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John Richardson wrote:

Hi, guys —

I do not understand the concept of mortal sin.

  • Can I be forgiven if I have committed a mortal sin?
  • If so, how?

Thank you,

John

  { Can you explain to me the concept of mortal sin and can I be forgiven if I have committed one? }

Bob replied:

Dear John,

Thanks for the good question.

The distinction between "mortal" and "venial" sin comes from the Bible, in the first letter of John Chapter 5 verse 17 where he says:

16 If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal. (1 John 5:16-17)

Read over the passages from verses 13-17 to get a greater sense of the context. In essence, the distinction relates to deliberate unrepentant sin versus 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, you ought to reflect deeply on your contrition and realize it needs to be real, relational (from a child to a father) and trust in God's Mercy. Otherwise, you'd better pack some cool clothes, cause where you are going is extremely warm.

Peace,

Bob K.

Mike replied:

Dear John —

I just wanted to add a bit to what Bob has said.

For a sin to be a mortal sin it must include all three conditions:

  1. It must be a grave matter. (Meaning rooted in the Ten Commandments.)
  2. We need sufficient time to reflect upon the sin we are about to commit and then must make the decision to sin anyway.
  3. We must give full consent of the will to commit the sin.

So for short, for a sin to be mortal you have to:

1.) really will it.
2.) know it's wrong, and
3.) it must be a serious matter.

Hope this helps,

Mike

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