Mortal sin on deathbed

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feltmeanings23

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Could an old person, in a state of grace, commit mortal sin on their deathbed?

If no, what about free will?
If yes, then all the more reason to reject Pascal’s Wager. If Catholicism makes me miserable (which it did), why join it if I could sin before death and go to hell anyway?
 
So desires determine our “choices”?

I loosely recall a prayer asking for protection from the devil at the final hour, which implies a possibility of falling.
 
Imagine being on your deathbed and being given the opportunity to commit adultery, some might take it.
 
I don’t get your point. Anyone can sin anytime, that is the definition of free will. And nobody knows when the hour of death is, some people drop dead suddenly. So we have to be always prepared and always pray.
 
Nelka said:
Imagine being on your deathbed and being given the opportunity to commit adultery, some might take it.
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Well…if I was on my deathbed whoopi would probably not top the list of things I felt like doing…asking for more pain meds or perhaps a nice tall glass of morphine may be what I would be thinking…thats just me.

Now, if you were in the process of committing a sin then your premise that you were at the time in a state of grace as the OP proposed it is a non sequitur…
 
feltmeanings23 said:
Could an old person, in a state of grace, commit mortal sin on their deathbed?

If no, what about free will?
If yes, then all the more reason to reject Pascal’s Wager. If Catholicism makes me miserable (which it did), why join it if I could sin before death and go to hell anyway?
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Yes, malice (deliberate choice of evil) could occur then; thought, word, deed, or omission.
 
feltmeanings23 said:
Could an old person, in a state of grace, commit mortal sin on their deathbed?
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A lot would depend on how devoted to the Faith they have been during the whole of their life, and whether their life has been a constant growth in holiness. (“Two steps forward, one step back” would better describe me.) It’s certainly possible to lose your soul in your last moments, and the prospect of this should compel us to pray daily for a holy death. My final prayer before I go to sleep is “that I may save my soul, and that I may not be lost on the last day”.

It’s not at all farfetched to think that the evil one will see this as the last chance he has to drag yet another soul into hell, and that he will assault even a very holy person with doubts and temptations against faith. This is why it is so, so important that a priest be summoned when death is imminent.

Though we have no choice over the matter, you most definitely do not want to die in your sleep, with no opportunity for the last rites of the Church. “That is SO the way to go”, while a popular idea these days, is a sentiment unworthy of anyone who cares about their salvation. Likewise, you should not wish to die suddenly and without suffering, as happens in so many fatal accidents. My father and I saw a coffin being carried out of a Catholic church one time, and I commented “his sufferings are all over now, or they may be just beginning”.
 
As long as a person has a conscious will they can choose to reject God.
 
feltmeanings23 said:
Could an old person, in a state of grace, commit mortal sin on their deathbed?
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Yes, they could.
It would be incredibly stupid, but they could.

I knew somebody who was dying and telling people how he planned to “punish” his kids by cutting them out of the will.
He deemed they had displeased him muchly.
To the rest of us, there was a lot of fault to go around

I still hope he managed to repent his anger before he died.
 
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Unless they are non compos mentis, certainly they may commit sin up to their last breath. God grants us that freedom, as freedom is required in order to love.
 
Yes, a person keeps free will until they die.

As to Pascal’s wager, it still holds true at the moment of death just as it does beforehand.
 
Yes of course they could. Why would you think that they could not. Being close to death does not make one incapable of sin.
 
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Someone on their deathbed may not be in full control of their mental faculties. Yes, it’s possible to commit mortal sin, but unless the person lived a life of committed sin and unrepentance, it would seem to me unlikely that they went out of this world intentionally unrepentant.

Jesus tells us that if we give so much as a cup of cold water to the thirst in His name, GREAT is our reward in heaven.

God allows hell for those who truly hate Him and can’t stand the idea of eternity with Him. But He’s not sitting there looking for reasons to toss people into hell.
So, yes, mortal sin on a deathbed is possible, but it’s something you gotta REALLY want. It isn’t something you “slip into.”
 
feltmeanings23 said:
So desires determine our “choices”?

I loosely recall a prayer asking for protection from the devil at the final hour, which implies a possibility of falling.
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Everyone has until their dying breath to repent and be saved if they are in a state of sin. If you are in a state of grace but commit a mortal sin on your deathbed and die unrepentant then its straight to Hell.
 
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