Tag: Mortal Sin

The USCCB and the Vatican: The wrong questions

Published on by M

OpenForum_Eliminate_Chaos

And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns: and on his head seven diadems. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to be delivered; that, when she should be delivered, he might devour her son (Rv 12:3-4).

Everyone has become aware by now that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), presently meeting in Baltimore, has been asked by the Holy See’s Congregation for Bishops to delay voting on their attempted creation of a Code of Conduct in relation to the clergy sex abuse crisis in America. Statements against statements have been made, with protocols against protocols, charters against charters, policies against more policies, and speeches against speeches galore. Take your pick. A hierarchy and a presbyterate that, at times, might seem rather ‘out of touch’ to the general public. An Americanist Catholic laity so entitled that they attempt to usurp the very powers of the Vicar of Christ, because they treasure their Americanism more than they do their Catholicism. And all this is, obviously, being carried out under the guise of ‘saving the Church’ – as if that were possible by mere human means.

In other words, rebellion and disorder. Seemingly ad infinitum.

Two things are missing in the aforementioned scenario and they are the following:

  1. God is not present where there is chaos, rebellion and disorder, because God is Order in Himself; and
  2. The wrong questions are being asked.

In attempting to understand the abuse of power that has occurred (and reportedly seems to continue occurring in some venues) and to seek wholesome remedies for it without scapegoating, one needs to depart from a very basic question and a very basic fact. Everything else will then flow naturally from there.

The basic question is the following and it needs to be answered with a “yes / no” response:

  • Do you believe that sex (of whatever kind) outside of (at a minimum) natural marriage is a mortal sin and that it results in the withdrawal of the indwelling of the Holy Trinity from the soul?

And the basic immutable fact is this:

  • God cannot live where the darkness of mortal sin resides.

Everything else that is happening, in terms of dialog and discussion, is just self-referential fluff.

Why is this happening?

The Fifth and Sixth Commandments are being violated in a ‘setting-of-the-stage’ scenario, in order to then violate the First Commandment (the ultimate aim). That is the underlying plan and it has been long coming.

Start, therefore, from the above question and the above fact if you want effective solutions, and everything falls into place. Start from elsewhere (as has happened) and you get chaos, disorder and rebellion.

The free-will choice is yours to make.

 

 

What are mortal sin and venial sin?

Published on by M

Sins are rightly evaluated according to their gravity. The distinction between mortal and venial sin, already evident in Scripture, became part of the tradition of the Church. It is corroborated by human experience. Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God’s law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to Him. Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it. Mortal sin, by attacking the vital principle within us – that is, charity – necessitates a new initiative of God’s mercy and a conversion of heart which is normally accomplished within the setting of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

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. Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: “Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother.” The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger.

Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.

Unintentional ignorance can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense. But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the conscience of every man. The promptings of feelings and passions can also diminish the voluntary and free character of the offense, as can external pressures or pathological disorders. Sin committed through malice, by deliberate choice of evil, is the gravest.

Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God’s forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ’s kingdom and the eternal death of Hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God.

One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent. Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it impedes the soul’s progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal punishment. Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin. However, venial sin does not break the covenant with God. With God’s grace it is humanly reparable. “Venial sin does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace, friendship with God, charity, and consequently eternal happiness.”

While he is in the flesh, man cannot help but have at least some light sins. But do not despise these sins which we call “light:” if you take them for light when you weigh them, tremble when you count them. A number of light objects makes a great mass; a number of drops fills a river; a number of grains makes a heap. What then is our hope? Above all, Confession.

“Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept His mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss (Catechism of the Catholic Church).

More on mortal sin

Published on by M

For whomever does not know, has forgotten, willingly or unwillingly; or just plain does not presently care, mortal sin is:

  • a sin of grave matter;
  • committed with full knowledge;
  • committed with deliberate consent.

1) Saint Paul on what mortal sins are:

“Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal 5:19-20). Paul also tells the Corinthians, “know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor liars with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards nor railers, nor extortioners shall possess the kingdom of God” (1 Cor 6:9-10).

2) Sins of anger, blasphemy, envy, hatred, malice, murder, neglect of Sunday obligation, sins against faith, sins against hope, and sins against love.

3) Voluntary murder (Gen 4:10); the sin of impurity, i.e., sodomy and homosexual relations (Gen 18:20); taking advantage of the poor (Ex 2:23); and defrauding the workingman of his wages (James 5:4).

4) Pride, avarice, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth.

Is Hell only for Satan? – Response to a question

Published on by M

The question was asked, “Is Hell reserved only for Satan?” The answer is in the negative. Hell is a place of pain and punishment for infinity that has been reserved not only for Satan and his demons, but also for all those of us who die in unrepented of and unabsolved mortal sin – that is why the latter is called “mortal.” You can learn more about mortal sin here and here, as well as about Hell here. You can also read about being in mortal sin and the great mercy, tenderness and love of God our Father.

In brief, when one has a mortal sin or sins on their soul, they may, to all intents and purposes, be alive in the flesh, but they are dead in the spirit. In other words, they are walking sepulchres. However, when one dies with even just a single mortal sin on the soul, they condemn themselves instantly to Hell, not Purgatory, because since the Holy Trinity is pure and immaculate, They cannot reside in and where the darkness of sin resides in full.