Venial & Mortal Sin??? I'm confused...

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Hello all,

Can someone explain what the deal is with venial and mortal sin, please? Aside from blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, aren’t all sins equally bad? Can Mortal sins be forgiven? Also, Why the need to place different levels of severity to different acts? And with purgatory…if Christ died for the forgiveness of our sins, why would we need to be purified? I’ve always wondered why the Catholic Church is the only church to hold these beliefs.

Peace and Blessings,
Julie
 
Juliebug108 said:
Hello all,

Can someone explain what the deal is with venial and mortal sin, please? Aside from blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, aren’t all sins equally bad? Can Mortal sins be forgiven? Also, Why the need to place different levels of severity to different acts? And with purgatory…if Christ died for the forgiveness of our sins, why would we need to be purified? I’ve always wondered why the Catholic Church is the only church to hold these beliefs.

Peace and Blessings,
Julie
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The difference between Mortal Sin and Venial sin is that with Mortal sin, we are fully aware of the fact that the sin we are committing is a sin, and we freely commit it. A Venial sin is a sin which a person may not know is a sin. Yes, Mortal sins can be forgiven, as can venial sins. This purification of Purgatory is from Christ’s work, for nothing unclean can enter heaven. As it says in the Catechism:

*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.”

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.” 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 heart 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.

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*.

This link should help you more.

catholic.com/thisrock/1995/9505fea4.asp

We also look upon 1 John 5:16-17:

[BIBLEDRB]1 John 5:16-17[/BIBLEDRB]
 
Juliebug108 said:
Perfect. 🙂 Thank you! One thing that I didn’t see covered about mortal sin though - does the Catholic church believe that these can only be forgiven by confessing to a priest?

Peace and blessings,
Julie
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You are welcome. It is my understanding that God forgives you the moment you make a perfect act of contrition with the firm resolve to go to confession as soon as possible.

Perfect Contrition
 
Juliebug108 said:
Perfect. 🙂 Thank you! One thing that I didn’t see covered about mortal sin though - does the Catholic church believe that these can only be forgiven by confessing to a priest?

Peace and blessings,
Julie
Click to expand...
In the normal way, yes. However, if one were to die, having a contrite heart and an honest goal towards going to Confession, then God would forgive him of his sins in an extraordinary means. However, generally we come to the Priest to be forgiven of Mortal sin, because it is through God’s power that they do so.
 
Juliebug108 said:
Perfect. 🙂 Thank you! One thing that I didn’t see covered about mortal sin though - does the Catholic church believe that these can only be forgiven by confessing to a priest?

Peace and blessings,
Julie
Click to expand...
Under normative circumstances yes all Mortal sins must be confessed to a priest in order to be forgiven.
There are, of course, non-normative, “extraordinary”, circumstances where a mortal sin is forgiven without confession. Basically this applies when a person repents, intends to get to confession at the earliest opportunity, but then dies before they are able. In such a case, the “intent to confess” is sufficient for forgiveness.

Peace
James
 
JRKH said:
Under normative circumstances yes all Mortal sins must be confessed to a priest in order to be forgiven.
There are, of course, non-normative, “extraordinary”, circumstances where a mortal sin is forgiven without confession. Basically this applies when a person repents, intends to get to confession at the earliest opportunity, but then dies before they are able. In such a case, the “intent to confess” is sufficient for forgiveness.

Peace
James
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Not to be contrary but it is my understanding that under normative circumstances you must confess grave sins to a priest before receiving communion. A perfect act of contrition actually suffices for the forgiveness of mortal sin, so long as you have resolved to go to confession as soon as possible. There are no non-normative circumstances required for that. I could be mistaken but that is the understanding I’ve had for sometime.
 
Thanks for all the information, everyone. This all leaves me pondering over what the CC believes about protestants who die having only confessed their mortal sins to God the Father and not to a Catholic priest.

While my church doesn’t underestimate the importance of confessing one’s sins, I have been taught to confess them directly to God the Father, and that God will grant me forgiveness. In the serious case that I feel I need to speak to my pastor, my church encourages that…but they don’t teach that it is absolutely necessary…which seems weird because Luther did teach that one needed a confessor…hmmm.

