Not genuflecting: Mortal Sin?

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Is it a mortal sin to not genuflect whenever you pass by a tabernacle?
 
I don’t know about a mortal sin, but its not respectful thats for sure
 
I cannot see how this could possibly be a mortal sin. I can’t even see how this could be a sin.

It is respectful to genuflect, but I can’t see how failing to do so can be considered a sin.

That would bring us back to the something akin to The Law of the Old Testament whereby you have to complete certain actions etc. I really don’t think that St Paul wanted us to go back down that road.
 
No, its not a sin at all. Its rude and indifferent, but not a sin. Some folks bow and some nod their head and some say an interior - yo, Lord - so glad to be here with You. Sadly, some just ignore Him.

Remember, when we leave Church God is still with us and we should have an interior posture of reverence, thanks and ever-continuing conversion/turning towards Him. But few if any of us ever live up to that standard.
 
Very unlikely to be a mortal sin, it all dependa on the reasons for the lack of genuflection. If it was a denial of the Real Presenc eor a deliberate mark of disrespect then it could quite likely be sinful to some degree.
 
no but its disrespectful. I am a lector now at my church and the other lector a person in their 50s suggested to me that “nobody genuflects anymore” and told them, I still do and got a look like how dare you.
Inquiringperson said:
Is it a mortal sin to not genuflect whenever you pass by a tabernacle?
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Inquiringperson said:
Is it a mortal sin to not genuflect whenever you pass by a tabernacle?
Click to expand...
A mortal sin needs to have all three qualities:
Code: 
Grave matter.
Full knowledge
Full consent.
AS others have said, the reason for not genuflecting is important. Is a reflective bow okay? What about people who have physical limitations? I’ve seen genuflect in a “general direction” where they think the tabernacle is and there is none, or do so while engaged with conversation with teh person with them. Is that okay? Hmmmm…?

Also, who told you it was a mortal sin? Where did you get this idea from?

Looking at your past posts you seem to be asking a lot of questions about mortal sin. I think speaking to your parish priest or confessor about this would put your mind at ease.
 
Inquiringperson said:
Is it a mortal sin to not genuflect whenever you pass by a tabernacle?
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Not a mortal sin, but could be venial depending on the reasons for you not to genuflect.

However, if you don’t genuflect out of contempt for the Sacrament, it is definitely mortal if done with full knowledge and consent.
 
Inquiringperson, you didn’t by any chance get this idea of it being a mortal sin from things posted online?

I too once had a concern about a particular issue, which according to stuff posted online, was a mortal sin. That caused my a lot of worry. A chat with a priest at confession put my mind at rest on that matter, which I was assured was either a venial sin, or perhaps even none at all, depending on my intent.

have a chat with a priest in confession to put your mind at rest. If you went by some of the stuff posted by a lot of people online, almost everything seems to be a mortal sin and we’re all doomed to Hell as a result.
 
Contrary to popular opinion, Catholicism is not a list of rules that must be obeyed. We do an examination of conscience precisely to determine not only whether we’ve violated precepts of the Church and the Commandments of God, we also determine our motives, state of mind, and thoughts and attitudes. That requires work, a lot of intellectual work. So you probably are not going to find one centralized official “laundry list” of mortal sin from any reliable source. There is plenty of bad information, some of which panders to excess scrupulosity (a form of obsessive-compulsiveness,) on the internet, including (in a few cases) from links on this site.

Catholicism has a rich intellectual tradition, which makes perfect sense. People frequently quote Jesus’ parables about sheep to try to demonstrate lack of thought: Not so! If you will recall one of His parables about sheep, His sheep know Him and follow Him as a result. Even the sheep, it seems, can think on some level. How much more so ought human beings, to whom God has given intellect, will, and emotion in His image and likeness?

As Catholics, we are required to continue to educate ourselves. Even the casual cultural Catholic would agree that it is best to get one’s information from an official source rather than a website of an individual or non-official organization which may have their own agenda that they are trying to promote. And don’t necessarily count on your parish priest to be all that educated on some of the finer points. Most are, but most are also extremely busy running consolidated parishes, trying to get ministry done, and saying Mass and administering the sacraments.

