When does failure in prayer become mortal sin?

[twf]

Divine law requires us to pray. Church law dictates the bare minimum: Mass on Sundays and holy days of onligation and any prayers our confessor assigns us. (Most posters missed that one- yes prayers assigned as penance are binding). Beyond that is between you and your spiritual father.

 

[phil_at_dayboro]

Pointless trying to pray when your to tired or can’t concentrate for whatever reason,
It can wait till when your fully focused , I sometimes Sing the lords Prayer song,
There are several very talented artists that perform it,get a copy and play it while driving in the car etc,

 

[pianistclare]

Divine law requires us to pray. Church law dictates the bare minimum: Mass on Sundays and holy days of onligation and any prayers our confessor assigns us. (Most posters missed that one- yes prayers assigned as penance are binding). Beyond that is between you and your spiritual father.

I think most of the posters acknowledged that. Of Sundays and Holy days are days of prayer. That goes without saying. The OP is talking about something else.
But it isn’t “totaled” up into minutes or hours.

 

[fhansen]

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

As others have stated, failure to pray is not a sin. And yet, in general terms, man’s separation from God is the essence of Original Sin. IOW, the more we draw near to God the more we become transformed into His image, and the less our tendency to sin. Prayer is a major aspect of man’s communion with God

 

[Blessedwithfive]

This is the video that states we must pray everyday. youtube.com/watch?v=2s7WzatdcIo

he is kinda harsh

 

[Edmundus1581]

As others have stated, failure to pray is not a sin.

Well, that is conclusion of most of the posters here, but not all of us.

This is the video that states we must pray everyday. youtube.com/watch?v=2s7WzatdcIo

he is kinda harsh

He says that not praying every day is a violation of the first commandment, and a sin to be confessed.

I agree. I too have confessed “neglect of prayer” to many confessors, and never been told that it was not a sin.

I would have said that perhaps there have been days where the failure to pray is extenuated in some way. He won’t even accept that.

I wonder what he’d say about deliberately not praying ever, apart from fulfilling Mass obligations - which some have stated is not a mortal sin, and, from their arguments, is no sin (in itself) at all.

I don’t think that people are helping that OP by giving wrong answers to the title question.

 

[twf]

I think most of the posters acknowledged that. Of Sundays and Holy days are days of prayer. That goes without saying. The OP is talking about something else.
But it isn’t “totaled” up into minutes or hours.

I meant in addition to Sunday / Holy Day mass, we’re also obliged to say whatever prayers our confessor assigns us as penance (after going to confession). May seem obvious, but the Sunday obligation is obvious too . Beyond that there is no minimum number of minutes or hours, no.

 

[fhansen]

Well, that is conclusion of most of the posters here, but not all of us.

He says that not praying every day is a violation of the first commandment, and a sin to be confessed.

I agree. I too have confessed “neglect of prayer” to many confessors, and never been told that it was not a sin.

I would have said that perhaps there have been days where the failure to pray is extenuated in some way. He won’t even accept that.

I wonder what he’d say about deliberately not praying ever, apart from fulfilling Mass obligations - which some have stated is not a mortal sin, and, from their arguments, is no sin (in itself) at all.

I don’t think that people are helping that OP by giving wrong answers to the title question.

I’ve never seen it stated, in any Catholic teachings, that it is a sin not to pray. But, OTOH, prayer is taught to be such a crucial part of our relationship with God, apart from Whom we can do nothing to paraphrase John 15:5, that the fourth section of the Catechism is entirely devoted to it and it’s hard to believe we’d be in right relationship without it, which is essentially what my previous post said. Most of us posters are simply unwilling to overstep Church teachings on the matter.

 

[wild_thing]

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

Skipping over all the other posts about time frames, mortal sins, what day to pray, what Father Z says, etc. etc. - just remember this: Prayer is a conversation with God. It doesn’t needs to be some elaborate production, you don’t need to memorize a lengthy prayer- it just you and Him and a quick word if that’s all the time you have. If you are unsure what to say to Him or how to begin, start with a simple aspiration or the Jesus prayer. Tell Him what you did that day, questions you have, problems you faced or things you are grateful for. Or try Pope Francis’ five finger prayer. Whatever will get you started. Once you begin and persevere it will get easier and easier.

