Mortal sins, log-in-eye

[PeterJohn]

St Paul calls mortal sins grave. And Christ calls his grace, life. Are they opposite? If I see death in my brothers or sisters, how do I remind them of their catholic vows to reject satan? To be more Specific my Brother lives with his long time gifdiend and smokes pot. My sister is married and used contraception. They are both church going Catholics, and both receive Holy Communion. I am a sinner. I make no claim to not be. But aren’t we all? Do I tell my family of the splinters in their eyes or forget it for the sake of the log in mine?

Please pray for us. God Bless.

 

[Contra_Mundum_1]

I think most of us struggle with this one.

There is a difference between judging the state of one’s soul and judging one’s actions. The brother cohabits and lives in mortal sin. That is objective reality and by being aware of that reality you are not necessarily judging his soul. (You might be, but you shouldn’t.) His sin exists regardless of you .

I believe that in situations when we know for sure people are in mortal sin and taking communion, we should say something. Of course, they might not listen, but that is not under our control.

 

[JRKH]

PeterJohn,
These are difficult things to deal with and I am nto the best person to give advice here…For I have had some considerable “Logs” in my eyes over the years as well.

The first thing I would say to you is that nothing you say will be effective if they are not ready to hear it. So begin by being a good listener. Talking with them about what is happening in their lives etc and offering good, sound, loving, Christian advice and (name removed by moderator)ut on whatever matter is under discussion. This builds trust and makes sure that they do not see you as judgmental.

Second - Pray (of course) that the Holy Spirit enlighten you to know what to say when various issues come up. Again, this will lead you to offer good advice and (name removed by moderator)ut without seeming judgmental.

Third - be patient. If and when touchy subjects come up, whether in general or more specific, do not be afraid to speak clearly, but in charity, in support of the teachings of the Church. But be sure that they understand that you uphold their right of conscience to act as they see best. Again - this is a matter of keeping lines of communication open.

Then - as these things help you and them to grow closer you will gain greater insights into why they have chosen the paths they have. You will be able to offer them insights, reading material and other things that will help them to more fully and correctly form their conscience.

Remember though that you cannot “push” them. You can only “draw” them toward a more perfect union with God. This is why Jesus tells us to look to our own “Log” first.

I sincerely hope this is, in some small way, helpful.

Peace
James

 

[Luvtosew]

Since your brother is committing pre marital sexual sin , its a sin for him to receive communion and you need to tell him that (not to receive communion) . Also he is not repentant for living in sin, so him just going to confession is to no avail , unless he plans to get married or not have sex.
He may not be aware he is not to receive communion. The most you can do besides that is pray for them.

 

[PeterJohn]

I first would like to thank you guys for your time and wonderfull wisdom and advice.
I was afraid this was going to be tricky. He is my little brother whom I love and so I will pray for him. And if the situation arises I will try to talk with him I guess. I was afraid of this lol. I was hoping someone would have said “your a sinner too, keep your mouth shut” God bless and thank you.

 

[JRKH]

I first would like to thank you guys for your time and wonderfull wisdom and advice.
I was afraid this was going to be tricky. He is my little brother whom I love and so I will pray for him. And if the situation arises I will try to talk with him I guess. I was afraid of this lol. I was hoping someone would have said “your a sinner too, keep your mouth shut” God bless and thank you.

This is a really interesting comment…For some reason it made me think of AA…alcoholics who are helping other alcoholics…BUT they have to want to be helped.

Thinking on how that works might help you put your situation into perspective as well.
Yes you are a sinner - or a “reformed” sinner…(though not perfect right??)
You brother is also a sinner, but is he ready to reform???
This limits how much help you can be to him.
It doesn’t mean that you support his sin, or that you “keep your mouth shut”.
It just means that your careful and charitable in how you approach the matter.

Peace
James