Would not all sin be grave?

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The requirements for a mortal sin are as follows:

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.”

Now, if you are committing a sin with full knowledge that it is a sin, is that not like thumbing your nose at God? And as such, would that not be a grave matter in itself? Eating an apple seems innocent enough, but God commanded Eve not to do it, and she did it anyway, and all of humanity fell because of it.
 
First, I have to say that there is nothing in scripture which says that Eve (or Adam) ate an apple as the first sin. It says that God commanded that they should not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But they did.

Secondly, all sins are not equally serious. Saying something rude to a coworker or snapping at your mother is not as serious as assaulting or killing them.

Third, most venial sins are not done with such deliberate intent as to involve thumbing one’s nose at God. A person might unduly tease a little brother, let’s say, but that probably did not involve thinking–“I think I’ll tease Joey and make him feel bad. Oh, I fully realize that’s a sin, and God doesn’t like it, so God, I just don’t care what you think, and I’m going to do it anyway.” Most sins are more impulsive than that.
 
Scripture itself is clear that not all sins are equal. Peter, in his epistle, quotes an Old Testament verse of the Psalms that ‘even the just man falls (sins) seven times a day’. How can someone who sins gravely seven times a day be considered just by anyone’s standards? Clearly he is speaking of sin which is not grave.

Then there’s 1 John 5:17 “There is a sin unto death (grave or mortal sin) … and there is a sin not unto death (sin which is NOT grave or mortal).”
 
I say “apple” because of popular culture…not necessarilly literally…

Thank you for your good answers! Now, if you did tease your brother with full intent and knowing it was wrong and doing it anyway, would that make it a grave matter (the intent itself)?
 
There are some nice answers above. I will take a slightly different approach and say both sides of the issue are correct. Not all sin is equal but all sin is serious and even small sins can be “grave matter”, especially if committed deliberately and repeatedly, for all sin is an offence against Love.

Our Journey toward God is, or should be, aimed at perfection for this is what Christ tells us: “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48).
Jesus also tells us that the Two Great Commandments are to Love God completely and to Love others as we love ourselves. (Mt 22:36-40) From this we can discern that, if we Love God as He should be Loved - perfectly - then any offence, any sin, against that Love is a serious matter.

As we begin our journey toward God and begin to seek the perfection in Love that is spoken of above we find that we have many, many faults and flaws that need to be addressed. These might include things like cursing, gossiping, anger, lust, prideful disregard for others lying, stealing, contempt for law, gluttony and on and on and on…
For Love of God, we begin to work on overcoming these faults. We know that we are weak and cannot kill these faults all at once so we prioritize them and naturally work on the biggest and most obvious ones because these are more offensive to Love than little “slip ups” would be.
So far this fits nicely into the way that most of us view sin and how the Church defines mortal vs venial sin. (Stealing a pen off a co-workers desk is not as serious as robbing a bank.) However, for those who seek to grow in holiness and become perfected in Love things can look a bit different.
For people seeking to be perfected in Love, as we all should, there is no excuse for offending God, even in small matters. Stealing a dollar is the same as stealing a million since it all offends He who we should Love above all else. In this view, stealing a dollar is not less offensive than stealing a million.
I am not talking here about “scrupulosity” where a person looks at all the “rules” and gets all twisted up in trying to discern what is and is not sin etc. and dispairs because they cannot be perfect. Rather, I am talking about people who fully recognize their total reliance on God’s Love and mercy and recognize, even accept, that they will never be completely perfected, but, because of their complete and utter love of God, seek to overcome even small imperfections. We can see such actions in the lives of many saints.

To illustrate a little bit this idea of even smnall sin being “serious matter”, lets look at the so called “Seven Deadly Sins”.
Pride is excessive belief in one’s own abilities, that interferes with the individual’s recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity.
Envy is the desire for others’ traits, status, abilities, or situation.
Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.
Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.
Anger is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. It is also known as Wrath.
Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness.
Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.
Each of these sins, if not overcome, can lead one into condemnation.
Every sin, whether large or small, point to one of these sins.
Take the example of stealing a pen. A seemingly small and insignificant sin yet it can point to deeper and more important defects like:
“sloth” - I’m too lazy to go back to my desk and get my pen…or…
“greed” and/or “envy” - I really like this pen and want it…or…
“anger” - well he took my pencil last week so I’m taking his pen this week…or…🤷
So if we look at our small and seemingly insignificant sins we may well see a pattern of behavior that is much more serious.

