By Father Michael Van Sloun - For The Catholic Spirit
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
The following is the sixth in a 10-part series on reconciliation.
Penance
Father Michael Van Sloun
• Mortal sins. A mortal sin is also known as a grave or serious sin. A mortal sin does terrible violence to a person’s relationship with God or neighbor. It is a horrible offense against the law of love and a major violation against charity. It is a deliberate decision to do evil and turn away from God, a conscious choice to reject God and live in the darkness rather than the light. It is to fall from the state of grace.
• The necessary conditions for a mortal sin. The church teaches that
for a sin to be considered “mortal,” it must be a grave matter, have
deliberate consent and be committed with full knowledge (Catechism of
the Catholic Church, No. 1857).
• “Grave matter” means that the sin itself must be serious. There is a
wide difference between an armed robbery and shoplifting a candy bar;
between an aggravated assault that leads to a severe injury and a mean
shove on the playground. The gravest sins are murder, adultery and
apostasy. Other examples of grave matter include serious offenses
against the Ten Commandments, as well as “immorality, impurity,
licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy,
outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions,
occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies and the like” (Galatians
5:19-21).
• “Deliberate or complete consent” means that the person understands
that the contemplated action is gravely opposed to God’s law and will
sever one’s relationship with God. And then, with the use of one’s free
will, the person decides to carry out the action. The sinful thinking
goes like this: “I know what I’m doing is wrong. I don’t care. This
will turn my life in a new direction totally away from God, but I’m
going to do it anyway.”
• “Commission with full knowledge” means to carry out the action while a person is in possession of their mental faculties.
• Diminished culpability. A sin may be grave but not mortal if there
are extenuating circumstances. Examples include mental impairment,
psychological or pathological disorder, pressure, unintentional
ignorance when there may not be full knowledge, or if there are
feelings and passions [that] diminish the person’s ability to make
complete consent (No. 1860 and 1862).
• Forgiveness of mortal sins. The absolution of a mortal sin is
received through the sacrament of reconciliation. The penitent is
encouraged to approach the sacrament as soon as possible, at least
within one year, and is obliged to confess such sins in kind and
number. Mortal sins are also absolved through the sacraments of baptism
and anointing.
Father Michael Sloun is pastor at St. Stephen in Anoka.
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