 

[Edmundus1581]

I’ve never seen it stated, in any Catholic teachings, that it is a sin not to pray. But, OTOH, prayer is taught to be such a crucial part of our relationship with God, apart from Whom we can do nothing to paraphrase John 15:5, that the fourth section of the Catechism is entirely devoted to it and it’s hard to believe we’d be in right relationship without it, which is essentially what my previous post said. Most of us posters are simply unwilling to overstep Church teachings on the matter.

First of all, you are also implying that Fr Larry Richards in the referenced video is also “wrong” and overstepping Church teaching - for his opinions are much more severe or “burdensome” than mine in this thread.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, under The First Commandment:

Prayer

2098 The acts of faith, hope, and charity enjoined by the first commandment are accomplished in prayer. Lifting up the mind toward God is an expression of our adoration of God: prayer of praise and thanksgiving, intercession and petition. Prayer is an indispensable condition for being able to obey God’s commandments. "[We] ought always to pray and not lose heart."15

From:

*A comprehensive examination of conscience based on twelve virtues, by REV. DONALD F. MILLER, C.SS.R., Imprimatur: Joseph E. Ritter St. Louis, April 7, 1959
*
Under Mortal Sins

• 1. Have I neglected saying any prayer whatsoever for as long as a month at a time?

The mistake that some here made was to forget that there is Natural Law which precedes Church Law. It is God who commands us to pray, as revealed in the Bible, not just the Church.

 

[fhansen]

First of all, you are also implying that Fr Larry Richards in the referenced video is also “wrong” and overstepping Church teaching - for his opinions are much more severe or “burdensome” than mine in this thread.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, under The First Commandment:

From:

*A comprehensive examination of conscience based on twelve virtues, by REV. DONALD F. MILLER, C.SS.R., Imprimatur: Joseph E. Ritter St. Louis, April 7, 1959
*
Under Mortal Sins

• 1. Have I neglected saying any prayer whatsoever for as long as a month at a time?

The mistake that some here made was to forget that there is Natural Law which precedes Church Law. It is God who commands us to pray, as revealed in the Bible, not just the Church.

Individual Church clergymen are often wrong. As I said, I’ve never seen it stated, anywhere, including commentary on natural law, that its a sin not to pray. At the same time I cant imagine a true believer not praying.Prayer is part and parcel of relationship with God, and non-relationship with God is essential to OS.

 

[Blessedwithfive]

Individual Church clergymen are often wrong. As I said, I’ve never seen it stated, anywhere, including commentary on natural law, that its a sin not to pray. At the same time I cant imagine a true believer not praying.Prayer is part and parcel of relationship with God, and non-relationship with God is essential to OS.

I agree but I think the OP was asking if it is a sin not to pray EVERYDAY, which I believe it is. Maybe not a mortal sin, but a sin none the less.

 

[Edmundus1581]

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.

And it’s still wrong.

…

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.

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.

…

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.

The only interpretation I can make of this is that the laity have no obligation to prayer, binding under sin, apart from that specifically prescribed by the Church (eg. Sunday Mass).

I would prefer to ignore this strange opinion except that 1. You have said (twice) that my posts were “wrong” and 2. Several others have endorsed this opinion.

Since you posted these I have supported my position, in the form of:

• A citation from the CCC under the First Commandment;
• An examination of conscience, composed by a priest and published under the Imprimatur of a bishop;
• and, a video where a priest tells us that failure to pray every day is a sin to be confessed.

You have addressed none of this. That would be fine, as we are are all busy people, except that your first posts were so adamant and personal ("**You **are wrong", “I would advise **you **to refrain”), and were endorsed as definitive here. Do you still say that my posts were “wrong”? In the light of the evidence I have provided already, I stand by them.

I didn’t enter this thread with any agenda, but rather to just answer the OP’s question - with the least amount of controversy.