How about reading more about mortal sin from an official source–the online catechism of the Catholic Church published by the US CCB?

Here’s the link to the Church’s teachings about mortal sin:

usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm

The articles should all appear as clickable links.

You might wish to study those and then determine whether failure to genuflect is even a sin at all. After you read and think about the answers, then give your parish priest a call and ask him, or better yet, e-mail him so he can answer when he has time. If not genuflecting is even a sin, you will be doing him a great charitable favor by researching it yourself and then e-mailing him and waiting for a response.
 
We genuflect in honor of Jesus who is present in the tabernacle. Failure to genuflect denies His presence and is blasphemous.
 
Truth be told guys, I was wondering if not genuflecting was grave matter or not. That’s why I asked. So I’m guessing not genuflecting when you are able to because you are lazy is venial, right?
 
Inquiringperson said:
Truth be told guys, I was wondering if not genuflecting was grave matter or not. That’s why I asked. So I’m guessing not genuflecting when you are able to because you are lazy is venial, right?
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If it is even a sin at all. If you forget, I’d say it’s not a sin. If you were going to genuflect, but thought, “I’m in too much of a hurry” or “I can’t be bothered” then I might count that as venial. I can’t see how it could be a mortal sin unless by doing so you were intending to be deliberately blasphemous.

Is not blessing yourself with Holy water, entering or leaving the church a sin? Is arriving at Mass 5 minutes late a sin? Is not paying attention during the one of the readings a sin? Is not joining in with the hymns a sin? There are lots of things that are the right things to do, but not doing them doesn’t necessarily mean you are sinning.

Talk to your priest in confession about it. He’s in a better position to give you advice than anyone who posts online.
 
Inquiringperson said:
Truth be told guys, I was wondering if not genuflecting was grave matter or not. That’s why I asked. So I’m guessing not genuflecting when you are able to because you are lazy is venial, right?
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You should go back and read Odile’s post about the fact that we are to use our God-given intellect, reason, common sense and reliable resources such as the Catechism or the USCCB website rather than looking a laundry list of everything and anything.

As Oduile says we have a responsibility to educate ourselves and utilize official, authorative sites:

"As Catholics, we are required to continue to educate ourselves. Even the casual cultural Catholic would agree that it is best to get one’s information from an official source rather than a website of an individual or non-official organization which may have their own agenda that they are trying to promote. "

I could not agree with more, and I think it will bring you the peace of mind you are seeking, rather than looking for “gotcha’s” to trip up your faith journey when they do not exist. There are enough real ones out there, you don’t need to go out and “create” ones.
 
MtnDwellar said:
We genuflect in honor of Jesus who is present in the tabernacle. Failure to genuflect denies His presence and is blasphemous.
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The first sentence is absolutely correct. The second sentence is quite presumptuous, and, in some cases, is slanderous. I am Eastern Catholic, and genuflecting is not part of our tradition. I do not genuflect when attending Roman Catholic Mass, either, but I certainly do not deny the presence of Christ in the tabernacle. I hardly think my failure to genuflect is a matter of blasphemy. Neither do I think it is a matter of blasphemy for a number of other reasons that people fail to genuflect.
 
RyanBlack said:
The first sentence is absolutely correct. The second sentence is quite presumptuous, and, in some cases, is slanderous. I am Eastern Catholic, and genuflecting is not part of our tradition. I do not genuflect when attending Roman Catholic Mass, either, but I certainly do not deny the presence of Christ in the tabernacle. I hardly think my failure to genuflect is a matter of blasphemy. Neither do I think it is a matter of blasphemy for a number of other reasons that people fail to genuflect.
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True, there are many reasons why people do not genuflect. Some reasons are physical, some are simply ignorance. I know priests who don’t genuflect when passing the tabernacle. In no way does it deny the real presence.
 
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