Mortal Sin

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ramman64

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Hello,
I was once addicted to porn and masturbation. I’ve worked so hard at it in the past week that I went without it for around a week. I fell last night but I was wondering if I could still receive communion. I’ve worked so hard, I’m only 16, and it was once compared to my multiple times a week before. I really want to and I don’t think I will be going to confession for about 3 weeks. If I go should I say some sort of special prayer? I’m not the strongest catholic…
 
Do what you can to get to confession. Remember that although many parishes (sadly) limit confession to a few hours on Saturday, there is NOTHING wrong with going to church at normal hours and asked to see a priest or call and make an appointment. Avoid taking communion until you have confessed.
 
I have been advised by several confessors, that in struggling against this habitual sin, that as long as I am genuinely trying to repent, that if and when I fall I should not let it keep me from the Holy Communion. I should make an act of Contrition, ask Gods Help, and carry on until I can next get to confession.

There is a ballance to be had here, and it is your confessors job to advise you, but the Catechism explicitly gives guidance on this matter for confessors and councellors:
2352 By masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. "Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action."138 “The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose.” For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of "the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved."139
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To form an equitable judgment about the subjects’ moral responsibility and to guide pastoral action, one must take into account the affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety or other psychological or social factors that lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability.
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This makes it clear that when struggling against an acquired habit, and the strong hormones of your late puberty, and the teachings of the secular world in this matter, as long as you continue the struggle, and are Trying to quit, your personal guilt in this matter is most likely to be Venial not Mortal in nature.

That does not make it OK, it does not mean you can choose to sin knowing you will confess it later.

You should go to confession if you can, but you are probably OK to receive Holy Communion on Sunday if you are unable to Confess today or tomorrow.
 
I will receive communion but if I do it once more than I will count it as mortal sin. Thanks for the help. I will work very hard to stop.
 
I think too that you should go to confession before receiving Jesus. I’ve called the rectory during the week to ask for a priest to hear my confession, so it’s not out of the ordinary.
 
Simply, for your consideration…

Try this: go to a Holy Mass and do not receive Holy Communion and after Mass…carefully observe…prayerfully discern…how you feel about abstaining…what are your affections…measure your heart…is it at peace because of your not receiving Holy Communion?..glad to some degree that you abstained?.. a sense of relief that you abstained? If so…it will be because Christ has visited you in spiritual Communion…pleased with your abstaining…the Truth Himself will have visited you…and set you free and your conscience will be clear…I need to go to Confession first…soonest.

The priest being pastoral and telling you its OK to go to Mass and receive Communion is perfectly legit… perfectly OK…but your conscience has to make the final decision on what to do…the fact that you are asking the question…is a strong indicator that your conscience is telling you to go to Confession first.

Mass without physically communicating… receiving Christ in Holy Communion is really and truly still a very holy experience and spiritual communion is honored and manifested by the Lord…with those who ask for it…especially at Mass.

Lastly, keep up the good (holy and spiritual) fight… perseverance graces is the Blessed Virgin Mary’s specialty…ask your Holy Mother to get you an abundance of those graces…she will not let you down.

Pax Christi
 
ramman64 said:
Hello,
I was once addicted to porn and masturbation. I’ve worked so hard at it in the past week that I went without it for around a week. I fell last night but I was wondering if I could still receive communion. I’ve worked so hard, I’m only 16
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NO!!

That simple 😃

People younger than you have literally let themselves be killed rather than embracing lust.

Stick to the self-discipline and do not defile the most blessed Eucharist by receiving the Lord with improper disposition or in state of mortal sin. Confess first, then receive Him with a clean soul.

And…stop counting the days 😉 When you work to achieve chastity, you do it day by day, temptation by temptation. The suggestion comes, it is enticing, but you reject it boldly by choosing a greater good, eternal life, for which you sacrifice that lesser good.
 
Hi Ramman

I had a similar problem when I was your age (and for some years after in fact). For a long time I was in denial about it and facing up to it was very difficult, but the feeling that I can deny those sinful urges is invigorating in itself. It is good that you have decided to confront this.

You are correct in that a confessor can take into account a range of factors in determining culpability, but you should discuss this directly with him - it is not for a sinner to say ‘that doesn’t count because…’

I would abstain from communion until you have had chance to discuss this with a priest.

A couple of other things stood out in your posts - you mentioned having more than one confessor - try to find one that you are comfortable with and that can get to know you, and you him. Also, you refer to a few weeks before you go to confession again; it is good to go regularly, but the time to reconcile yourself with God is as soon as possible after acknowledging your sins.

Best wishes, and good luck.

Martin
 
The Catechism quote by AnRuaRi above is your best guidance. It’s ultimately a matter for your won conscience (which should be informed by what the Catechism said) but you should also take into account and how much you struggle with this problem.

Ideally, you should try and get to confession each time. Granted, it’s far from the easiest thing to confess, particularly when you’re confessing it again and again but don’t forget that the sacrament is about healing and helping you in your relationship with God and with yourself. It’s also easy to develop a negative opinion of yourself making you ashamed of going back to confession. Thinking this way obviously isn’t helpful for you or for your relationship with god. Don’t forget that no matter how many times you sin, God will always forgive you - all you have to do is ask for His forgiveness and that’s where the sacrament comes into its own.
 
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