Question about temptation vs sin

[GratefulLeper]

I sometimes suffer from a bit of a scrupulous conscience. Sometimes it can be a good thing because it generally helps me to avoid certain sins because frankly I’m just afraid of committing them. I had a troublesome day today. Just one of those days. I was very tempted to commit a certain sin I hadn’t committed in several years. Rather than tell the whole story I’ll make an analogy…
If an alcoholic has been clean for several years, and he finds himself in a supermarket, the devil would not first tempt him to buy liquor from the liquor aisle. Rather, he would be first tempted to simply walk down the aisle and see what he could be enjoying. If he submit to that temptation, knowing that it could very well lead to much more, and he sees all the liquor, doesn’t do anything more than jus look at the liquor, and after a few seconds realizes he is in trouble, then runs out of the grocery store, I know he avoided the big sin of drinking (since he is an alcoholic) but did he commit a smaller sin? Or rather did he do a great job of resisting temptation? Or both? Thanks for your help.

 

[Reuben_J]

I sometimes suffer from a bit of a scrupulous conscience. Sometimes it can be a good thing because it generally helps me to avoid certain sins because frankly I’m just afraid of committing them. I had a troublesome day today. Just one of those days. I was very tempted to commit a certain sin I hadn’t committed in several years. Rather than tell the whole story I’ll make an analogy…
If an alcoholic has been clean for several years, and he finds himself in a supermarket, the devil would not first tempt him to buy liquor from the liquor aisle. Rather, he would be first tempted to simply walk down the aisle and see what he could be enjoying. If he submit to that temptation, knowing that it could very well lead to much more, and he sees all the liquor, doesn’t do anything more than jus look at the liquor, and after a few seconds realizes he is in trouble, then runs out of the grocery store, I know he avoided the big sin of drinking (since he is an alcoholic) but did he commit a smaller sin? Or rather did he do a great job of resisting temptation? Or both? Thanks for your help.

As I can’t be certain of your actual situation, your analogy however, does indicate of what we usually call ‘near occasion of sin’, which we are supposed to avoid as in the Act of Contrition, *“ … I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more, and to avoid the near occasion of sin." *

There are two types of occasions of sin: remote and near (or “proximate”). An occasion of sin is remote if the danger it poses is very slight or near if the danger is “certain and probable.”

An example of remote occasion of sin, if someone knows that he tends, once he starts drinking, to drink to the point of drunkenness, but he has no problem refraining from ordering the first drink, having dinner in a restaurant where alcohol is served might be a remote occasion of sin. We don’t have to avoid remote occasions of sin unless we think that may become something more.

Near occasions of sin however, is perhaps better exemplified in treating them as the moral equivalent of physical dangers. Just as we know we should stay alert when we’re walking through a bad part of town at night, we need to be aware of the moral threats around us.

We need to be honest about our own weaknesses and actively avoid situations in which we’re likely to give in to them.

In fact, repeatedly refusing to avoid the near occasion of sin can be a sin itself.

We aren’t allowed deliberately to put our soul in peril. If a parent forbids a child from walking on top of a high stone wall, for fear that he might hurt himself, yet the child does so anyway, the child has sinned, even if he doesn’t hurt himself.

We should treat near occasions of sin in the same way.

 

[GratefulLeper]

So in the example I posted, if the man is guilty of sin would it be venial or mortal? Thanks

 

[Monica4316]

I sometimes suffer from a bit of a scrupulous conscience. Sometimes it can be a good thing because it generally helps me to avoid certain sins because frankly I’m just afraid of committing them. I had a troublesome day today. Just one of those days. I was very tempted to commit a certain sin I hadn’t committed in several years. Rather than tell the whole story I’ll make an analogy…
If an alcoholic has been clean for several years, and he finds himself in a supermarket, the devil would not first tempt him to buy liquor from the liquor aisle. Rather, he would be first tempted to simply walk down the aisle and see what he could be enjoying. If he submit to that temptation, knowing that it could very well lead to much more, and he sees all the liquor, doesn’t do anything more than jus look at the liquor, and after a few seconds realizes he is in trouble, then runs out of the grocery store, I know he avoided the big sin of drinking (since he is an alcoholic) but did he commit a smaller sin? Or rather did he do a great job of resisting temptation? Or both? Thanks for your help.

I see what you mean, yes that would be a sin, but less serious than buying the liquour. (whether it’s mortal or venial I’d ask the priest, not here). It’s like putting oneself into an occasion of sin and a sin against prudence. It’s a similar sin as when people cause certain interior temptations to happen to them, rather than it just happening against their will, but then ultimately rejecting the idea. It’s still a sin but I’d ask the priest about the gravity

Putting oneself into a near occasion of sin can be a mortal sin if the temptation is towards something that would be a mortal sin, and the person is likely to fall into it through general human weakness or their own particular weakness. The amount of consent is important too in terms of putting yourself into that occasion… that’s why asking if it’s a mortal or venial sin is a better question for a confessor

 

[Reuben_J]

So in the example I posted, if the man is guilty of sin would it be venial or mortal? Thanks

You will get a more authorized answer for that question from your priest as you can discuss with him the factual details.

In principle, a sin can be venial or mortal. It is mortal if it fulfils its conditions of being: (1) grave matter, (2) full knowledge and (3) deliberate consent.

A similar circumstance may be dirty sinful thought. It is not a sin if one experiences it but knows that it is wrong and tries to overcome it by steering clear of it. It is a sin if one deliberately indulges in it. It can be venial and mortal too, depends on what it is.

Be encouraged that you are sincere in trying not to fall into sin remembering that God is a loving and forgiving God who knows us more than we know ourselves. Sometimes in His love and mercy, He may not be too legalistic with us.

God bless.