Mortal sin if it wasn't actually committed?

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Looking if someone can help me with this, as I was seeking some information that I can seem to find an answer to. If one were to believe one commited a mortal sin, but actually didn’t, would they be condemned to hell if they don’t confess it? Let’s try an example. Suppose I stayed home all day yesterday tending to the goings on at home. Now comes today and I honestly believe that yesterday I went into town and commited a mortal sin. Would I be required to confess this sin (I know I wouldn’t be required once I remembered that it didn’t happen). If I were to die before confession, would I go to hell for sin that wasn’t even committed?
 
NTOT said:
Looking if someone can help me with this, as I was seeking some information that I can seem to find an answer to. If one were to believe one commited a mortal sin, but actually didn’t, would they be condemned to hell if they don’t confess it? Let’s try an example. Suppose I stayed home all day yesterday tending to the goings on at home. Now comes today and I honestly believe that yesterday I went into town and commited a mortal sin. Would I be required to confess this sin (I know I wouldn’t be required once I remembered that it didn’t happen). If I were to die before confession, would I go to hell for sin that wasn’t even committed?
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If someone can’t be sure what they did the day before its medical help they need.
 
Why would God hold us accountable for things we only “think” we did - but didn’t actually? Although we may be confused - obviously God isn’t.

This is a very bizarre question. What made you think of it?
 
Cristiano said:
Scrupulosity?:confused:
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Maybe so… and if that’s the case to the OP I say talk to a Priest if this is really troubling you. He will tell you that we are only held accountable for sins we actually commit.

We aren’t even accountable for temptations. Jesus was tempted yet He never sinned.
 
yellowbird said:
Maybe so… and if that’s the case to the OP I say talk to a Priest if this is really troubling you. He will tell you that we are only held accountable for sins we actually commit.

We aren’t even accountable for temptations. Jesus was tempted yet He never sinned.
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I was saying yesterday only as a hypothetical example. In reality, in the past I have honestly thought I remembered committing a mortal sin say a month ago only to find out later I was mistaken and couldn’t possibly have do to the circumstances surrounding the situation. It would be a little difficult to explain the exact situation. But, in any case, if I honestly believed I was in mortal sin, would I be required to have gone to confession before death? Or would not confessing indicate being obstinate in sin unrepentant, and a sin in itself?
 
Actually, I can see this.

Someone loses track of the day, and actively avoids going to Mass on Sunday. Later realizing it was Saturday, and they never missed Mass at all…

So did they commit a mortal sin or not?
 
vz71 said:
Actually, I can see this.

Someone loses track of the day, and actively avoids going to Mass on Sunday. Later realizing it was Saturday, and they never missed Mass at all…

So did they commit a mortal sin or not?
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No, they did not. In order for a sin to be mortal it must include grave matter. Not going to Mass on a Saturday is not grave matter. Thinking that something is grave matter does not change the essence of the matter involved. What I believe that you are asking, which parallels the OP’s question, is if I believe that picking a rose from my neighbor’s yard is a grave offense does it become one? No. Even though you may intend to offend God by what you think would constitute mortal sin without the grave matter it cannot. Chances are pretty good, however, that if this is your mindset it will be only a matter of time when you will choose to sin mortally which includes grave matter, full knowledge that it is grave matter and complete consent.

So to go to the extreme; if I believe that hugging my neighbor was a mortal sin-- would it be because I think it so??

God Bless…teachccd 🙂
 
teachccd said:
Thinking that something is grave matter does not change the essence of the matter involved. What I believe that you are asking, which parallels the OP’s question, is if I believe that picking a rose from my neighbor’s yard is a grave offense does it become one? No. Even though you may intend to offend God by what you think would constitute mortal sin without the grave matter it cannot.
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Hi teachccd,

Actually, you can commit a mortal sin, even if objectively the matter is not grave (or even sinful). The analysis involves a distinction between material sin and formal sin.

Material sin refers to the objective sinfulness of the act, whereas formal sin refers to the subjective awareness of the actor.

A material sin is present when an action in fact violates moral law, regardless of whether or not the actor is aware that it does. A formal sin is present if the actor is aware that an action violates moral law, *regardless of whether or not it actually does.

*One may be mistaken about the sinfulness of an action in one of two ways and still commit formal sin: 1. Performing an objectively good or indifferent action while believing it to violate moral law when in fact it does not (a mistake of law); or
  1. Performing an action which one believes is objectively sinful, but cannot objectively be so (a mistake of fact).
    An example of the first case would be your example of hugging someone while believing it to be a morally prohibited act.
An example of the second case would be the person who intentionally misses mass on Saturday thinking it was Sunday.

Most of the time when we sin it is both a material and formal sin. However the moral culpability stems from the formal sin, and that is what we confess.

What do you think?
VC
 
It is, basically, a matter of intent. If you did not mean to miss Mass (on what you thought was Sunday), it was an accident. If you thought it was a mortal sin to hug your neighbor and did it anyway, it is the desire to offend God by doing what you think is a mortal sin that makes it a serious sin. My advice, confess it anyway!
 
vz71 said:
Actually, I can see this.

Someone loses track of the day, and actively avoids going to Mass on Sunday. Later realizing it was Saturday, and they never missed Mass at all…

So did they commit a mortal sin or not?
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Actually a very good example, but a little bit different. I would say this would definitely be a mortal sin, even if afterwards one realized it was only Saturday. All it takes for a sin to be mortal is intention. The intent was to miss Sunday mass (serious matter) full consent was present, and from the example, there was sufficient reflection.
 
Verbum_Caro said:
Hi teachccd,

Actually, you can commit a mortal sin, even if objectively the matter is not grave (or even sinful). The analysis involves a distinction between material sin and formal sin.

Material sin refers to the objective sinfulness of the act, whereas formal sin refers to the subjective awareness of the actor.

A material sin is present when an action in fact violates moral law, regardless of whether or not the actor is aware that it does. A formal sin is present if the actor is aware that an action violates moral law, regardless of whether or not it actually does.

One may be mistaken about the sinfulness of an action in one of two ways and still commit formal sin:1. Performing an objectively good or indifferent action while believing it to violate moral law when in fact it does not (a mistake of law); or
  1. Performing an action which one believes is objectively sinful, but cannot objectively be so (a mistake of fact).
    An example of the first case would be your example of hugging someone while believing it to be a morally prohibited act.
An example of the second case would be the person who intentionally misses mass on Saturday thinking it was Sunday.

Most of the time when we sin it is both a material and formal sin. However the moral culpability stems from the formal sin, and that is what we confess.

What do you think?
VC
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I think that you explained it quite well and I thank you for your clarification. God Bless you…teachccd
 
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