Mortal sin = Reduced Prayer Effectiveness?

[Layp3rs0n]

Sigh* I just committed a mortal sin. I working on overcoming a sexual addiction. I have been doing well lately but I gave in this evening. I repented and said an Act of Contrition. I can’t go to Confession right away, not till Saturday(Priests have reccomended going only once a week so I don’t end up abusing the Sacrement.). I wonder, will my rosary be less effective in the meantime since I am not in a perfect state of Grace?

 

[thistle]

Sigh* I just committed a mortal sin. I working on overcoming a sexual addiction. I have been doing well lately but I gave in this evening. I repented and said an Act of Contrition. I can’t go to Confession right away, not till Saturday(Priests have reccomended going only once a week so I don’t end up abusing the Sacrement.). I wonder, will my rosary be less effective in the meantime since I am not in a perfect state of Grace?

Prayer is never wasted and we need it even more when in a state of mortal sin.

 

[Layp3rs0n]

Sigh* I just committed a mortal sin. I working on overcoming a sexual addiction. I have been doing well lately but I gave in this evening. I repented and said an Act of Contrition. Between now and the time I get to Confession, (I go once a week on Saturday usually- I would go earlier but because of my addiction the priests have reccomended I wait a few days in order not to abuse the Sacrement) I wonder, will my rosary be less effective since I am not in a perfect state of Grace?

 

[Layp3rs0n]

Thank you Thistle. Here is the rest of it. Now, when I pray my rosary I of course ask God to help me grow in holiness, but just as much for some friends who need God’s Graces and mercy just as much if not more than I. (I know that sounds bad, but I thank God that He gives me the Grace to repent believe and confess my sins. Said friends are either atheist or straight do not care about God at all and do their own things with no remorse.) So, will God see me as a hypocrite for praying for the souls of my friends while I myself am in a state of mortal sin?

 

[Newbie2]

Thank you Thistle. Here is the rest of it. Now, when I pray my rosary I of course ask God to help me grow in holiness, but just as much for some friends who need God’s Graces and mercy just as much if not more than I. (I know that sounds bad, but I thank God that He gives me the Grace to repent believe and confess my sins. Said friends are either atheist or straight do not care about God at all and do their own things with no remorse.) So, will God see me as a hypocrite for praying for the souls of my friends while I myself am in a state of mortal sin?

We’re all hypocrites in that sense, and God knows it…but he still wants us to pray for each other.

 

[peary1]

Sigh* I just committed a mortal sin. I working on overcoming a sexual addiction. I have been doing well lately but I gave in this evening. I repented and said an Act of Contrition. Between now and the time I get to Confession, (I go once a week on Saturday usually- I would go earlier but because of my addiction the priests have reccomended I wait a few days in order not to abuse the Sacrement) I wonder, will my rosary be less effective since I am not in a perfect state of Grace?

When does an ‘addiction’ become an habitual act that a person cannot control? It may have started out as mortal sin, but when it becomes an habitual act it enters an entirely different aspect of the psyche. Why is it sin when a person cannot control the impulses?

 

[StCsDavid]

Sigh* I just committed a mortal sin. I working on overcoming a sexual addiction. I have been doing well lately but I gave in this evening. I repented and said an Act of Contrition. Between now and the time I get to Confession, (I go once a week on Saturday usually- I would go earlier but because of my addiction the priests have reccomended I wait a few days in order not to abuse the Sacrement) I wonder, will my rosary be less effective since I am not in a perfect state of Grace?

First of all, prayer is not as contingent and formulaic as you might think. Otherwise, prayer would actually be a form of idolatry as people would be using prayer as some kind of cosmic potion.

Prayer is a conversation with God who loves you regardless of how much grace you have. Praise be to God that he hears the prayers of sinners or we would all be doomed. Keep praying your rosary. I won’t comment on your state of grace as that’s between you and your priest; however, I would encourage you to consider that addiction may make giving full consent a run for its money.

