Would this be considered as putting something before God?

[ResoluteSheep]

Please forgive me for all these questions and it’s something I’ve been struggling with but:

Would it be mortal sin if we enjoy something else other than God? I have an addictive personality and anything that is fun eg ice skating, basketball would be my addiction until I can find something else more fun. So for me, I’m struggling with a few hobby addictions at the moment and at times it causes me to do the ‘‘minimum’’ for my Faith. I do pray daily prayers and other stuff like spiritual reading, but it’s usually not done with great fervor and rather just doing for the sake of doing it. However I would not skip mass or anything binding under pain of mortal sin for the sake of doing my hobby.

Like I love God but in a way my passions have a grip on me too. Is it mortally sinful to be unable to give something up for God? I know I have the free will to say ‘‘no’’ to this, but I can’t seem to let it go.

During some situations where I think ‘‘Hmm I should really read the Bible now’’ then I’m like ‘‘nahhh it can wait for later, this is much more interesting, can’t be a sin anyway, maybe at most venial’’. I have full knowledge that I have an addiction, but I just can’t seem to break from it, my priest said that it is only a mortal sin when we are willing to break God’s Laws to get what we want.

In my case, I try my best to fulfill the commandments but I’m still falling short on the part to ‘‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind’’ in the sense that I still want to please myself too.

Also additional question: When a mortal sin requires Full Knowledge , what does St. Alphonsus mean by if we are not sure whether something is a mortal sin or not and we do it, its a mortal sin?

From how I view it: if we are not completely sure whether its a mortal sin, BUT we still do it anyway, its a mortal sin? I thought mortal sin requires full knowledge?

 

[Arizona_Fat_Gir]

Not trying to distinguish mortal and venial sin. That is not my call.

I think enjoying life to the fullest is OK. Some people cannot enjoy life and they are miserable to live with. There may come a time when you won’t be able to do something you enjoy for one reason or another.

Putting God ahead of all other things is important, but we live in a physical world and are bound to interact with it.

 

[PraiseChrist]

Please forgive me for all these questions and it’s something I’ve been struggling with but:

Would it be mortal sin if we enjoy something else other than God? I have an addictive personality and anything that is fun eg ice skating, basketball would be my addiction until I can find something else more fun. So for me, I’m struggling with a few hobby addictions at the moment and at times it causes me to do the ‘‘minimum’’ for my Faith. I do pray daily prayers and other stuff like spiritual reading, but it’s usually not done with great fervor and rather just doing for the sake of doing it. However I would not skip mass or anything binding under pain of mortal sin for the sake of doing my hobby.

Like I love God but in a way my passions have a grip on me too. Is it mortally sinful to be unable to give something up for God? I know I have the free will to say ‘‘no’’ to this, but I can’t seem to let it go.

During some situations where I think ‘‘Hmm I should really read the Bible now’’ then I’m like ‘‘nahhh it can wait for later, this is much more interesting, can’t be a sin anyway, maybe at most venial’’. I have full knowledge that I have an addiction, but I just can’t seem to break from it, my priest said that it is only a mortal sin when we are willing to break God’s Laws to get what we want.

In my case, I try my best to fulfill the commandments but I’m still falling short on the part to ‘‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind’’ in the sense that I still want to please myself too.

Also additional question: When a mortal sin requires Full Knowledge , what does St. Alphonsus mean by if we are not sure whether something is a mortal sin or not and we do it, its a mortal sin?

From how I view it: if we are not completely sure whether its a mortal sin, BUT we still do it anyway, its a mortal sin? I thought mortal sin requires full knowledge?

1st question
It’s not a mortal sin to enjoy something else other than God. There are good actions, morally neutral actions (like playing a game of chess), and sinful actions. You can do good actions for God’s glory, and you can also do morally neutral actions for God’s glory.

St Alphonsus meant that if we are unsure if something is grave matter or venial matter, and we commit it anyway, then we commit grave matter. The reason is because we were willing to commit grave matter and knew that the action was at least a venial sin. If the person gave full consent of the will, then it becomes mortal sin.

HOWEVER, if one is scrupulous and they are unsure if something is a sin or not, then it is not a sin for them. If a scrupulous person is unsure if what they committed was a sin at all or not, then it was not a sin.
If a scrupulous person–who is unsure about all their actions–is unsure if they are about to commit grave matter or venial matter, and they they do this, then they should confess it. If it happened to be a mortal sin, then the scrupulous person would be absolved, provided they had the other requirements for a good confession.

God bless

 

[fred_conty]

Faithfullness and obedience is a prayer in itself. So if a spiritual work is done out of sheer routine, it isn’t the best thing, but it is good because God is pleased with the faithfulness, obedience, and self denial that it required.

How much should we do? Well that depends on our willingness to give. This willingness usually grows over the years with God’s grace. As Jesus put it, some seed produces 100 fold, some 60 fold and some 30 fold. But it is important that it produce something.

 

[InLight247]

God created the world and things in the world for us to enjoy them with Him, not above Him. God is pleased when we enjoy His blessings with a grateful heart and a prudent attitude. Keep God first in life does not mean we cannot enjoy our family, friends, hobbies, and things around us as long as they don’t become more important than God. We love our family and friends with the love of God as our top priority.

 

[Rosebud77]

Surely a question of balance and proportion? Which will differ with each of us. If our pleasures go too far?