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John,
The distinction between 'mortal'
and 'venial' sin comes from the Bible,
in the first letter of John
Chapter 5 vs. 17 where he
says:
"there is such a thing as deadly
(mortal) sin" & "all
wrongdoing is sin, but there
is sin that is not deadly."
Read over the passage from vs
13-17 to get a greater
sense of the context. In essence,
the distinction relates to deliberate
unrepentant sin vs. sins from
our human weakness and faults.
If someone sins because he is weak,
God's forgiveness is always there
like a loving parent. He is not looking
to beat us up because we aren't perfect.
Rather, we receive forgiveness through
God's great kindness and our sincere
heart and good will to follow him.
Reception of the sacraments, particularly
the Eucharist and Confession take
care of these not so big matters.
However, if someone deliberately
sins and the matter is serious (i.e.,
not just telling your kid there is
no more ice cream in the freezer),
and fails to repent, that person
has committed a mortal sin — a
sin that extinguishes the life of
grace in that soul. That person is
at risk of losing their eternal salvation.
What is needed in this case is repentance,
Confession and absolution from a
priest who was invested by Christ
himself with the power to forgive
sins (cf. John 20:21ff).
(That would be a Catholic or Orthodox
who holds valid Holy Orders) If a
person was in a life threatening
situation and no priest was available
for the sacrament, all hope is not
lost. God will forgive if the contrition
is "perfect." Contrition
is the true remorse for having offended
God and his children. One can be
sorry for sins based on the fear
of punishment, but that is not "perfect." This
lesser form of sorrow is sufficient
for turning the sinner toward true
repentance and is enough for a good
Confession. Absolution (from a priest)
will still work in this place.
If you are left without recourse
to a priest and your life is in jeopardy,
however, you ought to reflect deeply
on your contrition and realize it
needs to be real, relational (from
a child to a father) and trusting
in God's mercy. Otherwise, you'd
better pack some cool clothes, cause
where you are going is extremely
warm.
Peace,
Bob K.
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