What Do You Do if You're Uncertain That a Sin is Mortal?

[m134e5]

What do you do when unsure about a sin and probably unable to go to confession for a few weeks? (transportation is a bit of an issue) Should I abstain from the Eucharist or take it, hoping that I didn’t commit sacralige?\

You probably can call the priest sometime and arrange to go to confession immediately after Mass. They can hear confessions outside of the scheduled time. If they are a good priest they won’t refuse you unless whatever else they have to do absolutely cannot wait.

Now to address the main issue…

If you aren’t for sure if a sin is mortal or not, it probably isn’t. For a sin to be mortal, you must have FULL knowledge of the action taken (that it was wrong, etc.), and consent of the will.

Be careful about being too scrupulous (when you think all your sins are mortal, or you can’t breathe without sinning, etc.) Let there be no mistake, scrupulosity is not piety- it is not holiness- it is not reverence. It is a spiritual disorder, and can lead you down the wrong path (Martin Luther’s problems started out as scrupulosity) and is something that you need to talk to your confessor about- he is the only one who can help you on this.

 

[epower]

Padre Pio used to tell people to say the Act of Contrition before receiving the Eucharist, and then proceed to Confession as soon as possible.

 

[tvdxer]

To commit a mortal sin one must 1) know that the act (or omission) is grave sin, 2) know that it is a grave sin at the time of committing it (sufficient reflection), and 3) consent to it freely.

As for doubts, one sins mortally if they are uncertain whether an action is mortally sinful or not yet decide to do it anyway, risking mortal sin. By doing so, they show themself willing to commit a grave sin, and sin is in the will.

As for receiving communion but not being certain whether you are in the state of grace or not…I have seen varying responses to this. An old catechism said it was OK, but that you should say the Act of Contrition beforehand. This priest says that is “permissible” if one is in “genuine” doubt, but better to resolve the matter through confession. Finally, Father Levis responded to a similar question at EWTN in the negative, saying that it would be acting with a doubtful conscience (what I mentioned above), but perhaps there is an exception for communion that he did not know about, considering what the other priest and old catechism said.

 

[Nick]

As for doubts, one sins mortally if they are uncertain whether an action is mortally sinful or not yet decide to do it anyway, risking mortal sin. By doing so, they show themself willing to commit a grave sin, and sin is in the will.

I don’t know about regular people, but I am pretty sure that this does not apply to scrupulous people. Scrupulous people tend to think that nearly everything they do is sinful, and must be encouraged to act against their groundless fears. Now, if someone really and truly believed something to be sinful that in actuality wasn’t sinful, and performed the act with the thought that they were commiting a mortal sin then I think they would be guilty of mortal sin, even though the action was not objectively sinful it became sinful through the persons willingness to perform an act that they truly believed to be sinful. In the situation of the OP it does not sound, in my opinion, that he made a fully deliberate consent. But I have scrupulosity as well, so I don’t feel fit to judge his actions, when I don’t even have the ability to accurately judge my own.

 

[baltobetsy]

Scrupulous people tend to think that nearly everything they do is sinful, and must be encouraged to act against their groundless fears.

You’ve got it exactly right, Nick. What is appropriate for a scrupulous person is not acceptable for a person with a normally functioning conscience. That’s why you, the OP and all scrupulous people need to have one confessor whom they obey in absolutely everything, no matter what. Obedience is a sure beacon in the darkness.

Betsy

 

[AnonymousPrayer]

i know a little on the subject; and i know that in not knowing that you committed a mortal sin or not, you were not committing one…if you truely do not know. Therefore recieving communion would not be deemed a mortal sin because you had not had one on your soul because you are not in full knowledge.

‘ignorance is bliss’ --agreeable but sad.

—a thought just came to mind and now I have a question of my own…

Would thinking a sin is mortal(while it is actually venial), and recieving communion with this thought in mind, still count as a sacralidge(spelling)??

My opinion? Yes… — ‘Its the thought that counts’

 

[m134e5]

You’re allowed to abstain from the Eucharist even if you’re not in mortal sin. You should want to give Our Lord the most fit dwelling place possible. If you don’t feel right with the Lord, abstain until you have reconciled with him. Make a spiritual communion instead. The Anima Christi prayer is good for this purpose.

None of us are truly worthy to receive the Eucharist- but we are expected to. Jesus didn’t give us the Eucharist just to look at. If a close friend offers you something nice, and you refuse to accept it, how is that repaying their kindness and generosity to you? It may be best to abstain from receiving the Eucharist at times when one is not in mortal sin (particularly if you go to daily Mass)- but I would only do that with the guidance of a spiritual director- it is easy for that kind of piety to turn into scrupulosity.

 

[AnonymousPrayer]

None of us are truly worthy to receive the Eucharist- but we are expected to. Jesus didn’t give us the Eucharist just to look at. If a close friend offers you something nice, and you refuse to accept it, how is that repaying their kindness and generosity to you? It may be best to abstain from receiving the Eucharist at times when one is not in mortal sin (particularly if you go to daily Mass)- but I would only do that with the guidance of a spiritual director- it is easy for that kind of piety to turn into scrupulosity.

yes but to put your analogy into an argument think of it like this…

Say your friend gave you a brand new…guitar how about…now say he gave it to you when you were in a prison(the prison being ‘mortal sin lockdown’ as i like to call it) and you take the guitar and break it over your knee…unintentionally of course…but it looks pretty bad nonetheless.

P.S. Not that I don’t agree with you if the person believes he/she is not in a state of mortal sin, he/she should receive communion…i just wanted to put the analogy into perspective.