Prayer in a state of mortal sin

[Scirocco]

Short answer: Prayers in a state of mortal sin are not only not heard, but they’re actually “detestable”. Consider this scripture:

“God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.” - John 9:31

“It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.” - Isaiah 59:2

“God detests the prayers of a person who ignores the law.” - Proverbs 28:9

“The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous.” - Proverbs 15:29

“The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.” - 1 Peter 3:12

So if I did a mortal sin and if I pray for forgiveness and mercy, I will still be ignored?

 

[Miriam1947]

So if I did a mortal sin and if I pray for forgiveness and mercy, I will still be ignored?

I don’t know the answer to that question. Jesus railed against the Pharisees. Legalism can push us away from the mercy of God.

Pray anyway.

 

[lexmil]

To those still in doubt, here’s what St. Louis de Montfort said:

To say the Holy Rosary to advantage one must be in a state of grace or at the very least be fully determined to give up mortal sin. This we know because all our theology teaches us that good works and prayers are only dead works if they are done in a state of mortal sin. Therefore they can neither be pleasing to God nor help us gain eternal life. This is why Ecclesiastes says: “Praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner.” [Eccl. 15:9] Praise of God and the salutation of the Angel and the very Prayer of Jesus Christ are not pleasing to God when they are said by unrepentant sinners.

Our Lord said: “This people honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” [Mark 7:6] It is as though He was saying: “Those who join My Confraternity and say their Rosary every day (even perhaps the fifteen decades), but without being sorry for their sins offer Me lip service only and their hearts are far from Me.”

catholictradition.org/Classics/secret-rosary41.htm

So if you committed mortal sin, seek reconciliation with God through a genuine prayer of contrition and go to confession. No other prayer matters to God when in a state of mortal sin.

 

[Scirocco]

To those still in doubt, here’s what St. Louis de Montfort said:

To say the Holy Rosary to advantage one must be in a state of grace or at the very least be fully determined to give up mortal sin. This we know because all our theology teaches us that good works and prayers are only dead works if they are done in a state of mortal sin. Therefore they can neither be pleasing to God nor help us gain eternal life. This is why Ecclesiastes says: “Praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner.” [Eccl. 15:9] Praise of God and the salutation of the Angel and the very Prayer of Jesus Christ are not pleasing to God when they are said by unrepentant sinners.

Our Lord said: “This people honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” [Mark 7:6] It is as though He was saying: “Those who join My Confraternity and say their Rosary every day (even perhaps the fifteen decades), but without being sorry for their sins offer Me lip service only and their hearts are far from Me.”

catholictradition.org/Classics/secret-rosary41.htm

How about the Act of Contrition other than the Rosary?

 

[lexmil]

How about the Act of Contrition other than the Rosary?

That’s about the only prayer that matters when in a state of mortal sin. Just be sure it is said with genuine remorse and a contrite heart with a supplication to return to sanctifying grace through an honest confession as soon as you can.

 

[Scirocco]

That’s about the only prayer that matters when in a state of mortal sin. Just be sure it is said with genuine remorse and a contrite heart with a supplication to return to sanctifying grace through an honest confession as soon as you can.

Lex, Is feeling remorse before a confession a prerequisite? A few days ago I felt a lot of remorse thinking about the past things I did and did not do, even burst into tears every night. And now that I’m feeling okay today, do I have to undergo a feeling of being depressed again just to tell all my sins to my confessor? I don’t know, I might lose my sanity and its not a pretty thing.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe a person should go into a confession with a happy-go-lucky attitude as if he’s taking a friend to a pub. I frown upon people like that.

Oh and sorry for being off-topic.

 

[Oren]

Yeah, the only prayer worth anything is to feel repentant and want to go to confession if you are in a state of mortal sin. I was always in the habit of not praying when in mortal sin and only looking forward to confession. My friend told me this was wrong and that this was my problem spiritually. But, no, if you are in mortal sin God does not hear your prayers unless you are trying to say an act of perfect contrition or the prayer of wanting to go to confession.

 

[lexmil]

Lex, Is feeling remorse before a confession a prerequisite? A few days ago I felt a lot of remorse thinking about the past things I did and did not do, even burst into tears every night. And now that I’m feeling okay today, do I have to undergo a feeling of being depressed again just to tell all my sins to my confessor? I don’t know, I might lose my sanity and its not a pretty thing.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe a person should go into a confession with a happy-go-lucky attitude as if he’s taking a friend to a pub. I frown upon people like that.

Oh and sorry for being off-topic.

Genuine remorse must precede your confession which you have shown and God sees through your heart. I realize it can be depressing to go through the same feeling once you find the occasion to take the sacrament of penance. But I believe the graces you will get in confession will more than compensate for any of that depression and you will come out like a newly baptized person after a full and honest confession. The pain of remorse is always strongest the first time you recognize your error and grieve for it. The next time around when you confess those sins, the remorse can still sting, but not on the same level. I have gone through the same experience, crying my heart out in lamentation for a wrong I did. And when confession comes, there would still be tears, but I am comforted in the thought that I am getting absolution.

 

[Miriam1947]

Yeah, the only prayer worth anything is to feel repentant and want to go to confession if you are in a state of mortal sin. I was always in the habit of not praying when in mortal sin and only looking forward to confession. My friend told me this was wrong and that this was my problem spiritually. But, no, if you are in mortal sin God does not hear your prayers unless you are trying to say an act of perfect contrition or the prayer of wanting to go to confession.

And we know this how?

 

[lexmil]

And we know this how?

“It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.” - Isaiah 59:2

Indeed, by knowingly incurring mortal sins, you have shut yourself from God. God will listen to a contrite heart begging to return to Sanctifying Grace. That is the only prayer God will listen to and act. It gets worse when you remain unrepentant.

“God detests the prayers of a person who ignores the law.” - Proverbs 28:9

“The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous.” - Proverbs 15:29

Prayers from unrepentant mortal sinners are not only heard, but are detestable and blaspheme His Name. It is quite clear. Sinners cannot have the same privilege in the eyes and ears of God as people who are in the state of Sanctifying Grace. I repeat, the only prayers by mortal sinners that matter to God are prayers of genuine contrition with a supplication to have the courage to go to confession.