Mortal Sins and Hell

[Lynsey101]

I was hoping that somebody on here could help me understand something.

I believe (please correct me if I am wrong) that only the Saints are presumed to be in heaven. Why then, are people who die in a state of mortal sin presumed to be in Hell?

For example, if I were to miss mass for no good reason and die before confessing this sin I am going to go to hell according to the CCC (is that correct?) But with God anything is possible.

Somebody told me to read the diaries of St Faustina. Do you think that in the hour of our death we have a chance to recieve the mercy of christ? If we still refuse to seek this mercy in our state of sin (mortal or otherwise) and turn away from God would we then go to Hell?

I once read a post on these forums, I think it was from a C.S. Lewis story, that at the moment of death a man said to God, “So it was you all along!”. I do worry about the non-believers in my family. I like to think that people have the chance to see and really know God at the moment of death. If somebody doesnt THINK there is a God, surely that wouldn’t commit them to an eternal seperation from him.

 

[MarcoPolo]

I was hoping that somebody on here could help me understand something.

I believe (please correct me if I am wrong) that only the Saints are presumed to be in heaven. Why then, are people who die in a state of mortal sin presumed to be in Hell?

For example, if I were to miss mass for no good reason and die before confessing this sin I am going to go to hell according to the CCC (is that correct?) But with God anything is possible.

Somebody told me to read the diaries of St Faustina. Do you think that in the hour of our death we have a chance to recieve the mercy of christ? If we still refuse to seek this mercy in our state of sin (mortal or otherwise) and turn away from God would we then go to Hell?

I once read a post on these forums, I think it was from a C.S. Lewis story, that at the moment of death a man said to God, “So it was you all along!”. I do worry about the non-believers in my family. I like to think that people have the chance to see and really know God at the moment of death. If somebody doesnt THINK there is a God, surely that wouldn’t commit them to an eternal seperation from him.

If you committed a mortal sin, knowing it was a mortal sin and fully consented to the sin, and you did not repent of it, then you would go to hell. Christ offers you His mercy all the way until the hour of death indeed.

Now, it would be wise to pray for your family, but we cannot judge the state of their souls. A person is only culpable in accord with the grace they have received. What you can do is teach the faith charitably so that they do not have ignorance of Christ. And if there is obstinance or arguments all the time, often the best way to evangelize is simply by your holy example of how you live your life.

 

[pamnbam]

God knows our intentions, but that doesn’t excuse us from using good judgment. One can miss Mass and say, “Well, I’ll just go next week,” but it is really putting oneself ahead of God. What if there is no next week? In addition, deliberately putting duties off that are due to God makes us complacent. This is why venial sin often leads to mortal sin. In heaven, God comes first. If one can’t make the time for God here on earth, how can one do the same in heaven? In heaven, everything is perfect. How can many of us stand before God in the state that we’re in? There has to be a place where the just become purified to be able to stand before God–purgatory. Most of us will end up there on our way to heaven.

Hell is a place where people have chosen, through their actions, to spend eternity without God. If everything in heaven must be perfect, and there is no chance for that person in purgatory, it follows that there must also be a place for those to dwell apart from God.

But God is merciful. In the case of someone who doesn’t know God but lives a good life, it is possible for that person to still get to heaven. We all become Catholic when we die, because we encounter the complete truth. Try not to worry about the non-believers in your family; the best you can do is pray for them that they at least live a holy life, and let God do the rest.

 

[NFrancis]

For mortal sin there are three things that must occur:

1. The sin is grave or serious
2. It is committed with full consent
3. It is committed with full knowledge

So basically, the person has to know that they are committing a mortal sin and therefore siding with Satan and condemning themselves to eternal damnation without repentance. If they commit mortal sin they choose to go to Hell.

God is very merciful.

 

[Lynsey101]

So if a person was to miss Mass not KNOWING that it is a mortal sin, they would not necessarily go to Hell? I am still trying to understand my faith, and it wasn’t until last year that I learned about mortal and venial sin. There are people on this forum (including myself) who have been catholic all their lives but still have to ask “Is this a sin?” Can we be punished for something that we don’t know is wrong?

I was also wondering about Invincible Ignorance.

There are people who have heard of Jesus, but do not believe that he existed. Does this count as invinsible ignorance? If these people knew for sure 100% then perhaps they would live more Holy lives. I am not suggesting that God is obliged to provide us with proof. What about those who reject the Catholic Church because they don’t fully understand its teachings? I think that the Catholic faith is misunderstood by many, many people. Is this invincible ignorance?

I know many good people who don’t believe in God and I cannot help but worry for their souls.