When does failure in prayer become mortal sin?

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angell1

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I need to definitely be more disciplined in my prayer life. i.e. not procrastinating, doing it when I’m not so tired that I fall asleep, not forgetting, Etc…

when would not praying or laziness in prayer constitute mortal sin? that’s what I am unsure about
 
angell1 said:
I need to definitely be more disciplined in my prayer life. i.e. not procrastinating, doing it when I’m not so tired that I fall asleep, not forgetting, Etc…

when would not praying or laziness in prayer constitute mortal sin? that’s what I am unsure about
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When one is bound to it and does not do it without serious reason.

If you’re not bound to it, there is no sin, even venial.

However, intentional laziness in prayer, even if not bound, can leave one hardened against the action of grace, which can cause one to fall into mortal sin in other matters.
 
angell1 said:
I need to definitely be more disciplined in my prayer life. i.e. not procrastinating, doing it when I’m not so tired that I fall asleep, not forgetting, Etc…

when would not praying or laziness in prayer constitute mortal sin? that’s what I am unsure about
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Scruples talking here. You are looking for sins where there aren’t any.

You are not required to pray any specific prayers with any specific frequency. You believe you need to “be more disciplined” in your prayer life is an opinion. Given your tendency to scruples, it is best to get objective advice from your spiritual director/priest because those with scruples and/or OCD tendencies tend to set up unreasonable expectations in their own mind that are quite out of the norm.
 
Failure to pray is never a mortal sin unless:
  1. You have a serious obligation to pray in a particular way or at a particular time. The only serious obligation most Catholics have in this regard is to attend Mass on Sunday or Saturday evening, and to go to Confession (and receive Holy Communion) at least once per year. The only people I can think of who might have such a serious obligation are clergy (the daily Office) and members of religious orders who have the obligation to live the life and spirit of their order’s rule. But even then, I’m not sure it is serious matter.
AND
  1. You freely fail to do so through your own fault.
If either condition is not present, then there is no mortal sin. Period.

As previous posters have pointed out, though, consistent failure to pray does make you lukewarm, which can lead to other serious sins.
 
1ke said:
Scruples talking here. You are looking for sins where there aren’t any.

You are not required to pray any specific prayers with any specific frequency. You believe you need to “be more disciplined” in your prayer life is an opinion. Given your tendency to scruples, it is best to get objective advice from your spiritual director/priest because those with scruples and/or OCD tendencies tend to set up unreasonable expectations in their own mind that are quite out of the norm.
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well, as catholics, we do have a duty to pray, don’t we?

I know we don’t need to pray specific prayers, but we do need to pray, in some form at least
 
angell1 said:
well, as catholics, we do have a duty to pray, don’t we?

I know we don’t need to pray specific prayers, but we do need to pray, in some form at least
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But not under pain of sin.

You DO have a binding obligation: Sunday Mass. Clergy and religious also have an additional mandate: the Liturgy of the Hours.

Outside of that, it’s voluntary and meritorious. If you are not clergy, not religious, no mandate from the Church to pray under pain of sin, there is no sin. And no, you will not reason your way out of this. Failure to pray, while spiritually dangerous, is not, in and of itself, sinful.

That is the answer.
 
angell1 said:
well, as catholics, we do have a duty to pray, don’t we?

I know we don’t need to pray specific prayers, but we do need to pray, in some form at least
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We are encouraged to pray, and we have a moral obligation to try to foster and maintain an active prayer life, but as far as I know there is nothing that makes it a mortal sin if you fail to pray. With that said, failure to pray will certainly make you more likely to commit mortal sins, because your relationship with God will be weaker than it could be if you were praying regularly.
 
When does failure in prayer become mortal sin?

When it is deliberate, at least.

As for persistent failure to pray, ever, through neglect rather than as a deliberate choice, I suspect that’s a mortal sin, but I’m not sure.

Not praying as well as one thinks one should or can, but saying some imperfect prayers anyway, would not be a mortal sin, and may be no sin at all.
 
angell1 said:
well, as catholics, we do have a duty to pray, don’t we?

I know we don’t need to pray specific prayers, but we do need to pray, in some form at least
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What? Is that the 11th Commandment?
Scruples.
We all need to pray, but it’s not sinful if we don’t.
Scruples.
 
Edmundus1581 said:
When does failure in prayer become mortal sin?

When it is deliberate, at least.

As for persistent failure to pray, ever, through neglect rather than as a deliberate choice, I suspect that’s a mortal sin, but I’m not sure.

Not praying as well as one thinks one should or can, but saying some imperfect prayers anyway, would not be a mortal sin, and may be no sin at all.
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You are wrong, and this is the LAST thing this particular poster needs to hear.

As stated: it’s mortal sin ONLY IF:
  1. The person is bound to it by a serious obligation (for us laity, the obligation is only Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation).
  2. The person intentionally fails to perform the duty without grave reason.
The OP does not meet condition 1, and therefore cannot meet condition 2.

There is no sin. Period.
 
porthos11 said:
You are wrong, and this is the LAST thing this particular poster needs to hear.