Sorry - I did not wish for this to get so long and involved, but it is a rather complicated subject and can be a tightrope between license and scrupulosity.
I guess what I am trying to get at is that every deliberate offense against Love is a deliberate offence against God and therefore every deliberate sin is serious (or grave) matter. It is grave precisely because it is deliberate, that is done with full knowledge and consent.
However, we must also recognize and accept that God knows we are limited and “timeline” beings. We (or at least the majority of us) cannot fix everything at once and so we must, with his grace, prioritize and resolve to eliminate certain sinful habits by both size and fewquency over time. As each defect is defeated, another, hopefully smaller defect becomes “top priority” until we become as “perfect” (through God’s grace) as our “imperfect” will and God’s grace can make us.

Peace
James
 
Thanks for your analogy of “top priority.” That was a very clear description.
 
I’ve heard a priest describe it this way…The worst thing you can do is commit a mortal sin. The second worst thing you can do is commit a venial sin. In that respect, sin itself, any sin, is a serious matter as any sin is an offense to God; however, not all sins involve grave matter.
 
Grave sin = mortal sin = serious sin the terms are used interchangably in the by the Church.

From the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

SIN
  1. What does the acceptance of God’s mercy require from us?
1846-1848
1870

It requires that we admit our faults and repent of our sins. God himself by his Word and his Spirit lays bare our sins and gives us the truth of conscience and the hope of forgiveness.
  1. What is sin?
1849-1851
1871-1872

Sin is “a word, an act, or a desire contrary to the eternal Law” (Saint Augustine). It is an offense against God in disobedience to his love. It wounds human nature and injures human solidarity. Christ in his passion fully revealed the seriousness of sin and overcame it with his mercy.
  1. Is there a variety of sins?
1852-1853
1873

There are a great many kinds of sins. They can be distinguished according to their object or according to the virtues or commandments which they violate. They can directly concern God, neighbor, or ourselves. They can also be divided into sins of thought, of word, of deed, or of omission.
  1. How are sins distinguished according to their gravity?
1854

A distinction is made between mortal and venial sin.
  1. When does one commit a mortal sin?
1855-1861
1874

One commits a mortal sin when there are simultaneously present: grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent. This sin destroys charity in us, deprives us of sanctifying grace, and, if unrepented, leads us to the eternal death of hell. It can be forgiven in the ordinary way by means of the sacraments of Baptism and of Penance or Reconciliation.
  1. When does one commit a venial sin?
1862-1864
1875

One commits a venial sin, which is essentially different from a mortal sin, when the matter involved is less serious or, even if it is grave, when full knowledge or complete consent are absent. Venial sin does not break the covenant with God but it weakens charity and manifests a disordered affection for created goods. It impedes the progress of a soul in the exercise of the virtues and in the practice of moral good. It merits temporal punishment which purifies.
  1. How does sin proliferate?
1865
1876

Sin creates a proclivity to sin ; it engenders vice by repetition of the same acts.
  1. What are vices?
1866-1867

Vices are the opposite of virtues. They are perverse habits which darken the conscience and incline one to evil. The vices can be linked to the seven, so-called, capital sins which are: pride, avarice, envy, anger, lust, gluttony, and sloth or acedia.
  1. Do we have any responsibility for sins committed by others?
1868

We do have such a responsibility when we culpably cooperate with them.
  1. What are structures of sin?
1869

Structures of sin are social situations or institutions that are contrary to the divine law. They are the expression and effect of personal sins.

vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html
 
shelby2014 said:
The requirements for a mortal sin are as follows:

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.”

