I was just barely baptized, so I’ve never been to a confession before. I do have some Catholic friends, though, who have been to confession. A lot of them (and me) are pretty confused about some things. I tend to be pretty knowledgeable about Church matters, but this is one area where I am just about clueless. Maybe somebody else would know more about this…
I know in our oversexed culture it’s easy to fall prey to the sin of lust: entertaining impure thoughts or desires, masturbation, fornication, pornography, etc. All of these are considered grave matter, but many people fall into these sins on impulse, out of habit, or just because they don’t know any better (even Catholics).
Is it always considered mortally sinful for somebody to become guilty of these sins? And even if it’s not mortally sinful in a particular case, should the grave nature of the sin compel the penitent to go to Confession before receiving the Eucharist again?
For example, if I’m guilty of, say, viewing pornography and masturbating, but I did it without much thought (or perhaps just didn’t think it was wrong) at the time, am I required to confess this sin, even though it may not have been “mortal”? (My inclination is to say yes, but I have been told otherwise from Catholic friends. They think these are just minor foibles.)
Whether the sin is mortal or venial, there is no reason not to confess.
Here’s some guidance on mortal vs. venial sin that you may have seen elsewhere:
1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent."131
1858 Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: "Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother."132 The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger.
1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart133 do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.
1860 Unintentional ignorance can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense. But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the conscience of every man. The promptings of feelings and passions can also diminish the voluntary and free character of the offense, as can external pressures or pathological disorders. Sin committed through malice, by deliberate choice of evil, is the gravest.
1861 Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God’s forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ’s kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God.
1862 One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent.
I hope this helps.