I won’t however back down from a correct answer to a simple question:

*When does failure in prayer become a mortal sin?
*

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.

 

[FrancescaMaria]

I think that even if the lack of prayer may not be in and of itself a sin, the reason behind the lack of praying usually is. If the reason is fatigue, sickness, depression, crisis of faith or other unfortunate circumstance, then maybe not. But if it is laziness, lack of love for God, rejection of God, spiritual indifference, not putting God first, then all those are sins. And the seriousness depends on the circumstances and the person’s state of mind. I always include the lack of praying in my confessions, because I assume there is an underlying sinful reason for that. I know it is just my opinion, but I am thinking: how could a person love somebody with all their heart and soul and at the same time decide to never talk to them?

 

[Edmundus1581]

This topic is sure to arise again, in some form, so for future reference:

From The Catholic Encyclopedia

Necessity of prayer

Prayer is necessary for salvation. It is a distinct precept of Christ in the Gospels (Matthew 6:9; 7:7; Luke 11:9; John 16:26; Colossians 4:2; Romans 12:12; 1 Peter 4:7). The precept imposes on us only what is really necessary as a means of salvation. Without prayer we cannot resist temptation, nor obtain God’s grace, nor grow and persevere in it. This necessity is incumbent on all according to their different states in life, especially on those who by virtue of their office, of priesthood, for instance, or other special religious obligations, should in a special manner pray for their own welfare and for others.** The obligation to pray is incumbent on us at all times. “And he spoke also a parable, to them that we ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1); but it is especially pressing when we are in great need of prayer, when without it we cannot overcome some obstacle or perform some obligation; when, to fulfil various obligations of charity, we should pray for others; **and when it is specially implied in some obligation imposed by the Church, such as attendance at Mass, and the observance of Sundays and feast-days. This is true of vocal prayer, and as regards mental prayer, or meditation, this, too, is necessary so far as we may need to apply our mind to the study of Divine things in order to acquire a knowledge of the truths necessary for salvation.

The obligation to pray is incumbent on us at all times, not that prayer should be our sole occupation, as the Euchites, or Messalians, and similar heretical sects professed to believe. **The texts of Scripture bidding us to pray without ceasing mean that we must pray whenever it is necessary, as it so frequently is necessary; **that we must continue to pray until we shall have obtained what we need. Some writers speak of a virtuous life as an uninterrupted prayer, and appeal to the adage “to toil is to pray” (laborare est orare). This does not mean that virtue or labour replaces the duty of prayer, since it is not possible either to practise virtue or to labour properly without frequent use of prayer. The Wyclifites and Waldenses, according to Francisco Suárez, advocated what they called vital prayer, consisting in good works, to the exclusion even of all vocal prayer except the Our Father. For this reason Francisco Suárez does not approve of the expression, though St. Francis de Sales uses it to mean prayer reinforced by work, or rather work which is inspired by prayer. The practice of the Church, devoutly followed by the faithful, is to begin and end the day with prayer; and though morning and evening prayer is not of strict obligation, the practice of it so well satisfies our sense of the need of prayer that neglect of it, especially for a long time is regarded as more or less sinful, according to the cause of the neglect, which is commonly some form of sloth.

(Emphasis added).

 

[Edmundus1581]

When this was raised in CAF in 2014, the unanimous response was that we are obliged to pray daily, and that failure to do so is, in itself a sin (according to the circumstances, of course).

Is it a sin to not pray daily?

 

[Edmundus1581]

The practice of the Church, devoutly followed by the faithful, is to begin and end the day with prayer; and though morning and evening prayer is not of strict obligation, the practice of it so well satisfies our sense of the need of prayer that neglect of it, especially for a long time is regarded as more or less sinful, according to the cause of the neglect, which is commonly some form of sloth.

I should point out that this is the Catholic Encyclopedia, of 1917, so when they write “more or less sinful” they do not mean it in the current colloquial sense of “possibly a little bit sinful”, but intend rather “more sinful, or less sinful, according to …”, ie. possibly a mortal sin, but never no sin at all.