Now, if you are committing a sin with full knowledge that it is a sin, is that not like thumbing your nose at God? And as such, would that not be a grave matter in itself? Eating an apple seems innocent enough, but God commanded Eve not to do it, and she did it anyway, and all of humanity fell because of it.
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well, as it says, “Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter”,
but the question is, what sins are actually being committed in your example?
eating from the tree of knowledge in and of itself was not the sin God was offended with, He did not love the tree, and the tree could not be hurt,
God was rather offended with the disobedience, and the pride(among other things)
the commandments they broke, although they were not established at that time(although maybe God taught them, who knows) were the 1st and 4th commandments,
the 1st because they chose themselves over God, and the 4th because they disobeyed God who is the supreme authority,

so Adam and Eve really did commit mortal sins and not venial, especially since they knew better what they were doing them most of us would,
but as for venial sins, when we commit venial sins we usually don’t know full well what we are doing, the reason being that venial sins are more of a disease to our souls, it is a sickness, it’s something we very often do out of habit or weakness or ignorance,
of course as we know, sicknesses that are not treated can very well lead to death,
and so venial sins not treated and not corrected can lead to mortal sins.

but the reason God is so patient with as, as opposed to how He dealt with the angels, is because we are learning creatures, we go at a slow pace, whereas the angels had infused knowledge, they did not get a second chance because they knew what they were doing and chose without any ignorance, they chose period, whereas we choose more often not knowing fully what we are doing and how we are offending God and hurting others others, we sin very often in ignorance and blindness,
and God understands, especially when he knows we do not want to offend Him or hurt others, many of us have good hearts, but weak bodies, and God understands.

it’s not all black and white of course, but one thing that separates mortal from venial sins is the effect it has, on ourselves, on others,
and also the intention makes a big difference,

like for example, when we hurt someone, but we did not mean to, that is an accident, and isn’t it so much easier to forgive someone you love when you know they did not mean to do what they did?
that is very much like our venial sins, provided we don’t want to commit them, when we do commit them we might say “I am sorry Lord, i did not mean to do that”
and God understands, He will forgive you, although the stain remains, which can be wiped clean by several means, but i won’t get into that right now.

but as for knowing the sins you are committing and not caring? that is a sin in and of itself, and God is more displeased with your lack of caring then He is with whatever sins you are committing,
and i suppose when you care that little, it doesn’t particularly matter what sin you are committing, because you are separated from God nonetheless,
of course it matters when we sin, whether we care or not, but what i mean is, when you sin so carelessly, then the problem lies not in correcting your sins, but in healing and softening your hardened heart, which is careless by lack of love for God, and therein lies the problem,
and of course God truly loves us, He loves the most hardened hearts, and longs to help them more then any others, and because of the loving sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus Christ, God can love us, as great as our sins may be, more then He is displeased with our sins, and so we have great hope in His mercy.(sorry that went slightly off subject)

well, i think i said enough, i hope this helps,
take care.
 
shelby2014 said:
I say “apple” because of popular culture…not necessarilly literally…

Thank you for your good answers! Now, if you did tease your brother with full intent and knowing it was wrong and doing it anyway, would that make it a grave matter (the intent itself)?
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Full knowledge and full reflection and consent still wouldn’t make grave matter out of non-grave matter. And the disposition and sensitivity of my brother would make a difference. In my own brother’s case, it would be venial; and he would just tease me back.
 
EmeraldWings said:
(SNIP)
but as for knowing the sins you are committing and not caring? that is a sin in and of itself, and God is more displeased with your lack of caring then He is with whatever sins you are committing,
and i suppose when you care that little, it doesn’t particularly matter what sin you are committing, because you are separated from God nonetheless,
of course it matters when we sin, whether we care or not, but what i mean is, when you sin so carelessly, then the problem lies not in correcting your sins, but in healing and softening your hardened heart, which is careless by lack of love for God, and therein lies the problem,
and of course God truly loves us, He loves the most hardened hearts, and longs to help them more then any others, and because of the loving sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus Christ, God can love us, as great as our sins may be, more then He is displeased with our sins, and so we have great hope in His mercy.(sorry that went slightly off subject)

well, i think i said enough, i hope this helps,
take care.
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EW,
Excellant post. I just want to give an extra bravo to that you say above in the bolded section. It sums up nicely something that I have recognized for some time.
The first, worst, and only real mortal sin is “not caring” about God and his commands to us. It is the rejection of God’s Love and Lordship over us. Once we do that, whether in large matters or small, we have seperated ourselves from Him - The source of all life.

