Mortal Sin: Does the Catholic Church still believe in it?

Does the Catholic Church still teach that there is mortal sin? What is the difference between mortal sin and venial sin? Father Scott explains the distinctions of mortal and venial sin from 1 John 5:16-17, and he includes the Catechism's explanation sin. He also comments on temptations we face when we are in mortal sin and offers some encouragement for those struggling with sin.
For some fun, Fr. Scott reflects on the portrayal of confession in movies and TV here: • Real Catholic Priest R...
Check out our ultimate confession explainer here: • Bless Me Father: Catho...
When should you confess doubt and anger? Fr. Scott talks about confessing doubt and anger here: • Doubt & Anger: When sh...
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[@susan5301]

Thank-you for this Fr. Scott! By the way you have the most beautiful singing voice!

[@veneciasingh9494]

God forgive us for sinning against You Amen

[@GovtWatchdog]

I feel like the gravity of the sin is extremely unclear in many cases. One can say then that it would not be considered a mortal sin for that very reason alone since it lacks full knowledge.

[@southbug27]

i’ll look

[@Deus_Vult7]

But how do I know if I did it of my complete free will if it is habitual grave matter sin?

[@RisenChristDenver]

Good question. It would probably be good to talk about your particular circumstances with a priest one on one. If a person struggles with an addiction, then it could mitigate the person's full consent of the will, which is the third condition for a mortal sin. It is a difficult line between something that is habitual and something that is an addiction. That's why it would be good to speak with a priest, especially in the context of confession whenever there is doubt about culpability with an habitual sin.

[@LennyCooke636]

There are so many sins stacked upon other sins, plus rules and obligations-days, that the average Catholic would be walking a tight-rope if they followed all of them. I say the 'average' Catholic, because much more is expected from the Clergy. Yes some of these sins are considered universally serious, such as murder and adultery, while others are not so serious. Others are just minor flaws, or human nature depending on who you speak to... Some sins are against the church, not God IMHO. Then there are the (7 deadly sins) which encompass our entire being(flesh, soul, spirit). These sins are not specifically listed in the Bible like the 10 commandments, but nevertheless are the underlying theme of the entire Bible. The bottom-line is, depending on your conscience/heart and your proximity to god, some 'sins' might not be considered sins at all. Of course if we all lived in heaven we would not have these problems, because we would not have flesh to contend with, or a flawed integrity. Unfortunately, we who live on good old planet earth have not only our flaws but our fleshy human instincs to contend with. Not that we shouldn't strive to be sinless, if that were possible... You have to be careful that you don't invoke the "spirit of judgement", better known as Satan by becoming too Pious which can easily happen BTW... Jesus said my 'Yoke' is light. When he was here, he tried to simplify things and lighten up the heavy load that the religious leaders of that day had placed on the people (while not lifting one single finger to help them). Pretending to be good(not the same as striving to be good) is not going to help you any because God sees everything. Sometimes he even sends angels to keep tabs on people(unawares) to see how they react in certain situations. God does not only sees the guy in church dressed in his Sundays-best, he can see the same guy on Monday through Saturday, wether in public or in private, day and night. To put it midly, you are already busted regardless, of status, income, popularity, or goodness. Remember in the Mystical Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve tried to hide from the Lord after eating that apple ? You think God didn't know ? So is it impossible to be "Good" and please God ? Should we just give up, let loose and let it all hang out ? Sure you can do that, until the day you have to face God and give an account of yourself, which eventually we all have to do. I'm telling you even little things like the time you stole a cookie from the cookie jar when you were just 6 years old will spring vividly to mind. The more sins you have accumulated in your life time, the more incredible, the worse your situation with God is going to be. But some say stealing from the cookie jar is the same as 'murder' to God when it comes to sin, sin is sin ! If that were the case, the entire Bible and the coming of Jesus Christ would be null-and-void. Justice is the act of laying down the law and that is always done in proportion. To say "it serves you right !" to your husband, or spouse is not the same as to say it to a convicted murderer. There are always degrees to justice.. I got my fingers-crossed that the ruler of the Universe who sits on the throne of "Justice" who instilled justice in us, who through the Bible tried to teach us about justice, will act accordingly.

[@copyrightcharacter1166]

so why did jesus die for our sins if were damned for our sins

[@Volaer1]

The work of Christ does not in any way reduce or limit our culpability for sin.

[@billybobwombat2231]

Sounds like it's just a word that's used to preface naughty shit to make it sound worse so you can control people easier 🤷