Near occasion of sin

[veryworried6277]

Alright so I have a couple of questions.

Is the near ocassion of sin a sin or not?

There was a situation where I believed what I was doing was ok, it did come across my mind that it ‘may’ have been a near occasion of sin but I thought I was just being scrupulous so I just ignored it. I still don’t understand the whole concept of ‘near occasion of sin’ but do you think I did the right thing in ignoring the scrupulous thoughts?

Is it always a mortal sin? What would you suggest I do if I am unsure? I believe I did not have full knowledge. I also am not sure whether the situation was a near occasion of sin at all. I am not really comfortable discussing the situation, but it is the sin of lust. I had no intention of sinning as I had just been to confession and mass.

 

[Highwayhound]

Alright so I have a couple of questions.

Is the near ocassion of sin a sin or not?

There was a situation where I believed what I was doing was ok, it did come across my mind that it ‘may’ have been a near occasion of sin but I thought I was just being scrupulous so I just ignored it. I still don’t understand the whole concept of ‘near occasion of sin’ but do you think I did the right thing in ignoring the scrupulous thoughts?

Is it always a mortal sin? What would you suggest I do if I am unsure? I believe I did not have full knowledge. I also am not sure whether the situation was a near occasion of sin at all. I am not really comfortable discussing the situation, but it is the sin of lust. I had no intention of sinning as I had just been to confession and mass.

Man is between God and nothingness and he must choose. All the choices we make in a day lead us somewhere. Which way do we go? From your brief description it seems you are choosing to move towards God. That is good because when any of us move towards God we move away from nothingness. Also, you express humility in admitting you are a sinner and one can never go wrong with that approach. Without knowing more it seems you have your ducks in a row.

God bless

 

[Moserklj]

I too find myself suffering from scruples from time-to-time, so I can understand your worry.

First, you need to make sure to find a good priest who is capable of dealing with scrupulous Catholics so that you can discuss this issue ultimately with him, if you have not already done so. This is the most important step in overcoming scrupulosity.

Second, we are obligated to avoid all occasions of sin (as we promise to do in the act of contrition), as I am sure you are well aware. If you struggle with lust, and find yourself in a situation conducive to lust, then you must remove yourself from the situation. The same principle applies to an alcoholic. If he or she goes to a party that is serving alcohol, and even if he or she did not know beforehand that alcohol was going to be served, must leave because they have entered a near occasion of sin.

However, because I don’t have all the details the question is hard to answer. Regardless, my advice is to please seek the aid of a priest who can help you work through your scruples.

God bless you.

 

[veryworried6277]

Man is between God and nothingness and he must choose. All the choices we make in a day lead us somewhere. Which way do we go? From your brief description it seems you are choosing to move towards God. That is good because when any of us move towards God we move away from nothingness. Also, you express humility in admitting you are a sinner and one can never go wrong with that approach. Without knowing more it seems you have your ducks in a row.

God bless

I mean I didn’t mean to offend God. I just kept thinking ‘you’re being scrupulous’. I think I am overreacting.

Would you say I would most likely be able to receive communion without going to confession first? After all the fact that I’m not sure means it can’t be of grave matter, right?

 

[veryworried6277]

I too find myself suffering from scruples from time-to-time, so I can understand your worry.

First, you need to make sure to find a good priest who is capable of dealing with scrupulous Catholics so that you can discuss this issue ultimately with him, if you have not already done so. This is the most important step in overcoming scrupulosity.

Second, we are obligated to avoid all occasions of sin (as we promise to do in the act of contrition), as I am sure you are well aware. If you struggle with lust, and find yourself in a situation conducive to lust, then you must remove yourself from the situation. The same principle applies to an alcoholic. If he or she goes to a party that is serving alcohol, and even if he or she did not know beforehand that alcohol was going to be served, must leave because they have entered a near occasion of sin.

However, because I don’t have all the details the question is hard to answer. Regardless, my advice is to please seek the aid of a priest who can help you work through your scruples.

God bless you.

Thanks, I have a priest who is aware of my situation with scrupulosity. However I went to confession just today so I’d feel stupid going back tomorrow or the next day for something I don’t even know is a sin or not

 

[Moserklj]

Honestly, without any detail beyond what you have given it is impossible to say whether or not you have committed sin. If you would be willing to give more detail, or an analogy of the situation and what you did, then I would be able to maybe help a little.