So - In order for any sin to be mortal, the first thing we must do is to “blaspheme the Holy Spirit”, that is to say, I know (something) is a sin but I don’t care, (what God says) and will do it anyway. To repent of any mortal sin we must repent this first mortal sin of not caring, of rejecting God and God’s Love. THEN and only then can we begin to once again work on true repentance of our outher sins.

Peace
James
 
Here’s a quote I’ve been trying to figure out, from St. Terese of Availa:

“From any sin, however small, committed with full knowledge, may God deliver us, especially since we are sinning against so great a Sovereign and realize that He is watching us. That seems to me to be a sin of malice aforethought; it is as though one were to say: “Lord, although this displeases Thee, I shall do it. I know that Thou seest it and I know that Thou wouldst not have me do it; but although I understand this, I would rather follow my own whim and desire than Thy will.” If we commit a sin in this way, however slight, it seems to me that our offense is not small but very, very great.”
  • This kind of worries me when a saint/mystic/doctor of the church says something like that. Does that mean that all deliberate venial sins are mortal?? This comes to mind every time I do something and it’s lead me to be really scrupulous because now everytime I do a little sin, such as sleeping in too late, I feel like I’ve committed a mortal sin because I knew my sin was offensive to God before I committed it and it seems like I can’t do any small activity without mortal sin…surely all this can’t be true because what’s the point of the church teaching the “if it has full knowledge and deliberate consent, but the sin is not a grave matter. it is venial” teaching?
  • also St. Teresa spent alot of her life committing sins like these but she said she along with all her confessors said she never committed a mortal sin in her life…am I just reading in to much of that above quote?
 
but then, heres a quote from St. John of the Cross, another saint/mystic/doctor of the church:

“But of the voluntary desires, which, though they be for very small things, are, as I have said, intentional venial sins, any one that is not conquered suffices to impede union.[180]”
  • he seems to think that deliberate venial sins only impede (become and obstacle) are realitonship with God, not destroy it. So I’m so confused…this matter seems like a toss up.
 
This is a very confusing situation which I’ve been struggling scruples alot with lately, this matter seems to be a toss up. I don’t know which opinion to trust…below are a few quotes from catholic sources.
here’s a quote from saint/mystic/ doctor of the church, St. Teresa of Avila

“From any sin, however small, committed with full knowledge, may God deliver us, especially since we are sinning against so great a Sovereign and realize that He is watching us. That seems to me to be a sin of malice aforethought; it is as though one were to say: “Lord, although this displeases Thee, I shall do it. I know that Thou seest it and I know that Thou wouldst not have me do it; but although I understand this, I would rather follow my own whim and desire than Thy will.” If we commit a sin in this way, however slight, it seems to me that our offense is not small but very, very great.”
  • I talked to a priest and he said what St. Teresa meant by her statement was all sin is a serious offense to God and it would be mortal to someone like her because she has such a close relationship with God and a more sensitive conscience and much is expected of her.
Heres a quote from St. John of the Cross, another saint/mystic/doctor of the church:

“But of the voluntary desires, which, though they be for very small things, are, as I have said, intentional venial sins, any one that is not conquered suffices to impede union.[180]”
  • he seems to think that deliberate venial sins only impede (become and obstacle) are realitonship with God, not destroy it.
Here is a quote from [books.google.com/books?id=ED0UAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA10&lpg=PA10&dq=How+can+the+evil+of+deliberate+venial+sin+be+shown%3F&source=bl&ots=Tn4Oo7okTl&sig=lefYyHhFQpHLbvATkFpYb_eTvCQ&hl=en&ei=UaPoS_znHoy(name removed by moderator)qOtZIF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CCsQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q&f=false:](http://books.google.com/books?id=ED...YyHhFQpHLbvATkFpYb_eTvCQ&hl=en&ei=UaPoS_znHoy(name removed by moderator)qOtZIF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CCsQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q&f=false:)