Am I correct in assuming that the Catholic Church believes that such a form of confession is invalid? That seems like it takes the authority to forgive away from God…:confused:

Peace and blessings,
Julie
 
ChristIsTheWay said:
Not to be contrary but it is my understanding that under normative circumstances you must confess grave sins to a priest before receiving communion. A perfect act of contrition actually suffices for the forgiveness of mortal sin, so long as you have resolved to go to confession as soon as possible. There are no non-normative circumstances required for that. I could be mistaken but that is the understanding I’ve had for sometime.
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Well what you have written sounds a lot like what I wrote…🤷 Anyway to clarify, I went to the CCC and found these.

1452 When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible.

1456 Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance: “All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession, even if they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly.”

(Bolding Mine)
So - upon repentance for a mortal sin, one makes an act of contrition AND a commitment to get to confession.
If one has opportunity but fails to follow through on this then obviously the sin is not forgiven.

The non-normative situation is the one that often comes up in discussions with non-catholics…"Well what if they get hit by a bus on the way to confession?..In this, extraordinary circumstance, the intent is sufficient.

Hope that helps to clarify.

Peace
James
 
Cruxis117 said:
The difference between Mortal Sin and Venial sin is that with Mortal sin, we are fully aware of the fact that the sin we are committing is a sin, and we freely commit it. A Venial sin is a sin which a person may not know is a sin. Yes, Mortal sins can be forgiven, as can venial sins. This purification of Purgatory is from Christ’s work, for nothing unclean can enter heaven. As it says in the Catechism:
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I would disagree with your statement that “A Venial sin is a sin which a person may not know is a sin.” The difference between mortal and venial sin has to do with the gravity of the sin, not the knowledge of a sin. Both require knowledge and consent to commit them or there is no sin. This is assuming that we have a well formed and informed conscience. There is a difference between murder and eating a couple of grapes in the grocery store without paying for them, even though we know both are wrong.
 
SteveVH said:
I would disagree with your statement that “A Venial sin is a sin which a person may not know is a sin.” The difference between mortal and venial sin has to do with the gravity of the sin, not the knowledge of a sin. Both require knowledge and consent to commit them or there is no sin. This is assuming that we have a well formed and informed conscience. There is a difference between murder and eating a couple of grapes in the grocery store without paying for them, even though we know both are wrong.
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I agree and I disagree. While circumstances of sins will define how serious it is, our knowledge is also a key matter. That’s what is stated in the Catechism:

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.

While yes, stealing some grapes and eating them is a lesser sin than murder, if one is taught to steal and is not taught and has no knowledge that stealing is a sin, then that person’s knowledge is a factor in determining the matter of sin.
 
Juliebug108 said:
Am I correct in assuming that the Catholic Church believes that such a form of confession is invalid? That seems like it takes the authority to forgive away from God…:confused:

Peace and blessings,
Julie
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For a Catholic yes. it would be an invalid way to confess on regular basis.
God confered the sacrements unto His Church. Thus confession to a priest is the means by which God “shows” His forgiveness.
 
Juliebug108 said:
Thanks for all the information, everyone. This all leaves me pondering over what the CC believes about protestants who die having only confessed their mortal sins to God the Father and not to a Catholic priest.

While my church doesn’t underestimate the importance of confessing one’s sins, I have been taught to confess them directly to God the Father, and that God will grant me forgiveness. In the serious case that I feel I need to speak to my pastor, my church encourages that…but they don’t teach that it is absolutely necessary…which seems weird because Luther did teach that one needed a confessor…hmmm.

Am I correct in assuming that the Catholic Church believes that such a form of confession is invalid? That seems like it takes the authority to forgive away from God…:confused:

Peace and blessings,
Julie
Click to expand...
OK this is a very complicated question that has been hotly debated. The easiest cut and dry and answer is this:
  1. In order to receive the Grace of the Sacraments within the Church which will help one to stay free from sin and continue in communion with the Saints, Angels, and other Catholics yes the Sacrament of Confession is necessary
  2. For those outside of the Church who honestly are not taught or do not confess do to an ignorance of why the Sacrament is necessary this becomes one of this mysteries that is left for God to know. I personally hope that we will see some of those people that were truelly good and moral people but were outside the Church due to upbringing again in Heaven but that again is up to God and not for us to decide.
  3. As far as those who took the Sacraments away these are what we know as heresies and have to do with more Fundamentalist readings of the Bible vs Contextual readings of the Bible
  4. I would strongly suggest a reading of* Lumen Gentium* which you can find on the Vatican website and will give you a more broad idea of some of these ideas but is more than a one-sitting reading.
God bless,
 
