So easy to sin mortally

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An addiction is an addiction. There are “Anonymous” type groups as well as therapists that help with addictions to sins against purity, the same as there are groups that help with gambling addiction, shopping addiction, compulsive overeating, and other addictions that do not involve drink or drugs.

I would note that not everybody who commits a sin against purity, or who gambles, shops or eats excessively, or for that matter gets drunk or abuses drugs, is an actual addict. If you try to stop with willpower and cannot do it, that to me suggests you may be an addict. However, many people who are not chemically addicted do find that they can stop a bad habit with willpower. Not every bad habit has reached the level of addiction.
 
@MiserereMeiDei
Then in my opinion that is not full consent of the will.
 
It only requires the will to commit the sin knowing outs a grave matter. There’s a name for what you’re describing but I can’t remember it. Fr. John Hardon spoke about it but it’s going to take me a bit to find it.
 
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I content you can’t fully commit your will to something you don’t fully understand.
 
That’s true, I was talking about him. But he wasn’t just a martyr in the sense of somebody burst in and killed him. He was arrested with his whole family. He asked to die last so he could encourage and support his family members to stay firm in the faith as they each were killed. He watched them all be killed while encouraging them, and only then was killed himself. That’s some serious holiness going on there. Also some serious trust in God because he died without receiving absolution; the priest had refused him absolution until he quit his opium habit, not realizing addiction is a disease and not something you can just choose to do or not do.
 
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Psalm30 said:
What horrible things do God-fearing, church going people do on such a regular basis that they have to constantly worry they’ll end up in hell?

I mean, by the way some people talk, there’s very little hope of anyone getting to heaven.
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Here is how my priest explained it. Mortal sin occurs in the context of your relationship with God. God and your confessor know what that context is. If your sin in done out of deliberate, willful rejection, you’re in the most danger of being in a state of mortal sin.
 
Some are stronger than others. I am very much weaker than others.

Weak in the flesh.
 
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Here’s the thing — you say you feel the need to confess it just in case.

Do you have the understanding that if you didn’t have full knowledge of the gravity of the matter it wasn’t a mortal sin?
 
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When I went through RCIA, I was basically told to confess “what is gnawing at my gut.”
 
Thank you for explaining. I do understand what you’re saying.

The thing I’m still trying to emphasize, though, is that there really isn’t any “maybe” about mortal sin. If you’re unsure about your intent/state of mind, I fail to see how it could possibly be a mortal sin.
 
MiserereMeiDei said:
It only requires the will to commit the sin knowing outs a grave matter. There’s a name for what you’re describing but I can’t remember it. Fr. John Hardon spoke about it but it’s going to take me a bit to find it.
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@PatK63 I think it’s probably covered in this video. If not, the requirement for being in mortal sin is explained at 17 minutes. I’ll keep looking.

 
Psalm30 said:
The thing I’m still trying to emphasize, though, is that there really isn’t any “maybe” about mortal sin. If you’re unsure about your intent/state of mind, I fail to see how it could possibly be a mortal sin.
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I think you may be trying to make it a black or white determination. There can be gray areas if you’re uncertain exactly what was going on in your mind. For example, consider sloth. What actually is sloth? I’m retired and worked hard for much of my life. But now I like to relax since I no longer work. I do go to mass, often daily. I help at mass in various capacities. I contribute what I think is generously to my parish and other charities. We also make meals on occasion for a shelter. But I’m often resting, watching tv or reading. I do procrastinate on things. My back and neck often hurt so things don’t get done. Am I guilty of sloth? I don’t know.
Some things are black and white, but some aren’t.
 
Psalm30 said:
If you’re unsure about your intent/state of mind, I fail to see how it could possibly be a mortal sin.
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What you say is true, with an important caveat. This would not be the case for neophyte who has only just begun to strive to live a life of virtue and is still forming his conscience or, of course, to someone who has blunted their conscience through habitual sin. St. Alphonsus Liguori below says what you did, but with this caveat:

St. Alphonsus Liguori (The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ):
Here it will be well to remark, what is unanimously admitted by all theologians, even of the rigorist school, that persons who have during a considerable period of time been leading a virtuous life, and live habitually in the fear of God, whenever they are in doubt, and are not certain whether they have given consent to a grievous sin, ought to be perfectly assured that they have not lost the Divine grace; for it is morally impossible that the will, confirmed in its good purposes for a considerable lapse of time, should on a sudden undergo so total a change as at once to consent to a mortal sin without clearly knowing it; the reason of it is, that mortal sin is so horrible a monster that it cannot possible enter a soul by which it has long been held in abhorrence, without her being fully aware of it. We have proved this at length in our Moral Theology. [Lib. 6, D. 476.] St. Teresa said: No one is lost without knowing it; and no one is deceived without the will to be deceived. [Life, addit.]
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Tis_Bearself said:
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PatK63:
What does full knowledge mean. I think to understand you action will completely cut yourself off from God and really want to do that.
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Yeah, I was always told that a mortal sin was a deliberate decision to sever the relationship with God. Therefore, it’s hard for me to see someone who has committed grave matter sins, but is still maintaining some relationship with God, even if it’s just praying from time to time, as being a mortal sinner. People on here who say they “fell into mortal sin” and their main concern is getting to confession ASAP so they can receive Communion or serve Mass or whatever, don’t seem like true mortal sinners to me. They may well have done something grave, but obviously there’s still a relationship with God that they care about or they wouldn’t even be at Mass much less worrying about receiving Communion.

I do think that grave sin even if not mortal because of this lack of intent to sever the relationship is a serious thing, and that people do need to avoid it because we’re supposed to avoid ALL sin, not just mortal sin. If you get in the habit of grave sin then eventually you may well end up committing mortal sins, even if they’re mortal sins of pride because you’re not taking your grave sins seriously. But this idea of “oops I fell into mortal sin” doesn’t seem quite believable to me.
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Thank you for this. One of the best posts on this subject I’ve ever seen.
 
Salvation is mystical and not about those who had the greatest willpower in this life.

Sin was defined as “missing the mark.” like an archer who aims for the target, but misses it.
Hearing it taught as it should’ve been, helps us more to avoid sin far more than trying to make God like us by not masturbating at night in bed, or swearing at the driver who just cut you off.

The Church got caught up in the guilt trip over sin and as any psychologist will tell you, if you try to avoid committing an act because you were told it’s wrong, you’ll be tempted into it until you give in. It has a lot to do with the way we’re wired. As a wise old priest told me, “until you understand the reason for not commiting a sin, you’ll continue to sin.” Understanding must come through full knowledge which is more than just being told, “that’s a mortal sin.”

We’re taught that God loves us unconditionally, yet, we’ve been taught that we have to meet conditions for God’s love. What nonsense and it’s driven more people to the point of hopelessness that they just give up and leave the Church.

I have no doubt about God’s love and no doubt about my love for God. I place all my hope in trusting in Him, who is all merciful and forgives our sins. Scripture says this throughout the Psalms, and I read it just this morning in the LOTHs, Morning Prayer.

Jim
 
Convert3 said:
Am I guilty of sloth? I don’t know.
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We were always taught that if you weren’t sure, then you weren’t guilty. At least of that offense. The guilt may come into play when you don’t try to figure it out.
 
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otjm said:
To which one could add that a number, if not the majority, of the posts appear to be written by teenagers and/or very young adults.
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Say what you will about the deleterious effects of aging, at least we have moved beyond the angst of youth!
 
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