Mortal sin?

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sowinskija

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Today I was praying silently, reading the prayer from my iphone in the car. My dad asked me what I was doing and I switched over to mail real quick and muttered something about "reading my mail right now. " he couldn’t hear what I said so I said again, I’m reading. Did I lie? Is this mortal? I knew I was not just “reading”
 
Please take the following advice with a “grain of salt.” I am not a priest and I am not an expert of any kind. That said:

I’m not convinced that anyone other than you and your confessor can determine whether or not you have committed a mortal sin.

As you probably know, three conditions are necessary:
  1. Serious matter
  2. Sufficient reflection
  3. Sufficient freedom
I will not offer a judgment, but if you feel guilty then you should at least make an act of contrition and plan to confess this sin at some point. Do you attend confession regularly? If so, this incident is the kind of thing you might remember to confess. If you don’t attend regularly, why not?

Some questions to ask yourself in determining if the sin was mortal or not:

Could I have reasonably avoided this?
Did I seriously injure someone else or myself physically or spiritually or emotionally?
Did I know at the time that what I did what seriously wrong, but I just didn’t care?
Did I purposely choose to do it, or did it just “happen” without thinking about it?
Was I in an intense emotional state at the time (anger, rage, insanity, depression, etc)?
Is this a habit that I cannot seem to break no matter how hard I try?
Did I relish in what I did, knowing it was “wrong” but not caring?

You answers to these questions may help you determine whether a sin is mortal or not.

However, all sin is bad anyway. Worrying about whether a sin is mortal or not will not help you significantly. If it isn’t too inconvenient, why not go to confession? Please don’t misunderstand, I am not encouraging you to become scrupulous and lead a life of anxiety which drives you to confession everyday. I am just suggesting that you try to remember the sinful things that you do, ask God for forgiveness and grace to avoid them, and trust in his mercy in the sacrament of reconciliation on a regular basis. How “regular” is something for you and your confessor to determine (in my opinion).

Don’t worry friend!
 
Great advice above. I will only add that Jesus said:
but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. - (Matthew 10:33)
Now I’m not saying that what you did was explicitly “denying Jesus” but it might be good for you to consider why it is you felt you could not say…“I’m praying”.

Regardless of the seriousness of the specific act, if this were me, I would want to examine why I felt and acted as I did. And I think that I would very likely want to seek the advice of my confessor.

Peace
James
 
In your case, it seems like grave matter was probably missing, and full knowledge was probably also missing even if some aspect that you didn’t elaborate on fully makes it grave matter (why exactly you lied). So probably no.

The general rule is thusly:

If you’re scrupulous and have to ask, the answer is probably no.
If you’re not scrupulous and have to ask, the answer is probably yes.
If your aren’t absolutely sure, talk to your priest.
 
Compendium issued by Pope Benedict XVI
  1. When does one commit a mortal sin?
1855-1861
1874

One commits a mortal sin when there are simultaneously present: grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent. This sin destroys charity in us, deprives us of sanctifying grace, and, if unrepented, leads us to the eternal death of hell. It can be forgiven in the ordinary way by means of the sacraments of Baptism and of Penance or Reconciliation.
  1. When does one commit a venial sin?
1862-1864
1875

One commits a venial sin, which is essentially different from a mortal sin, when the matter involved is less serious or, even if it is grave, when full knowledge or complete consent are absent. Venial sin does not break the covenant with God but it weakens charity and manifests a disordered affection for created goods. It impedes the progress of a soul in the exercise of the virtues and in the practice of moral good. It merits temporal punishment which purifies.

vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html
 
Im still not sure, it was a spur of the moment decision without any real premeditation. Did it count as a lie? I switched to mail before i said “im reading my mail” and when i said i was reading, i was reading in order to pray, but wasnt just reading? is that even a lie? Im scrupulous with some things i think, but on others im really not…
 
sowinskija said:
Im still not sure, it was a spur of the moment decision without any real premeditation. Did it count as a lie? I switched to mail before i said “im reading my mail” and when i said i was reading, i was reading in order to pray, but wasnt just reading? is that even a lie? Im scrupulous with some things i think, but on others im really not…
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I must be missing something. It was OK to tell him you were reading your mail, but not that you were reading a prayer – so you hid the fact that you were reading a prayer? :confused:
 
It was embarrassing. Im a teen and I think my parents are already convinced I go overboard with my faith. Again, I was probably muttering and it was a spur of the moment thing.
 
sowinskija said:
Im still not sure, it was a spur of the moment decision without any real premeditation. Did it count as a lie? I switched to mail before i said “im reading my mail” and when i said i was reading, i was reading in order to pray, but wasnt just reading? is that even a lie? Im scrupulous with some things i think, but on others im really not…
Click to expand...
I think that we can fairly say that what occurred was not a mortal sin. “spur of the moment”…no “real premeditation” works against the factor of deliberate consent.

That said…the fact that you think you are scrupulous on some things and your comment about your parents (maybe) thinking you go overboard with your faith…both speak to a very real need to have a regular confessor and to be guided by him…not by strangers on a web forum.

So - I say again…for at least the third time…These things are best discussed with your confessor!!!

Peace
James
 
I think this means it is venial

“According to the common teaching of St. Thomas and other divines, the hurtful lie is a mortal sin, but merely officious and jocose lies are of their own nature venial.”

newadvent.org/cathen/09469a.htm

Or am I am trying to justify it to myself at this point…
 
sowinskija said:
It was embarrassing. Im a teen and I think my parents are already convinced I go overboard with my faith. Again, I was probably muttering and it was a spur of the moment thing.
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Ah, I get it. It’s a challenge – though not undoable – to have a relationship you can speak openly about your beliefs with teenagers. I have two teens now and four previous teens, and I know how awkward it can be, especially if the parents have strong opinions.

Alan
 
You said you were reading, which was not a lie.

You’re not obligated to say what you were reading, unless asked.

You didn’t even commit a venial sin at this point.

However, I see a problem of scrupulosity in your future, if not already.

Take the advice Bookcat posted and learn what actually constitutes sin.

Jim
 
You lied if you willfully misrepresented what you really were thinking in order to lead another into error. Whether your sin was mortal or not I do not know. My guess is it may not have been, but I am not a priest. Just ask a traditional priest.
 
ready said:
You lied if you willfully misrepresented what you really were thinking in order to lead another into error. Whether your sin was mortal or not I do not know. My guess is it may not have been, but I am not a priest. Just ask a traditional priest.
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How is it “leading another into error?” That would mean that the child caused the dad to sin. How did the dad sin as a result of having his question answered strictly accurately without elaboration? If my kids gave me that answer and I really wanted to know, I’d say, “why do you say ‘right now?’ What about when I asked you?” If the dad isn’t that curious, then I don’t see how giving the dad more information than he asked for is required.

The only problem is the pang of guilt the OP felt that caused him to switch what he was reading before saying that he was reading. If the OP wasn’t trying to hide his Christianity, then he could have just said, “reading,” and been perfectly honest in both letter and spirit. Some of my kids’ friend like to talk to me about their Christianity because of bad experiences with trying to talk to their own parents about religion.

Alan
 
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