Reconciliation

[coolguy56]

Hello,
I have recently come back to the Church. Yesterday I received the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Today, however, I stole approximately $10 from my brother. I told him and asked God for his forgiveness. Is it necessary to immediately confess a mortal sin or can I wait another week (I go weekly)?

 

[Graceful_Lamb]

Hello,
I have recently come back to the Church. Yesterday I received the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Today, however, I stole approximately $10 from my brother. I told him and asked God for his forgiveness. Is it necessary to immediately confess a mortal sin or can I wait another week (I go weekly)?

I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want to go to Confession right away.

 

[Rbaker]

Yeah I would definitely go to confession as soon as possible. I know that personally after committing a mortal sin, I feel extremely guilty until I go to confession.

 

[Billy112]

If it meets all three criteria for mortal sin (grave matter, full knowledge of the gravity of the action[even if you thought it was grave at the time and it does not turn out to be so bad looking back], and free and full consent to it), then you do not want to stay in mortal sin for any period of time. Good for you for returning the money and apologizing, though. Someone else will have to explain the Act of Contrition to you, but at least ask the Lord to grant you the grace of full contrition (as in sorrow for having offended Him and not only because of fear of Hell), say the Act of Contrition and go at your usual time if there’s no alternative. Go as soon as you can if there is no block, though. I’ve waited a long time to confess before and it is not good for you. You’re in my prayers.

 

[Gertabelle]

I’m not sure that stealing $10 would constitute grave matter. I mean, it’s a slimy thing to do, but unless the loss of that money caused your brother grave harm (or you stole the money with the intention of causing him serious injury), stealing it wouldn’t be grave matter.

Did that $10 keep him from having food for the week? Was he unable to pay his rent/mortgage, or purchase required books/materials for college? Was he unable to buy gas for his car, which kept him from getting to work, which caused him to lose his job? These would be just a few examples of how stealing would be grave matter.

Keep in mind, stealing that money is still a slimy thing to do to your brother. But that doesn’t make it a mortal sin.

Gertie

 

[Rbaker]

I’m not sure that stealing $10 would constitute grave matter. I mean, it’s a slimy thing to do, but unless the loss of that money caused your brother grave harm (or you stole the money with the intention of causing him serious injury), stealing it wouldn’t be grave matter.

Did that $10 keep him from having food for the week? Was he unable to pay his rent/mortgage, or purchase required books/materials for college? Was he unable to buy gas for his car, which kept him from getting to work, which caused him to lose his job? These would be just a few examples of how stealing would be grave matter.

Keep in mind, stealing that money is still a slimy thing to do to your brother. But that doesn’t make it a mortal sin.

Gertie

I don’t think this is correct. Here is a counter example. Let’s say that he stole $100,000 from a multi millionaire. Now, just as you stated above, this probably would not cause this person to be unable to survive or pay for expenses, but it is still wrong. Just because it is only $10 doesn’t mean that is isn’t a mortal sin. It breaks one of the 10 commandments.

 

[Catholic1954]

Hello,
I have recently come back to the Church. Yesterday I received the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Today, however, I stole approximately $10 from my brother. I told him and asked God for his forgiveness. Is it necessary to immediately confess a mortal sin or can I wait another week (I go weekly)?

Stealing 10 dollars from your brother is not a mortal sin, but you should bring it up the next time you go to confession.

 

[SecretGarden]

I agree with the others that Its important confess to a priest but I believe you should also seek forgiveness from your brother. I also recommend that you pay your brother back with interest. Stealing is stealing and confessing to a priest without being accountable for one’s actions is also problematic.

 

[ServusHumilis]

Welcome home to the Church! First off please call the Sacrament what it is; Confession. None of this “reconciliation” business! And yes you do need to go back. “Thou shall not steal” is one of the ten commandments so stealing is a mortal sin and requires the Sacrament of Confession to be forgiven. It’s best to go as soon as possible as to not allow “the mold to grow,” as a confessor once told me.

Stealing 10 dollars from your brother is not a mortal sin, but you should bring it up the next time you go to confession.