“Venial sin is committed when the matter of sin is light, even though the advertance and of the intellect and consent of the will are full and deliberate”​

Here is a quote from catholicdoors.com/teaching/book1/1-16.htm:

I’m not going to show the quote because it is rather lengthy, but it is basically saying that venial sins done out of deliberate evil don’t become mortal, unless if it is done by “contempt of divine law”…I’m not sure what that means​

…and of course, a quote from the Catechism:

“Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin. However venial sin does not break the covenant with God.”​

BTW, sorry about the 3 consecutives posts, I’m not sure how to get rid of the other 2
 
shelby2014 said:
The requirements for a mortal sin are as follows:

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.”

Now, if you are committing a sin with full knowledge that it is a sin, is that not like thumbing your nose at God? And as such, would that not be a grave matter in itself? Eating an apple seems innocent enough, but God commanded Eve not to do it, and she did it anyway, and all of humanity fell because of it.
Click to expand...
stealing a banana from the grocery is not as grave as killing a person
 
Ben_Sinner said:
Here’s a quote I’ve been trying to figure out, from St. Terese of Availa:

“From any sin, however small, committed with full knowledge, may God deliver us, especially since we are sinning against so great a Sovereign and realize that He is watching us. That seems to me to be a sin of malice aforethought; it is as though one were to say: “Lord, although this displeases Thee, I shall do it. I know that Thou seest it and I know that Thou wouldst not have me do it; but although I understand this, I would rather follow my own whim and desire than Thy will.” If we commit a sin in this way, however slight, it seems to me that our offense is not small but very, very great.”
  • This kind of worries me when a saint/mystic/doctor of the church says something like that. Does that mean that all deliberate venial sins are mortal?? This comes to mind every time I do something and it’s lead me to be really scrupulous because now everytime I do a little sin, such as sleeping in too late, I feel like I’ve committed a mortal sin because I knew my sin was offensive to God before I committed it and it seems like I can’t do any small activity without mortal sin…surely all this can’t be true because what’s the point of the church teaching the “if it has full knowledge and deliberate consent, but the sin is not a grave matter. it is venial” teaching?
  • also St. Teresa spent alot of her life committing sins like these but she said she along with all her confessors said she never committed a mortal sin in her life…am I just reading in to much of that above quote?
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Let us cut to the chase here.
  1. If we know something is a sin and do it anyway - With knowledge and forethought the sin is more “grave” than if we do something without knowledge or forethought. Take sleeping late as an example.
    If I set my alarm for the right time but then either sleep through the alarm or hit the snooze too many times, I am not guilty of forethought but of “sleepyness”, and possibly a bit of bad habit in hitting the snooze the last time. Such sin is not taken in full conscienceness and so can not be full knowledge and consent.
    If I set my alarm one hour later the night before with the intention of “oversleeping” then I am guilty of a deceitful action even before my head hits the pillow. This is done with Full knowledge and consent and so is more serious.
  2. If a sin is committed with knowledge but not forethought is is less grave because we already committed the sin before we think to stop it. For instance if you hit your thumb with a hammer and curse, taking God’s name in vain, you have comitted a sin. You know cursing is wrong, but it was not deliberate, that is not with forethought, and it was probably not with malice, just pain. In other words you said the sinful words but not with sinful intent.
Sins that are committed without forethought are “habits”. These are the sins that you seem to be struggling with. You know they are sins but you commit them, practically without realizing it until after. Breaking bad habits and replacing them with good ones is an on going process. God understands this and is more interested in our intent and in our desire and in our spiritual progress than he is in each and every little daily failure. JUst as a loving parent is interested in the progress of a child.