Even without the detail though, frequent confession is only helpful, as long as it is not viewed as a burden or within the context of an overly scrupulous individual.

Would you be willing to give a little more detail? (i.e. vaguely what the situation that you found yourself in was like or what you did within that situation?)

 

[veryworried6277]

Honestly, without any detail beyond what you have given it is impossible to say whether or not you have committed sin. If you would be willing to give more detail, or an analogy of the situation and what you did, then I would be able to maybe help a little.

Even without the detail though, frequent confession is only helpful, as long as it is not viewed as a burden or within the context of an overly scrupulous individual.

Would you be willing to give a little more detail? (i.e. vaguely what the situation that you found yourself in was like or what you did within that situation?)

Well it’s really hard to explain, I’ll try to use a similar example to what happened.

Just say someone finds themselves falling into temptation quite a lot when they take a shower. Now he always tries to be as quick as he can to avoid the sin of lust. One day he finds something interesting in his groin area and spends a few minutes ‘investigating’ it.

This is as good as I could do. But would that guy be putting himself in a near ocassion of sin by checking this thing out? Does it make a difference as to whether or not he knows what it is, but still ‘checks it out’ anyway?

So basically this guy gets tempted when he has a shower, so if he spends longer in that situation (by checking this thing out), is this sinful?

Hope it makes sense

 

[Highwayhound]

I mean I didn’t mean to offend God. I just kept thinking ‘you’re being scrupulous’. I think I am overreacting.

Would you say I would most likely be able to receive communion without going to confession first? After all the fact that I’m not sure means it can’t be of grave matter, right?

It seems to be overreacting. If you have a doubt spiffy up your soul with confession first. I always tell my students confession straightens things up so they can feel a clean soul. This puts the sacrament in a positive light because often my young friends tend to be afraid of the confessional.

God bless

 

[veryworried6277]

It seems to be overreacting. If you have a doubt spiffy up your soul with confession first. I always tell my students confession straightens things up so they can feel a clean soul. This puts the sacrament in a positive light because often my young friends tend to be afraid of the confessional.

God bless

I think confession is a womderful sacrament. However I’d rather not go back the next day; especially without knowing if I had committed a sin or I was just anxious.

 

[Moserklj]

From my understanding, I would say that no sin was committed in the scenario that you laid out. As long as lustful thoughts were not consented to or intended and no actions were taken to consent to lustful desires, and the individual removed himself from the situation, then confession wouldn’t seem to be necessary.

It is important to remember that some occasions of sin are unavoidable (like taking a shower, as you mention), however we must move as quickly as possible through the situation and make sure to pray without ceasing. “Checking something out”, as you describe, would not be a sin as long as that action didn’t develop into something else. It is impossible to avoid all immoral thoughts and most of us have them, but we have to do our best to push them out of our minds.

However, if you feel very worried then go to confession and explain the situation. If the priest feels that you are being scrupulous, then he will hopefully instruct you accordingly. Never be apprehensive about utilizing the sacrament of confession. Many Saints were charged by their confessors for using confession “too much”!

Does that help at all?

 

[R_C]

Ok, full knowledge If you are not sure that something is a mortal sin, you may lack full knowledge and that may make it a venial sin. Furthermore temptations and situations that happen before our eyes without our intention being moved to look for them may also lack the “deliberate consent” that is a characteristic of mortal sin.

My advice: don’t worry too much, the Holy Spirit is actually very kind and forgiving, and you will not be deprived of sanctifying grace unfairly. However, since humbleness is one of the top virtues of a Christian, if something inside you tells you that you lost sanctifying grace, simply confess before Mass on the weekend (or earlier, if you get a chance ).

Remember: we are required to confess mortal sins, but the Sacrament of Reconciliation is not reserved exclusively for mortal sins! We can (and should, given the great benefits) confess often, including venial sins, imperfections, and vices, though these don’t prevent us from receiving the Holy Eucharist, because God will forgive us with a more powerful act that will increase sanctifying grace and strengthen us against the specific things we confessed.

Intention, ultimately, is what matters. Try to always keep your mind focused on chastity and purity, something that can begin by developing a nice and persistent devotion to the Blessed Virgin Pray to her often for chastity and purity, and pray before an icon or statue, that her pristine beauty may enter your soul and purify it from all stain of lust. And she will help you, trust me