JRKH said:
So - upon repentance for a mortal sin, one makes an act of contrition AND a commitment to get to confession.
If one has opportunity but fails to follow through on this then obviously the sin is not forgiven.
Click to expand...
That is the part I am not so sure about. I was under the impression that you are forgiven the moment you make a sincere act of perfect contrition. Basically, this how I understood things:
  1. You commit a mortal sin
  2. You make an act of perfect contrition with intention to go to confession ASAP
  3. God immediately absolves you of your mortal sin
  4. You go to confession but the mortal sin is none-the-less already forgiven
No non-normative circumstances are required, like dying before you made it to confession. If for some reason, you did not follow through with your firm intention to go to confession ASAP, your mortal sin would still have been forgiven. God doesn’t erase His original pardon.

I admit I could be mistaken but this how I always understood it.
 
Juliebug108 said:
Thanks for all the information, everyone. This all leaves me pondering over what the CC believes about protestants who die having only confessed their mortal sins to God the Father and not to a Catholic priest.

While my church doesn’t underestimate the importance of confessing one’s sins, I have been taught to confess them directly to God the Father, and that God will grant me forgiveness. In the serious case that I feel I need to speak to my pastor, my church encourages that…but they don’t teach that it is absolutely necessary…which seems weird because Luther did teach that one needed a confessor…hmmm.

Am I correct in assuming that the Catholic Church believes that such a form of confession is invalid?
Click to expand...
Hopefully this link helps:

How can a Protestant go to heaven without the sacrament of reconciliaton?
Juliebug108 said:
That seems like it takes the authority to forgive away from God…:confused
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I don’t believe it does. God chooses to allow human beings to participate with Him in doing certain things. The sacrament of reconciliation is one of these things. No one told God that this would be the normative means of absolving post-baptismal mortal sins. He decided that it would be the case. Having deputy sheriffs doesn’t detract from the authority of the sheriff, after all.
 
Cruxis117 said:
I agree and I disagree. While circumstances of sins will define how serious it is, our knowledge is also a key matter. That’s what is stated in the Catechism:

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.

While yes, stealing some grapes and eating them is a lesser sin than murder, if one is taught to steal and is not taught and has no knowledge that stealing is a sin, then that person’s knowledge is a factor in determining the matter of sin.
Click to expand...
Yes, maybe I misunderstood your statement. My only point is that you do have to be at least somewhat (if not fully) aware that what you are doing is wrong. If we could commit sin without being aware that we are commiting sin it would be a pretty scary world.

God bless.
 
ChristIsTheWay said:
Hopefully this link helps:

How can a Protestant go to heaven without the sacrament of reconciliaton?
Click to expand...
Very interesting. The confession bit confuses me a little, but it turns out mortal/venial sin is actually really close to what I’ve always believed anyway. I’ve always been taught that all sin is bad, and all unrepentant sin leads to damnation. I’ve recognized though that some sins are much more severe than others. It’s hard to believe that telling a white lie to spare someone hurt feelings would be on the same level as commiting murder. Interesting stuff.

Can Lutherans go to confession at a Catholic church?

Peace and blessings,
Julie
 
ChristIsTheWay said:
That is the part I am not so sure about. I was under the impression that you are forgiven the moment you make a sincere act of perfect contrition. Basically, this how I understood things:
  1. You commit a mortal sin
  2. You make an act of perfect contrition with intention to go to confession ASAP
  3. God immediately absolves you of your mortal sin
  4. You go to confession but the mortal sin is none-the-less already forgiven
No non-normative circumstances are required, like dying before you made it to confession. If for some reason, you did not follow through with your firm intention to go to confession ASAP, your mortal sin would still have been forgiven. God doesn’t erase His original pardon.

I admit I could be mistaken but this how I always understood it.
Click to expand...
The problem is how can one be sure that an act of perfect contrition has been made? Confession is a sure thing, making a perfect act of contrition – not so much.
 
Juliebug108 said:
Can Lutherans go to confession at a Catholic church?

Peace and blessings,
Julie
Click to expand...
Why wouldn’t you want to go to your own minister? The the Church says under certain circumstances the Sacraments can be given to non-Catholics.

If this is something you wish to do I would recommend speaking to the priest first.
 
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