I used to confess “stealing” cigarettes from my parents. “Thou shall not steal” is pretty clear. Stealing is stealing.

 

[thistle]

I’m not sure that stealing $10 would constitute grave matter. I mean, it’s a slimy thing to do, but unless the loss of that money caused your brother grave harm (or you stole the money with the intention of causing him serious injury), stealing it wouldn’t be grave matter.

Did that $10 keep him from having food for the week? Was he unable to pay his rent/mortgage, or purchase required books/materials for college? Was he unable to buy gas for his car, which kept him from getting to work, which caused him to lose his job? These would be just a few examples of how stealing would be grave matter.

Keep in mind, stealing that money is still a slimy thing to do to your brother. But that doesn’t make it a mortal sin.

Gertie

I totally disagree with your position regarding theft. No matter what the amount is it should be condemned and the thief should immediately go to Confession. We should not look for get out of jail cards by trivialising the sin because of the sum of money being small.

Look at the Church teaching and tell me where it says it is not grave matter because it is only 10 dollars!

CCC 2408 The seventh commandment forbids theft, that is, usurping another’s property against the reasonable will of the owner. There is no theft if consent can be presumed or if refusal is contrary to reason and the universal destination of goods. This is the case in obvious and urgent necessity when the only way to provide for immediate, essential needs (food, shelter, clothing . . .) is to put at one’s disposal and use the property of others.

 

[LaughingBoy1503]

Stealing is stealing, okay. But what else can constitute stealing? If I take a break at work when I am not supposed to for 10 minuets, is that stealing from my employer? After all, I will get paid for that 10 minuets even though I did not work. What if a boss (but not the owner) of the company gives me a extra hour on my timecard (very common in construction) do I argue with him about it because it would be a mortal sin to accept it or do I get accept it? If someone is on unemployment and are required to go job searching 3 times a week but they only go 2 times and still collect, are they stealing?

It is not always as black and white as people make it out to be.

 

[Gertabelle]

I totally disagree with your position regarding theft. No matter what the amount is it should be condemned and the thief should immediately go to Confession. We should not look for get out of jail cards by trivialising the sin because of the sum of money being small.

Look at the Church teaching and tell me where it says it is not grave matter because it is only 10 dollars!

CCC 2408 The seventh commandment forbids theft, that is, usurping another’s property against the reasonable will of the owner. There is no theft if consent can be presumed or if refusal is contrary to reason and the universal destination of goods. This is the case in obvious and urgent necessity when the only way to provide for immediate, essential needs (food, shelter, clothing . . .) is to put at one’s disposal and use the property of others.

Consider this from the Catechsim of the Catholic Church:

2413 Games of chance (card games, etc.) or wagers are not in themselves contrary to justice. They become morally unacceptable when they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and those of others. The passion for gambling risks becoming an enslavement. Unfair wagers and cheating at games constitute grave matter, unless the damage inflicted is so slight that the one who suffers it cannot reasonably consider it significant.

“Unfair wagers” means stealing (this paragraph comes from the section on the seventh commandment). Sometimes the amount/impact DOES influence whether or not stealing is grave matter. And no grave matter = no mortal sin.

Gertie

 

[coolguy56]

For the record I did pay him back double. That’s how I operate

 

[chesterlab]

Give him the $10 back and go confess to the priest.

 

[chesterlab]

PS If I had ever jacked $10 from my brother, he would have beaten the you-know-what out of me. But I agree with most on the board, go back and confess to the priest.

 

[PrayHarder]

I totally disagree with your position regarding theft. No matter what the amount is it should be condemned and the thief should immediately go to Confession. We should not look for get out of jail cards by trivialising the sin because of the sum of money being small.

Look at the Church teaching and tell me where it says it is not grave matter because it is only 10 dollars!

CCC 2408 The seventh commandment forbids theft, that is, usurping another’s property against the reasonable will of the owner. There is no theft if consent can be presumed or if refusal is contrary to reason and the universal destination of goods. This is the case in obvious and urgent necessity when the only way to provide for immediate, essential needs (food, shelter, clothing . . .) is to put at one’s disposal and use the property of others.