Remember Christ came to save not to condemn. Focus on the fact that He loves you despite your falling, and He loves you for always turning back to Him.

 

[The_Otaku]

Good question. I’ve always wondered about this. Are my prayers less powerful or less effective when I’m in a state of mortal sin or not in a state of grace. Personally, I think the answer is no. I think that God’s Mercy overshadows our weakness and if we pray to Him to make our prayers stronger, He will.

I think that we tend to think that our prayers are meaningless because we’re beside ourselves after a great sin. We feel dirty and like God would not immediately have or want anything to do with us, that our guardian angels are repulsed and held at bay, and that the demons have more control, etc.

In a spiritual sense, evil grows when major sin is committed. However, repentance, sorrow for sin, prayers, and confession lift us out of this and reset the balance. If we pray even harder, we get back in the grace we were before and then some. God lifts us up and we’re made stronger than we were before. The devil and his minions, who will be enraged by this transformation, will double their efforts to knock you down again, and even if they succeed, God will lift you back up again with His Love and Mercy. That is what I believe.

So I think that we think our prayers are less effective, but they are not. Our spiritual health might weaken, but our prayers do not. What makes prayers weaker is when we don’t do them at all or we figure it’s pointless and there’s no faith in them.

Even a grave sinner is connected to the Lord when He prays in sincerity and faith, and God listens to Him. It’s when we do nothing to get back on track that prayer does nothing, since we stop believing it can.

God cannot work with a person who is completely shut off unless by His Divine Assistance or Will. But if you pray in spite of your sin, consider yourself blessed, because God is made happy by your effort to be on good terms with Him and He will reward you handsomely.

 

[Seatuck]

Prayer is never wasted. God is outside of time and will know how and when to respond to those prayers.Mortal sin , especially unrepented damages our friendship with God. Mortal sin ( if a particular sin is indeed mortal sin) does block us from all God’s grace except the call to repentance. So yes, at that moment we will not recieve the benefits of God’s grace except his help in making our relationship right with him . Remember, no Sacrament can be received without being in a “state of grace”.

So what can we do? We keep praying to God to tell him of our sorrow and contrition and get ourselves to confession as soon as we can.

 

[FRATER_PAVLVS]

Prayer is not effective. Jesus is.

 

[StCsDavid]

Prayer is not effective. Jesus is.

That might look good on a bumper sticker …however, let’s not short change the other members of the Trinity who also put prayer into operation. Prayer is necessary to help us conform to the will of God which is why even when we’re in mortal sin, maybe especially when, we should pray unceasingly as St. Paul implores us.

 

[FRATER_PAVLVS]

That might look good on a bumper sticker …however, let’s not short change the other members of the Trinity who also put prayer into operation. Prayer is necessary to help us conform to the will of God which is why even when we’re in mortal sin, maybe especially when, we should pray unceasingly as St. Paul implores us.

Do not worry. The Trinity is inseparable. ‘Jesus’ is because everyone knows the name.

 

[DL82]

Thank you Thistle. Here is the rest of it. Now, when I pray my rosary I of course ask God to help me grow in holiness, but just as much for some friends who need God’s Graces and mercy just as much if not more than I. (I know that sounds bad, but I thank God that He gives me the Grace to repent believe and confess my sins. Said friends are either atheist or straight do not care about God at all and do their own things with no remorse.) So, will God see me as a hypocrite for praying for the souls of my friends while I myself am in a state of mortal sin?

It’s worth remembering that while Confession guarantees our forgiveness, perfect contrition lifts us out of a state of mortal sin. Perfect contrition means turning away from our sins because we recognise how good God is, not just because we are scared of hell, and it also includes the resolve to go to confession as soon as possible (which you clearly have).

It sounds to me that you want to return to God’s love because you want to follow His ways, you want to be an instrument of His peace, not just because you desire heaven and fear hell, but because you want to help bring God’s kingdom on earth, among your friends, for His sake.

I won’t comment on the state of your soul, but it sounds a lot like perfect contrition to me.