Also it is important to remember that, even though St. Terese is a wonderful saint and a Doctor of the Church, her views are “personal ones”. They are how she viewed things on her journey. As you say above, while she viewed such sin as serious, others including her confessors never saw any of her sins as mortal.
She saw and emphasized her faults in order to get rid of them. At the same time she minimized her virtues. In short, she accepted blame for sins but did not accept credit for Holiness, giving such cred it to Gods grace. This is an essence of humility. Others, viewing from the outside, saw her humility and her holiness but saw less her struggle in overcoming faults. They saw her great and overarching Love for God and her fellow creatures. This Great Love she had for God, caused her to anguish over even small slights, tiny sins, against His Love.

Finally note, St. Terese did not anguish over her sins out of fear of hell, but out of her Love for God. This is a crucial difference. She feared and hated sin because of her Love of God, and her desire never to offend her beloved. She did not fear sin because of some fear of hell. Love had driven out such fear.

Turn your eyes toward God in Love. Do not look at hell in fear. Ask for God’s help in overcoming bad habits. Ask for God’s forgivenss when you fail. Do your best and know that, if you do, God will kiss your forehead, as a loving father does, as you go to sleep.

Peace
James
 
choy said:
stealing a banana from the grocery is not as grave as killing a person
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Consider -

  1. *]I am angry with the store owner over banana prices and commit to stealing banana’s to get back at him. The store owner loses $1.50 in bananas

    *]I am angry at the store owner over banana prices and throw a stone through his window to get back at him. The store owner loses $150 in window repairs.

    *]I am angry at the store owner over banana prices and throw a stone through his window accidentally hitting him in the head and killing him. The store owner loses his life.

    In the first, the intent is to steal out of greed and anger to get even.
    In the second the intent is to cause property damage - also out of greed and anger - that is out of proportion to the cost of the bananas.
    In the third the the intent is the same as in the second, but with an unintended consequence.

    **What are the sins in each scenerio and what is the gravity of them? **

    Peace
    James
 
JRKH said:
EW,
Excellant post. I just want to give an extra bravo to that you say above in the bolded section. It sums up nicely something that I have recognized for some time.
The first, worst, and only real mortal sin is “not caring” about God and his commands to us. It is the rejection of God’s Love and Lordship over us. Once we do that, whether in large matters or small, we have seperated ourselves from Him - The source of all life.

So - In order for any sin to be mortal, the first thing we must do is to “blaspheme the Holy Spirit”, that is to say, I know (something) is a sin but I don’t care, (what God says) and will do it anyway. To repent of any mortal sin we must repent this first mortal sin of not caring, of rejecting God and God’s Love. THEN and only then can we begin to once again work on true repentance of our outher sins.

Peace
James
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Isn’t all sin considered blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in some way, since it goes against the will of God? Also what does the church mean when it says “Deliberate and unrepented venial sins weaken charity but still remain in a state of grace”? If you knew a sin was venial, but didn’t confess it. That would constitute a deliberate sin in itself. So that would mean that all deliberate sins are not mortal. If that were the case than it seems like every sin we commit has to be by accident or a sudden jolt of emotion and that seems like God is asking the impossible out of us. I highly doubt if people like Padre Pio (who never committed a mortal sin in his life) went their whole life without committing at least one fully deliberate and premeditated sin.
 
Ben_Sinner said:
Isn’t all sin considered blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in some way, since it goes against the will of God? Also what does the church mean when it says “Deliberate and unrepented venial sins weaken charity but still remain in a state of grace”? If you knew a sin was venial, but didn’t confess it. That would constitute a deliberate sin in itself. So that would mean that all deliberate sins are not mortal. If that were the case than it seems like every sin we commit has to be by accident or a sudden jolt of emotion and that seems like God is asking the impossible out of us. I highly doubt if people like Padre Pio (who never committed a mortal sin in his life) went their whole life without committing at least one fully deliberate and premeditated sin.
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Does this sound like Jesus is asking the impossible from us?
Matthew 5: 48
You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect

I know that we are imperfect, and very few of us will ever reach a level of perfection approaching this, but we must also recognize and accept that Christ hs set a high goal for us.

