Sin

SIN

BASIC R.C. BELIEF From A CATECHISM FOR ADULTS, page 27. “Sin is any thought, word, desire, action or neglect forbidden by the Law of God. To be guilty of sin, I must realize that I am breaking God’s Law and I must freely choose to do it. There are two kinds of sin, mortal sin, which is a big sin and venial sin, which is a small sin. (I John 5:16 is cited, but the Douay Bible footnote on that verse says, `The difference cannot be the same as betwixt sins that are called mortal and venial, for it says you can’t pray for mortal sin, or sin unto death.’)

“Some mortal sins are: refusing to acept all of God’s teaching, never praying, telling serious lies, not going to Mass on Sundays or Holydays of Obligation, getting very drunk, killing an unborn child in the womb, all sins of sex, stealing something expensive. Mortal sin kills the grace in my soul. If I die with a mortal sin on my soul, I will be sent to Hell forever. Venial sins: telling small lies, being impatient, ordinary anger, stealing something cheap, speaking or thinking unkindly of others, getting slightly drunk. If I do something wrong but through no fault of my own do not know that it is wrong, I am not guilty of sin. For example, I can eat meat on Friday, forgetting, through no fault of my own, that it is Friday. In such a case, I am not guilty of sin.”

From WHY ATTEND SUNDAY MASS? by John O’Brien, p. 1. “Take their attendance at Mass on Sunday. They are obliged under pain of mortal sin to attend.”

From A CATECHISM FOR ADULTS, page 28. “If I do something wrong but am not certain whether it is a mortal or a venial sin, I commit a mortal sin because I show myself willing to offend God seriously. For example, I do not know whether it is a mortal or venial sin to eat too much. I am guilty of mortal sin if I go ahead and eat too much even if later on I find out that it is only a venial sin.”

POST VATICAN II From ST. PETER’S CATECHISM, p. 21. “Scripture says that mortal sin is like crucifying Christ again and holding Him up to contempt (Hebrews 6:6). To make a sin mortal three conditions are necessary: Grave matter, sufficient knowledge and full consent. Venial sin is a sin in which one of the three conditions for mortal sin is absent.”