Mortal sin

[Roger12345]

"1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent."131 "

It’s not possible to unintentionally commit a mortal sin if knowledge and consent is required. If this is true then a person does not really have to worry about dying and finding out he/she’s not in a state of grace, you would know it when you committed the sin. I’m not talking about OSAS, or knowing without a doubt you’re going to heaven, but a person who is faithfully trying to follow God’s will can have a reasonable expectation that he’s in a state of grace if he has not committed a mortal sin he’s aware of.
Is this an accurate statement?

 

[7_Sorrows]

are you stating a fact or giving an opinion or is there a question involved?

 

[DavidFilmer]

It’s not possible to unintentionally commit a mortal sin if knowledge and consent is required.

With emphasis on the word “unintentionally,” this is absolutely true. We cannot commit mortal sin without knowing it.

The Church has NEVER taught that we can “accidentally” commit mortal sin (or that we can do so absent full knowledge AND consent).

You have correctly stated Catholic doctrine.

The “fly in the ointment” is that the Church (in the Council of Trent) ALSO teaches that nobody can know FOR SURE (in Church lingo, “with theological certainty”) if we are in a state of mortal sin. NOT EVEN WE know this “for sure” about ourselves. We have the ability to “justify” sins (even mortal sins) by making excuses for them (even if we make these excuses only to ourselves). This is one reason why the Church recommends frequent Confession.

 

[JRKH]

The problem here is that the OP does not include ALL that the Catechism says on this subject.
1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.

1860 Unintentional ignorance can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense. But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the conscience of every man. The promptings of feelings and passions can also diminish the voluntary and free character of the offense, as can external pressures or pathological disorders. Sin committed through malice, by deliberate choice of evil, is the gravest.
(Boldings mine)
Feigned ignorance - and hardness of heart…What could that be?
Could this not be the person who tries to justify their bad behavior? I’d say we see this quite often and in fact that all of us have been guilty of it as one time or another.
How often have we heard the idea of 'getting even"…or heard the “Golden rule” bastardized in something like “do unto others as they did unto you” or even worse 'Do unto others before they do it to you"?

Such people know it’s wrong yet they try to convince themselves it is not - - or not that it’s not really as bad as it is.
I believe that such people will be quite surprised at Judgement to learn just how serious their sins were.
May God have mercy on me for my own guilt in this.

Peace
James

 

[Lasting_faith]

I know I should not answer this one, but…

I think that some of us can be sure that they are in the state of grace, as The Church teach, but there are so many factors that can be change that state without our knowledge. I am not a “specialist” on Canon law nor the CCC, but I like to use my brains. So, and this did happen to me yesterday. I was walking and there was two beggars, we have a few here in Finland, sad to say, and I did check my pockets and find lose change, which is actually far from only change, it is my dayli bread usually, and I did give twenty cent’s to both of them. And now when I saw this post I did understand what I did. Yes, I gave them money but twenty cent will not get anyone far, the prices are insane here nowadays, and I did leave more to my self then I gave away. In my book that is a mortal sin. Can’t help thinking that way. I know it is not a OFFICIAL mortal sin, but to me it is.

It is impossible for anyone to write down everything that is wrong and sin, that is why we have guidelines to help us navigate between venial and mortal sins. So I believe firmly that one can commit a mortal sin without knowing it. And one thing we can’t forget, do The Church really know at this point all that is wrong? We tend to think so, but can we be sure that we really know? The famous “seven deadly sins” can be “ten” or more, some day. If we look back at the history of The RCC teachings have been the same, but with more and more knowledge there are updates, they don’t erase anything but do add a few new things. Some may say this is heresy, truth is, however, that as we grow older and [hopefully] wiser so those The RCC. God will not tell us all at the same time anymore, that we must accept, and that is why it so important to listen to God. He talk to us when we pray in silence, and if I can hear Him so can His Church.

 

[zz912]

Don’t undersell the power of the human desires to trick us into a false sense of security. We can fool ourselves into justifying many actions that are sinful.

So yes a mortal sin is a deliberate action. But don’t assume this means that we must deliberate on whether to sin or not for 20 minutes or more. A deliberate choice can be made very quickly. Especially if we have allowed our consciences to become clouded with a multitude of venial sins, or allow our consciences to become malformed.

 

[steve_b]

"1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent."131 "

It’s not possible to unintentionally commit a mortal sin if knowledge and consent is required. If this is true then a person does not really have to worry about dying and finding out he/she’s not in a state of grace, you would know it when you committed the sin. I’m not talking about OSAS, or knowing without a doubt you’re going to heaven, but a person who is faithfully trying to follow God’s will can have a reasonable expectation that he’s in a state of grace if he has not committed a mortal sin he’s aware of.
Is this an accurate statement?

That’s an accurate statement.

Scripture gives a few lists of grave (mortal) sins. We know they are mortal because of the consequence mentioned if one dies in them. Mortal sins aren’t hard to commit.

• Titus 3: 10 Reject a factious ([αἱρετικὸν (http://bibleapps.com/greek/141.htm) ) man after a first and second warning, 11knowing that such a man is )perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.
• Ephesians 5: 3-5 fornication, covetousness……5 Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure man, or one who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
• Hebrews 10:25-26 missing Eucharist deliberately on Sunday, no sacrifice for sin for THEM but a fiery judgement that consumes the adversaries of God.
• Hebrews 12: 16 - 17 immoraliy,( [πόρνος (http://bibleapps.com/greek/4205.htm) ) is selling your inheritance
• Galatians 5: 19 - 21 sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions ([διχοστασίαι (http://bibleapps.com/greek/1370.htm) ), factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, will not inherit heaven
• Romans 16:17… dividers ( [διχοστασίαι (http://bibleapps.com/greek/1370.htm) )don’t serve our Lord but themselves. Stay away from them. Satan will soon be crushed under your feet
• Colossians 3: 5-6 immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry, …rath of God is coming
• 1 Corinthians 6: 9 - 10 no sexually immoral ( [πόρνοι (http://bibleapps.com/greek/4205.htm) ), nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexual offenders ( [ἀρσενοκοῖται (http://bibleapps.com/greek/733.htm) )10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
• Matthew 15: 19 - 20 murder, adultery, false witness, slander…defile a man
• 2 Thes 1: 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power

Where do all these souls go who die in mortal sins? As scripture says…Hell

 

[Bookcat]

"1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent."131 "

It’s not possible to unintentionally commit a mortal sin if knowledge and consent is required. If this is true then a person does not really have to worry about dying and finding out he/she’s not in a state of grace, you would know it when you committed the sin. I’m not talking about OSAS, or knowing without a doubt you’re going to heaven, but a person who is faithfully trying to follow God’s will can have a reasonable expectation that he’s in a state of grace if he has not committed a mortal sin he’s aware of.
Is this an accurate statement?

We can have a kind of moral certainty…(but not absolute certainty).

But we must also bear in mind what St. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:4

and of course we have the “certainty of hope”.

And also looking to the words of St. Paul - we know he in whom we have believed!