sin, God knows you can’t go to Confession yet and repentance would bring you closer to Him. But despair and hopelessness and feeling like you do about this sin, seems to me like a temptation. It is good to have sorrow for sin. But when the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, He does so gently and not in a way that lessens our hope in God’s mercy. However the devil often exaggerates our thoughts. Mention what happened in your first Confession, but don’t torment yourself over it

Take a look at this:
ccel.org/ccel/desales/devout_life.v.ix.html

God bless :hug1:

 

[Oumashta]

Thanks for all of your help. Although I have one more question, I remembered what my mother told me halfway when I walked downstairs, but I continued going even when I knew that I was going against what she had told me. Doesn’t that fulfill the part of “Deliberate knowledge and full consent”?

I did want to know more about going to confession even if I’m not received into the Church. Although, right now my situation is really complicated. I was baptized more than once in several different denominations in several different formulas and no certificate for any of them. This happened when I was younger and my parents had changed churches sometimes. Please pray that it will all work out in 2012 when I hope I can be received in. Thanks all.
God bless.

 

[JRKH]

Thanks for all of your help. Although I have one more question, I remembered what my mother told me halfway when I walked downstairs, but I continued going even when I knew that I was going against what she had told me. Doesn’t that fulfill the part of “Deliberate knowledge and full consent”?

Even if your remembering were to fulfill the full knowledge and consent aspect I doubt if what you did would come up to “grave matter”. In your OP you said, “I thought that since **I had put it in a glass holder **it should be ok”" (Bolding mine). Frankly I agree. You had already taken prudent precautions and the candle was lit but in a safe environment.
You are a good child who seeks to be obedient to God and to your parents. You have been forgiven by your mother and by God. As we said earlier, if you would like a more “official” answer, just ask your priest.

I did want to know more about going to confession even if I’m not received into the Church.

What do you want to know? Your RCIA instructor will let you know when it’s time. Of course if you have a particular question or concern you might talk to your priest informally so that he might set you mind at rest. Otherwise my adivce is to be patient. you’ll be entering the Church fully before you know it.
[qoute]Although, right now my situation is really complicated. I was baptized more than once in several different denominations in several different formulas and no certificate for any of them. This happened when I was younger and my parents had changed churches sometimes. Please pray that it will all work out in 2012 when I hope I can be received in. Thanks all.
God bless.
Don’t worry about your complicated situation. God has ways of working such things out. Just do what is requested of you by the parish.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and all entering The Church.
Welcome Home–

Peace
James

 

[Oumashta]

Even if your remembering were to fulfill the full knowledge and consent aspect I doubt if what you did would come up to “grave matter”. In your OP you said, “I thought that since **I had put it in a glass holder **it should be ok”" (Bolding mine). Frankly I agree. You had already taken prudent precautions and the candle was lit but in a safe environment.
You are a good child who seeks to be obedient to God and to your parents. You have been forgiven by your mother and by God. As we said earlier, if you would like a more “official” answer, just ask your priest.

What do you want to know? Your RCIA instructor will let you know when it’s time. Of course if you have a particular question or concern you might talk to your priest informally so that he might set you mind at rest. Otherwise my advice is to be patient. you’ll be entering the Church fully before you know it.
Don’t worry about your complicated situation. God has ways of working such things out. Just do what is requested of you by the parish.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and all entering The Church.
Welcome Home–

Peace
James

Oh… Ok. Thanks!

 

[PookiePutz]

Remember. You can always blow out a candle. If its’ really a good one … you can re-light it.

Watched or not, especially if you are young, you would be better off not using candles at all.

I would never mean to trivialize sin … venial or mortal. However, remember that God loves you and will forgive you if you are sorry and ask Him for forgivness. I believe you are over reacting to your actions. Once you are forgiven you are forgiven forever. If King David can be forgiven and promised great rewards in Heaven after having his lovers husband killed, you can also be forgiven even though you disobeyed your mother. If your guilt continues you should visit with a priest and have him help you put things in perspective.