J
Jack_245814
Guest
So I understand that there are “mortal sins” and “venial sins”: mortal sins are things that would cut you off entirely from God’s grace, like, say, murdering someone. You must repent for your mortal sins and take the sacrament of reconciliation to escape Hell. Venial sins are more minor sins - like, say, saying “god d*** it!” when you stub your toe.
I’m pretty sure the catechism says that it’s ultimately your moral conscience which tells you which sins are mortal and which are not. I can’t remember the exact number but I’m pretty sure I read that once (correct me if I’m wrong!)
I’m having trouble figuring out which sins are mortal and which aren’t though. For example, I got into a fairly heated fight with my mother - over something totally trivial of course; we both said hurtful things, but we made up within hours and it wasn’t a big deal. I mean, I gather that those fights are pretty common in any family. However, me saying hurtful things towards her was obviously breaking the commandment of God to “honor your father and mother”.
This was directly breaking one of God’s commandments, and I really do feel guilty for it; not guilty because of my mother so much, since we’re totally fine now, but guilty because I’m worried I was acting hatefully towards God. Obviously my conscience is telling me I broke God’s law - quite accurately of course; but does this make it a mortal sin? I feel guilty about a lot of things to be honest (I really think Catholic guilt is more than a baseless stereotype); I feel guilty when I overeat, I feel guilty when I judge somebody without getting to know them, I feel guilty when I feel pride over good grades in school or whatever . . . tons of things to feel guilty about that most people don’t even give a second thought.
I see this guilt as a blessing more than a curse, since it helps me improve myself. I don’t just feel guilty, I also try to do a small internal prayer for forgiveness, and try my best not to fall into the sin again. This has actually been working quite well: I curse much less than I used to, I smoke far fewer cigarettes than I used to, etc.
Should I go to confession for this incident with my mom, and other “grey-area” sins like it? It was really a stupid argument and neither of us said anything truly hateful. I’m just worried I’m cutting myself off from God’s grace without realizing it - and receiving communion to boot! I’m not sure if I trust my own conscience enough to tell me when I’ve committed a mortal sin and when I haven’t: I feel guilt for all of my sins, and while I obviously feel more guilty for some things than other, I’m having trouble finding that “line”.
I’m pretty sure the catechism says that it’s ultimately your moral conscience which tells you which sins are mortal and which are not. I can’t remember the exact number but I’m pretty sure I read that once (correct me if I’m wrong!)
I’m having trouble figuring out which sins are mortal and which aren’t though. For example, I got into a fairly heated fight with my mother - over something totally trivial of course; we both said hurtful things, but we made up within hours and it wasn’t a big deal. I mean, I gather that those fights are pretty common in any family. However, me saying hurtful things towards her was obviously breaking the commandment of God to “honor your father and mother”.
This was directly breaking one of God’s commandments, and I really do feel guilty for it; not guilty because of my mother so much, since we’re totally fine now, but guilty because I’m worried I was acting hatefully towards God. Obviously my conscience is telling me I broke God’s law - quite accurately of course; but does this make it a mortal sin? I feel guilty about a lot of things to be honest (I really think Catholic guilt is more than a baseless stereotype); I feel guilty when I overeat, I feel guilty when I judge somebody without getting to know them, I feel guilty when I feel pride over good grades in school or whatever . . . tons of things to feel guilty about that most people don’t even give a second thought.
I see this guilt as a blessing more than a curse, since it helps me improve myself. I don’t just feel guilty, I also try to do a small internal prayer for forgiveness, and try my best not to fall into the sin again. This has actually been working quite well: I curse much less than I used to, I smoke far fewer cigarettes than I used to, etc.
Should I go to confession for this incident with my mom, and other “grey-area” sins like it? It was really a stupid argument and neither of us said anything truly hateful. I’m just worried I’m cutting myself off from God’s grace without realizing it - and receiving communion to boot! I’m not sure if I trust my own conscience enough to tell me when I’ve committed a mortal sin and when I haven’t: I feel guilt for all of my sins, and while I obviously feel more guilty for some things than other, I’m having trouble finding that “line”.