Okay, so the CCC says that theft is a sin. We’re all in a agreement about that. But I don’t see anywhere in your citation where it says it’s a mortal sin. This comes up a lot on the forums. Is there a section in the CCC that specifically says that breaking a Commandment is inherently a mortal sin? Again, I’m not talking about whether it’s a sin, we can all agree that it is. But is breaking a Commandment a mortal sin vs. a venial sin? The 10 Commandments are so broad that they can encompass just about any sin. So in the “breaking a Commandment is a mortal sin” interpretation, what’s an example of a venial sin?

As others have said, a mortal sin needs to meet 3 criteria, one of which is it being a grave matter. IMHO, I think it depends on the importance that $10 had to your brother.

 

[brigid12]

Okay, so the CCC says that theft is a sin. We’re all in a agreement about that. But I don’t see anywhere in your citation where it says it’s a mortal sin. This comes up a lot on the forums. Is there a section in the CCC that specifically says that breaking a Commandment is inherently a mortal sin? Again, I’m not talking about whether it’s a sin, we can all agree that it is. But is breaking a Commandment a mortal sin vs. a venial sin? The 10 Commandments are so broad that they can encompass just about any sin. So in the “breaking a Commandment is a mortal sin” interpretation, what’s an example of a venial sin?

As others have said, a mortal sin needs to meet 3 criteria, one of which is it being a grave matter. IMHO, I think it depends on the importance that $10 had to your brother.

I agree with this.

 

[7_Sorrows]

For the record I did pay him back double. That’s how I operate

so you took the money with the intent of paying it back right away? and you doubled the money? that might be more like borrowing. usually if you steal something you don’t give it back.

 

[Gertabelle]

Okay, so the CCC says that theft is a sin. We’re all in a agreement about that. But I don’t see anywhere in your citation where it says it’s a mortal sin. This comes up a lot on the forums. ** Is there a section in the CCC that specifically says that breaking a Commandment is inherently a mortal sin?** Again, I’m not talking about whether it’s a sin, we can all agree that it is. But is breaking a Commandment a mortal sin vs. a venial sin? The 10 Commandments are so broad that they can encompass just about any sin. So in the “breaking a Commandment is a mortal sin” interpretation, what’s an example of a venial sin?

No.

The CCC cannot say whether a specific action is a mortal sin, because of the three conditions necessary for mortal sin to exist.

OTOH, the CCC absolutely can and does specify certain actions as constituting grave matter.

Here’s a couple paragraphs from the Catechism on the ten commandments:

**2072 **Since they express man’s fundamental duties towards God and towards his neighbor, the Ten Commandments reveal, in their primordial content, grave obligations. They are fundamentally immutable, and they oblige always and everywhere. No one can dispense from them. The Ten Commandments are engraved by God in the human heart.

2073 Obedience to the Commandments also implies obligations in matter which is, in itself, light. Thus abusive language is forbidden by the fifth commandment, but would be a grave offense only as a result of circumstances or the offender’s intention.

The ten commandments do, in fact, fall under the category of grave matter. BUT, there are examples throughout the Catechism of when breaking the commandments would NOT be grave matter, though still a sin.

Please note that I only listed two points above. They are taken out of context. If you (or anyone) want a more complete understanding, I highly recommend reading through the entirety of this section (Section Two) of this part of the Catechism (Part Three) on the ten commandments. It’s not just informative to the intellect. It is also a source of spiritual growth in understanding God’s great love for us!

Gertie

 

[thistle]

Consider this from the Catechsim of the Catholic Church:

“Unfair wagers” means stealing (this paragraph comes from the section on the seventh commandment). Sometimes the amount/impact DOES influence whether or not stealing is grave matter. And no grave matter = no mortal sin.

Gertie

The amount does not affect it. You are clutching at straws. Your advice to anyone should be even if you steal a penny get immediately to Confession instead of pussyfooting around it implying its okay to steal if the amounts are small.