What is deliberate consent for mortal sin?

[SebMurphy]

Hi
I am very scrupulous and am constantly thinking I have blasphemed the Holy Spirit (physically) even though it’s likely I haven’t. I am always really anxious thinking about it. A priest told me that a mortal sin is committed deliberately to offend God. I have never wanted or intended to blaspheme at all and it’s only when I have bad thoughts and worry about it that I think I have actually said something.
I want to receive Holy Communion tomorrow, but I’m not sure if I can. I don’t even know if I did say anything, is receiving Holy Communion in mortal sin only a mortal sin when you clearly know you are in mortal sin?
And please could you explain in detail about the third condition for mortal sin, about full deliberate consent?

I saw that for the third condtion of mortal sin about full consent, it said the sinner reflects and wants to do it and wants to offend God. I have never wanted to deliberately offend God with blasphemy. I have been in a lot of anxiety over the last few weeks and I only seem to think I’ve said things when I worry about possible past blasphemies and when I have bad thoughts etc.
So if I have blasphemed, was it full consent? I want to go to Holy Communion tomorrow, but I don’t know if I can.

Thanks

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Hi
I am very scrupulous and am constantly thinking I have blasphemed the Holy Spirit (physically) even though it’s likely I haven’t. I am always really anxious thinking about it. A priest told me that a mortal sin is committed deliberately to offend God. I have never wanted or intended to blaspheme at all and it’s only when I have bad thoughts and worry about it that I think I have actually said something.
I want to receive Holy Communion tomorrow, but I’m not sure if I can. I don’t even know if I did say anything, is receiving Holy Communion in mortal sin only a mortal sin when you clearly know you are in mortal sin?
And please could you explain in detail about the third condition for mortal sin, about full deliberate consent?

Thanks

When you believe that you have committed a Mortal sin, you should not receive any other Sacrament before receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

If you know the matter is serious, and that it is wrong, and that the Church calls the action seriously sinful, and you choose to do it anyway. That is deliberate consent. It really does not matter that you do not agree with the Church that it is seriously sinful or that you don’t think it’s wrong.

 

[SilentKnight]

Hi
I am very scrupulous and am constantly thinking I have blasphemed the Holy Spirit (physically) even though it’s likely I haven’t. I am always really anxious thinking about it. A priest told me that a mortal sin is committed deliberately to offend God. I have never wanted or intended to blaspheme at all and it’s only when I have bad thoughts and worry about it that I think I have actually said something.
I want to receive Holy Communion tomorrow, but I’m not sure if I can. I don’t even know if I did say anything, is receiving Holy Communion in mortal sin only a mortal sin when you clearly know you are in mortal sin?
And please could you explain in detail about the third condition for mortal sin, about full deliberate consent?

Thanks

Seb,

First off, the technical term is “full consent of the will”. What this refers to is the fact that there are a number of things in life that genuinely make it easier or harder to do the right thing and to the extent that our free will is impinged upon, we are more or less culpable for our actions accordingly.

An example: A man approaches you inside a bank, announces to everyone that he is holding the place up and then points a gun at you and tells you to gather everyone’s money into one sack for him. Fearing for your life, you do it.** Formally** speaking, you’ve just helped the man rob the bank and everyone in it. However, just as all fellow human beings would understand that you were under duress in that action and thus not truly guilty of theft, so does God. While strictly in terms of form, you may have committed mortal sin and you may have known this is what it was you were doing (again formally), rather than doing so freely, you did so only under duress and are, thus, not guilty of mortal sin. Though you consciously committed the act, you did not do so voluntarily and are thus less guilty of the act or even not guilty at all than you would have been had you been a friend of the robber’s and done it all willingly.

Does that make sense?

As far as receiving communion in a state of mortal sin being another mortal sin goes, yes, that presumes that you know you’re in mortal to begin with. As many Saints have said, unless you are sure you are in mortal sin, go ahead and receive.

Hope this helps?

SK

 

[Pete_1]

Hi
I am very scrupulous and am constantly thinking I have blasphemed the Holy Spirit (physically) even though it’s likely I haven’t. I am always really anxious thinking about it. A priest told me that a mortal sin is committed deliberately to offend God. I have never wanted or intended to blaspheme at all and it’s only when I have bad thoughts and worry about it that I think I have actually said something.
I want to receive Holy Communion tomorrow, but I’m not sure if I can. I don’t even know if I did say anything, is receiving Holy Communion in mortal sin only a mortal sin when you clearly know you are in mortal sin?
And please could you explain in detail about the third condition for mortal sin, about full deliberate consent?

Thanks

Bad thoughts are not sinfull, as long as you don’t say yes to them and deliberatley entertain them. Just try to think about something else if you get bad thoughts.

This site is my source:
mission.liguori.org/newsletters/scrupulosity.htm

5. You shall not hesitate to look at any crucifix or at any statue in church or at home or anywhere else because you may get bad thoughts in your mind and imagination. If such thoughts occur, they carry no sin whatever.

remember even if you consent to blasphemous thoughts about the holy spirit, if you attent the sacrament of reconciliation you can be forgiven. This is an infallible dogma and MUST be believed by faithfull catholics.

source:
Quote:
CANON I.–If any one saith, that in the Catholic Church Penance is not truly and properly a sacrament, instituted by Christ our Lord for reconciling the faithful unto God, as often as they fall into sin after baptism; let him be anathema.

history.hanover.edu/texts/trent/trentall.html

 

[SebMurphy]

Hi
I’m scrupulous and have a fear of blaspheming and am constantly thinking I have blasphemed under my breath when it’s very likely I haven’t. I saw that for the third condtion of mortal sin about full consent, it said the sinner reflects and wants to do it and wants to offend God. I have never wanted to deliberately offend God with blasphemy. I have been in a lot of anxiety over the last few weeks and I only seem to think I’ve said things when I worry about possible past blasphemies and when I have bad thoughts etc.
So if I have blasphemed, was it full consent? I want to go to Holy Communion tomorrow, but I don’t know if I can.

 

[brockmac]

Another thing that can impair your “full consent of the will” and thus mitigate cupability is force of habit. While it is true that we have a choice to continue a habit or not, it is not always easy.to break a habit. This does not mean that we have a pass and can say, “well it’s a habit, so it’s ok.” Rather we should be grateful for God’s mercy and do all we can to break the habit. This includes removing any and all sources of temptation, constant prayer (especially for the intercession of our Blessed Mother), and frequent reception of the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Communion, when not in mortal sin.

Ultimately, we must remember that God knows our hearts, and He and He alone is the ultimate judge of our souls. He is both perfectly just and perfectly merciful.

 

[Scottgun]

Since you admit to scrupulosity, the rule tends to be, if you have to ask if you mortally sinned, then you didn’t.

Try this: The Ten Commandments for the Scrupulous: mission.liguori.org/newsletters/scrupulosity.htm

**

2. You shall not confess doubtful sins in confession, but only sins that are clear and certain.

---

Of all of the correspondence that I receive, I would say that this issue is the one that occurs most often. “What does a person do if they are not sure that they committed a sin?” For this reason, this is a very important commandment to remember because it clearly states the truth: Doubtful sins don’t count! There is no need to confess something that does not clearly and certainly exist. In fact, it is harmful to one’s self to confess that which is doubtful. Again, such a practice is not at all helpful and must be resisted.
Now I can almost hear some of you saying, “I am not sure if I doubt that I sinned or if I am just trying to fool myself to believe that I am doubting that I sinned.” This thought in itself demonstrates that you are in fact doubting and so, therefore, the commandment comes into play: You shall not confess doubtful sins.
**