As stated: it’s mortal sin ONLY IF:
  1. The person is bound to it by a serious obligation (for us laity, the obligation is only Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation).
  2. The person intentionally fails to perform the duty without grave reason.
The OP does not meet condition 1, and therefore cannot meet condition 2.

There is no sin. Period.
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👍
 
angell1 said:
I need to definitely be more disciplined in my prayer life. i.e. not procrastinating, doing it when I’m not so tired that I fall asleep, not forgetting, Etc…

when would not praying or laziness in prayer constitute mortal sin? that’s what I am unsure about
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If you are missing Sunday mass due to procrastination or laziness, then that would be mortal sin. That’s the only required prayer time each week. If you are getting to mass on Sunday’s then you are fine! 🙂 :hug3:
 
porthos11 said:
You are wrong, and this is the LAST thing this particular poster needs to hear.

As stated: it’s mortal sin ONLY IF:
  1. The person is bound to it by a serious obligation (for us laity, the obligation is only Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation).
  2. The person intentionally fails to perform the duty without grave reason.
The OP does not meet condition 1, and therefore cannot meet condition 2.

There is no sin. Period.
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I didn’t directly address the OP’s personal state, but the title question.

Perhaps my post was too brief and I omitted some emphasis:
  • To deliberately fail to pray ever would be a mortal sin.
  • To fail to pray through neglect ever may be, or may not be. I’m not speculating.
As for this idea that the laity are not seriously bound to any prayers at all apart from Mass obligations, I don’t believe it and it runs contrary to my understanding of the Christian life. I’m not going to look it up. I’ll throw the burden of proof back on you.
 
Edmundus1581 said:
I didn’t directly address the OP’s personal state, but the title question.

Perhaps my post was too brief and I omitted some emphasis.

To deliberately fail to pray ever would be a mortal sin.

To fail to pray through neglect ever may be, or may not be. I’m not speculating.
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And it’s still wrong.

What WILL happen is that if someone (not bound to prayer) deliberately fails to pray ever, WILL most assuredly commit mortal sin, and quite possibly die in it. So while the failure to pray is itself not sinful, it’s spiritually dangerous because the person WILL fall into mortal sin, and possibly final impenitence in other matters.

The only time failure to pray becomes sinful in and of itself is if one deliberately, with no just reason, omits a duty to which he is bound, such as the Divine Office for religious and clergy.
 
Edmundus1581 said:
As for this idea that the laity are not seriously bound to any prayers at all apart from Mass obligations, I don’t believe it and it runs contrary to my understanding of the Christian life. I’m not going to look it up. I’ll throw the burden of proof back on you.
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There is no need for proof. Law is clear as to what constitutes moral and religious obligations. Binding is a matter of law, and none exists for those to whom the mandate is not given. One always holds on to the least burdensome interpretation.

None of us are saying it’s not necessary to pray: several times on this thread alone, we have already stated that one soul is endangered if a proper prayer life does not exist. It IS essential to the Christian life. But we ought to be careful before placing a burden on someone, especially a poster like angel1.

If one deliberately refuses to pray ever, he does not sin on account of that alone. But he will most certainly sin in other grave matters. It was a saint, if I remember right, who said that he who does not pray cannot be saved. But we need to distinguish between the consequences stemming from an action or inaction vs. whether the action is a sin in and of itself.

Because of this particular OP and her particular needs, I would advise you to refrain from offering burdensome opinions on this thread.
 
porthos11 said:
Because of this particular OP and her particular needs, I would advise you to refrain from offering burdensome opinions on this thread.
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My first post was too brief, and so may have been burdensome and unhelpful to the OP.

However, my position (addressing the title, not the OP personally) that all Christians do have a serious obligation to say at least some prayers apart from defined Mass obligations and that deliberate failure to pray ever is a mortal sin, is not, in my opinion, “burdensome”.

Your theological argument that there is no such obligation binding under pain of mortal sin does not pursuade me, but I’ll leave it there.
 
I was always told failure to pray everyday was a sin. Not sure if it was mortal, but defiantly a sin. I am pretty sure I read that on Fr. Z’s blog. I think he even said we are required to pray fifteen minutes at a minimum. I confess when I “forget” to pray and I have never been told that it was not a sin. I will need to check and see if I can find where I read that.
 
I think it’s laudable and advisable to give yourself a timeframe for prayer.

But there is no where official within the Church that says you must pray 15 minutes a day.
That’s such an arbitrary number.
Why not an hour?
Why not two?

Not praying is foolish and bad for your soul, yes.
But not a mortal sin.
The OP suffers terribly from scruples.
Let’s keep that in mind before we start telling people things that the church really doesn’t say.
 
porthos11 said:
You are wrong, and this is the LAST thing this particular poster needs to hear.

As stated: it’s mortal sin ONLY IF:
  1. The person is bound to it by a serious obligation (for us laity, the obligation is only Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation).
  2. The person intentionally fails to perform the duty without grave reason.
The OP does not meet condition 1, and therefore cannot meet condition 2.

There is no sin. Period.
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Drop the mic! ITS OVER LADIES AND GENTS!
 
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