To try and answer your questions above, first let me say that I am speaking only for myself and not for “The Church”.

I would say that there occurs many times when a person knows something is “wrong” but deliberately does it anyway without considering the “sinfulness” of it, that is, without considering how it offends charity - offends God. Instead they will try to justify some wrong act or thought. For instance:
Frank says, “Joe took my pen last week - So I’ll take his pen this week. So now we are even”.
Frank has not considered the sinfulness or offence to God in his action, only that Joe did something to him and now he is doing something to get even with Joe. Yet, regardless of what Joe did to him, Frank has no right to steal Joe’s pen and Frank sins when he does so.
Frank’s acting in such a manner is actually showing an even deeper problem. A lack of obedience to the Great commandments of Love:
Mt 22:36-40 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, " YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' 38 "This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 "The second is like it, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Frank is not loving Joe by stealing his pen, and even worse, Frank is not acting in a way that Glorifies God and promotes God’s Kingship over him. He is not doing this deliberately but more acting out of sloth or habit.

It is my belief that this is why the Church teaches about sin in the way it does. Venial sins, are those “lesser sins” that we, as imperfect Christians, commit without thinking it through. If Frank recognizes that, by taking Joe’s pen he is offending Him who Joe Loves above all, then Frank would never take Joe’s pen, and instead would give Joe a whole box of pens so Joe would always have one.
The danger we as Christians face, and too many fall into this, is to become complacent. to say that, “venial sins won’t send us to hell, and we don’t even need to confess them.” Compacency is a very dangerous thing. It can lead one to aim, not for heaven, but for purgatory and as Fr Corapi has said, (paraphrased)
“If you aim for perfection, aim for heaven, and miss there is purgatory, a blessing indeed. But if you only aim for ‘good enough’, that is, aim for purgatory and miss, there is nothing to stop the long fall into hell.”
We are on a journey toward holiness. We are beginning from a state of habitual and reactionary sin. It takes time and effort to replace those sinful habits with holy ones. During that time we can commit “deliberate” venial sins without “thinking it through”, that is, somewhere between a “gut reaction” and a “complete review” of the action.

During our daily examination of conscience we need to recognize when these things occur, repent fully that we have not squelched our old habit(s) and resolve to do better, to Keep Christ always in front of us, and to fulfill the great commands of Love.
We shoud never hide behind, “well that’s just a venial sin”. I am sure that if, as you say, Padre Pio ever did commit a deliberate venial sin, His repentance upon realizing this, was full and complete. I am sure he did not try to justify or “blow off” his culpability in committing the sin. In short His contrition over a venial sin was quite as profound as if it were a mortal sin.

I think that, in our personal journeys it is a question of which direction we are looking. When I hear people asking if this or that thing is a sin, it indicates that they are looking down. They are looking at avoiding punishment. A better attitude is to look up, not in fear but in Love. Look to the Promise of heaven, not the threat of Hell, “Seek first the Kingdom”. Act positively, in charity, to promote that kingdom in our lives and in the lives of others. Instead of asking, “is this thing sinning against God”, ask, “Is this thing pleasing to God”.

I apologize for rambling on so. I hope some of the above is of help.

Peace
James
 
JRKH said:
Consider -

  1. *]I am angry with the store owner over banana prices and commit to stealing banana’s to get back at him. The store owner loses $1.50 in bananas

    *]I am angry at the store owner over banana prices and throw a stone through his window to get back at him. The store owner loses $150 in window repairs.

    *]I am angry at the store owner over banana prices and throw a stone through his window accidentally hitting him in the head and killing him. The store owner loses his life.

    In the first, the intent is to steal out of greed and anger to get even.
    In the second the intent is to cause property damage - also out of greed and anger - that is out of proportion to the cost of the bananas.
    In the third the the intent is the same as in the second, but with an unintended consequence.

    **What are the sins in each scenerio and what is the gravity of them? **

    Peace
    James
Click to expand...

  1. #2 and #3 are not stealing bananas
 
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